Pre-Game Talk: Decisions Decisions Decisions v2.0

[rboomercat90]

I keep defending Mcleod because people jsut aren't spotting the contributions he;s making, even in this series. he now has 4 passes to slot including last night that nobody has cashed on in this series. he uses his pace to such effect to get pucks out. Several times in series he's been the one to skate it out or seperate and get space to advance puck out or get it up ice. he's first to forecheck, he's tirless, he's our best pk forward along with Nuge.

There would be no reason to sit McLeod and no coach should. If KK ends up doing it he's lost the plot. You need all kinds of contributions. Mcleod is making his.

Foegele kind of woke up yesterday in game 5 but I've entirely lost patience for a guy that chronically sleep walsk through playoffs. Unlike McLeod Foegele is not making great contribution defensively and is responsible for a couple GA including a brutal giveaway that should staple a nothing player to the bench.

The pace of Holloway and McLeod is absolutely required on this team. Pts notwithstanding these guys are playing well and pressuring well.


How about playing a player that would be the most creative player in our bottomsix and was almost every time we played him. Playing Sam Gagner wouldn't be a sympathy play. he ought to be subbing in once in awhile. Gagner at age will give you 5 solid games in a row and can play anywhere. His pts/60mins and skill is still evident any time he plays.

I’m not sure how much Gagner has left. Maybe you could get 1 good game out of him, maybe you can’t. When he was up here during the regular season he was getting pasted at least once in every game he played. Those were meaningless regular season games. These games are hyped up physically. He might not survive one. I’m all for making changes but I don’t see Gagner being a positive game changer at this point.

 

[elmeroil]

So Pickarsld comes in plays well has much better numbers than Skinner and they're actually considering starting Skinner? If this happens I guess Knob is same old same old

 

[Messrules11]

So Pickarsld comes in plays well has much better numbers than Skinner and they're actually considering starting Skinner? If this happens I guess Knob is same old same old

Good grief, if Skinner starts and promptly gets lit up Knob and Skinner might as well head for Timbuktu

 

[Drivesaitl]

I’ll authorize his trade right now

Be a pal and make it SJ. It would ugly for him to end up in hell.

 

[TheNumber4]

I'm on a freaking island of one here son. Be a pal and throw me out a line! heh

Not prepared to cut bait and give up on the player just yet. and like I said he isn't costing the team anything EV, was +10 just this season, and put up 30pts while being mostly bottomsix. Yams peak year here for instance, glued to Drai most of the season was 40pts. his average was something like 20. Without the speed, without the premium pk (Yams was on it but not good)

Next, this McLeod never hits anythign, shies away from everything is a view on the player. Its not exactly accurate. Ryan Mcleod both playoffs and regular season is middle of the road when it comes to hits. 65 in regular season which is twice as many as Connor Brown who does absolutely nothing. 10 in playoffs Connor Brown last on team with 2 hits.

last two postseasons combined? McLeod 36 official hits. Again middle of team stuff. Cody Ceci, last 2 postseasons, a D that should be hitting has only 4 more hits.

This was one of our top bottomsix producers this season. Because he hasn't had pts in playoffs people talk as if no production has ever occurred.

I’ll stand on that island with you. I like
Mcleod’s game. We could do a lot worse for 3C or even 4C if he trends that way. He’s responsible defensively, skates like the wind, and I think there’s untapped offensive potential there. Still a young player that’s already figured out how to play in any NHL system. I could see him having a Cogliano type career, hopefully the Oilers reap the benefits of that career and not some other team.

 

[Messrules11]

Be a pal and make it SJ. It would ugly for him to end up in hell.

Sure, I’ll take Kostin in return, the guy we should have kept in the first place.

 

[T-Funk]

So Pickarsld comes in plays well has much better numbers than Skinner and they're actually considering starting Skinner? If this happens I guess Knob is same old same old

Friedman is just a troll.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Sure, I’ll take Kostin in return, the guy we should have kept in the first place.

Get to work on that. you have my blessing good sir!

 

[RandomGuy79]

So Pickarsld comes in plays well has much better numbers than Skinner and they're actually considering starting Skinner? If this happens I guess Knob is same old same old

Of course he isn't going to say anything, lol. Just like if a player is hurting, it's not like he is going to come out and say "Yeah, McDavid is playing with a sore shoulder".

 

[brentashton]

Get to work on that. you have my blessing good sir!

he’s wasting away in margaritaville, er, San Jose

 

[rboomercat90]

Heard Knob try and justify reason why pickard may not be a good start "he started back to back games for the first time in years".

"well have to discuss as a coaching group tomorrow"

WTF - guy was lights out and anything you're now trying to look for "excuses" to justify sitting him.

I suspect a skinner start as well and I absolutely don't want it.

Same reason as last year. Skinner is their goalie of the future and taking his job away from him now will mess with his confidence later. Pulling him after the second period with the game out of reach is fine, I guess.

 

[Drivesaitl]

he’s wasting away in margaritaville, er, San Jose

maybe we can throw in Skinner to expedite.

