Fool's Gold - Oilers

[oilers25]

I know, they have been great under Nelson but let's be realistic:

1) They are playing loose as they knew after November they were eliminated from playoffs and nothing to play for.

2) Only 5 wins vs the Western Conference - THAT HAS TO CHANGE. Seriously, no wins vs Coyotes and Canucks and Flames and Ducks. If that continues, we will be again eliminated by January

3) Goaltending - seriously, that SV % is bad and stil allowing more then 3 goals a game.

They need to play better in OCtober and actually start winning games vs West.

Click to read more...

 

[Wheathead]

Five wins vs. the west is the reason why this team needs big change and shouldn't be satisfied with the recent "streak" of two wins in March.

However, MacT is absolutely fine with how things are and we will not see much change this offseason. We will continue to get polished by western conference teams next year and again will be out of the playoffs by Christmas.

 

[Dallas Eakins*]

More like fool's bronze. The Oilers have not "been great" not by any definition of the word.

 

[Wheathead]

More like fool's bronze. The Oilers have not "been great" not by any definition of the word.

Another great decade of Oilers hockey is coming!

 

[Gord]

More like fool's bronze. The Oilers have not "been great" not by any definition of the word.

I know, and it's sad.
I was thinking about how awful it is being an oiler fan when I'm happy the team has gone from being putrid to only being bad.

 

[AJGass4]

Not one person thinks we are really any good but because they sucked and Eakins got fired, I almost have to say this year was a success.

 

[Gret99zky]

Fool's Copper?

They will eliminate themselves by American Thanksgiving (as usual) and spend the next 5 months singing the praises of patience & improvement.

 

[rboomercat90]

Eakins assures us Craig's on it. Craig says he isn't doing anything. maybe everybody else will get worse.

 

[stratedge]

Nelson is not the coach for this team next year, he only looks good standing next to the disaster of a coach that was Eakins.

 

[Insta]

I honestly couldn't get past the "been great" part.

2 wins in the last 10 games and for many fans we've turned the corner to being "great".

This team has looked better than under Eakins, but that's not saying much at all. That team was completely unwatchable, now they're just bad. We've seen this movie before too where the team plays better once the games are meaningless and teams come in here expecting to be handed the 2 points.

 

[ChaoticOrange]

I actually agree with MacT on one thing though - massive player turnover this offseason isn't the answer.

2C (filled by Roy or Drai most likely)
2 3rd line wingers (dump Purcell, or let him run out his contract)
2 top 4 defencemen (good luck)
Starting goalie.

That's MacT's shopping list this summer.

Pouliot-RNH-Eberle
Hall-Roy/Drai-Yak
???-Lander-Purcell
Hendricks-Gordon-Klink
Gazdic/Pak/Miller/Pitlick

What I'd LIKE to see on D

Klefbom-???
???-Schultz
Marincin-Fayne
Ference

What we will see on D

Klefbom-Schultz
Marincin-Fayne
Ference-Nikitin
???

???
Scrivens

3-5 new guys at most.

 

[McDrai]

What I'd like to see MacT do in the offseason:

Trade Hall for a package including a top 2 Dman
Trade a combination of the Pitt 1st, 2nd rounder, and 3rd rounder for a #1 goalie and a 2nd/3rd line winger

Defense would look like this:

Dman acquired in Hall trade/Fayne
Klefbom/Schultz
Ference/Marincin or Nurse

Goaltending:

Goalie acquired with draft pick(s)
Scrivens

 

[oobga]

At least we can win games without heroic goaltending like Eakins needed in every win he got. If Scrivens wasn't hot for the first month he joined the team last year there would have been no late season positives to talk about at all in 13/14. Eakins lived and died by goaltending because he couldn't get our skaters going at all.

Nelson has been able to get our players to overcome poor goaltending quite a few times and we don't just curl up into a ball as soon as things don't go our way like we always did under Eakins. 5 wins with .900 sav% or below from our goalies. Eakins couldn't get 1 win ever with Scrivens or Fasth having .900 or below sav%, he usually needed .940+ because his crap systems and special teams were sabotaging the production of our skaters.

That said, team is still crap. MacT has failed miserably considering how many players he's traded and brought in. He's still depending on Tambo pieces for the most important roles, Hall, Nuge, Ebs, Yak, Klef, Schultz. The ceiling of his group is still a bottom 10 finish. Maybe Scotty Bowman in his coaching prime could get this group to 20th in the league, but that would be as high as we could go.

 

[Arpeggio]

Yeah, the Oilers have been pretty terrible. The only thing different is now they're scoring more, but they've been a lot worse defensively over the last month.

 

[I am the Liquor]

Nelson is not the coach for this team next year, he only looks good standing next to the disaster of a coach that was Eakins.

Lol wut?

 

[Up the Irons]

Eakins assures us Craig's on it. Craig says he isn't doing anything. maybe everybody else will get worse.

lol. good one. About Mact will do is take a flyer on another career backup or unproven college G, and i suspect he'll sign or trade for another Mark Fayne type. Or, he'll just pluck Nurse into the lineup.

expect a carbon copy of the last 2 seasons. it will be over before it starts.

 

[doggone]

Lol wut?

so untrue. Nelson is the one

 

[rboomercat90]

Yeah, the Oilers have been pretty terrible. The only thing different is now they're scoring more, but they've been a lot worse defensively over the last month.

They've been awful defensively since they traded their best defenseman for