 

[brentashton]

maybe we can throw in Skinner to expedite.

I’m in with that trade. If he starts tomorrow I will understand the organizational decision but will be mad at a coach for accepting that.

 

[Drivesaitl]

I’m in with that trade. If he starts tomorrow I will understand the organizational decision but will be mad at a coach for accepting that.

Its a weird situation. Pickard plays the best game of the playoffs the team has seen and they play their worst game in front of him. Its just odd.

Pickard should start but I don't believe he will. That was my stated fear before game 5 that Pickard would play well, and that if the Oilers somehow lost Skinner would be back game 6. its like a double whammy of lose lose.

I'm not saying that flippantly. I think the team really needs to move on from Skinner, and playing him again will just entice the team to keep him on. He should be a back up but I suspect as long as he's here it will be as starter whether it should be or not. In playoffs, clearly should not.

 

[T-Funk]

Same reason as last year. Skinner is their goalie of the future and taking his job away from him now will mess with his confidence later. Pulling him after the second period with the game out of reach is fine, I guess.

Skinners problem is excessive misguided confidence. He thinks he can improve by sucking and then thinking positively about it, not by actually putting in the work. How can one fix a weakness if they refuse to acknowledge the weakness exists.

He's not our future goalie.

 

[brentashton]

Its a weird situation. Pickard plays the best game of the playoffs the team has seen and they play their worst game in front of him. Its just odd.

Pickard should start but I don't believe he will. That was my stated fear before game 5 that Pickard would play well, and that if the Oilers somehow lost Skinner would be back game 6. its like a double whammy of lose lose.

I'm not saying that flippantly. I think the team really needs to move on from Skinner, and playing him again will just entice the team to keep him on. He should be a back up but I suspect as long as he's here it will be as starter whether it should be or not. In playoffs, clearly should not.

Campbell.

 

[RandomGuy79]

Campbell.

Ah yes, let's throw in a goalie who hasn't seen a NHL game since last fall.

 

[Pavel10]

Skinners problem is excessive misguided confidence. He thinks he can improve by sucking and then thinking positively about it, not by actually putting in the work. How can one fix a weakness if they refuse to acknowledge the weakness exists.

He's not our future goalie.

Yeah I work in a job with a high failure rate 90% quit. It's always the types that want to take their ice baths say affirmations that completely fail and end up quitting.

The people that succeed are the ones that realize they need to actually practice to improve.

Instead of the tony Robbins cosplay after he has an awful game he should realize " maybe I should stop going down" "maybe I should stop being so deep in my net" "I'm actually going to work at these things and stop them next practice".

But he doesn't do that its "I feel so lucky to have learned about coming back stronger" whatever that means.

Stu in for game 6 he costs us the series like he did last year (4 goals 11 shots).

 

[rboomercat90]

Skinners problem is excessive misguided confidence. He thinks he can improve by sucking and then thinking positively about it, not by actually putting in the work. How can one fix a weakness if they refuse to acknowledge the weakness exists.

He's not our future goalie.

I agree with everything you said. I was begrudgingly willing to give him one more chance after last year because he was a rookie and because there wasn’t really another option. He blew it though as you aptly described. I don’t see him overcoming those issues he has. I also don’t see how he can be the Oilers starter next year. Starting him tomorrow would be bizzarro world for me but then again, I felt that same way for game 6 against Vegas last year too.

 

[oobga]

You lost me at the bolded. Ceci comes out for nobody. It'll never happen. Ceci is Eternal.

Holland signs Ceci to and 8 year x 4M extension in the same nanosecond his own contract expires July 1st.

Oilers try to nullify the contract but are overruled by the NHL and we pay a penalty of a 1st round pick for disrespecting The Ceci.

 

[Vagabond]

Bob Stauffer hinted that Skinner might start tomorrow. I'm not at all amused but hopefully it doesn't happen. If he does.. obviously I'll cheer him on because.. well.. I'm forced to. Lol

 

[Stealth1616]

Gagner has never played a playoff game for the Oilers and only 11 in his life. Feel like he would be so pumped up to play tomorrow.

Should come in for McLeod who is not an NHL playoff player. And at the very worst he comes in and doesn’t do anything - which is what McLeod has done for 10 games now

 

[iCanada]

We're thinking about starting Skinner?! JFC.

Why are we allergic to good decision making?

 

[RandomGuy79]

We're thinking about starting Skinner?! JFC.

Why are we allergic to good decision making?

We are just trying to get the Canucks hopes up. Keeping the cards close to our chest.

 

[McShogun99]

McLeods pace leads to absolutely nothing though. He is absolutely horrid offensively.
3-6-9 -8 42 playoff games. Thats a good sample size of him bring a good 4th liner at best.

Maybe keep him if you can find a 3c to push him down. His offensive contribution is acceptable on the 4th line.

I look at McLeod as a very good 4C but below average 3C. I wouldnt mind seeing a line next year with McLeod centering Holloway and Lavoie.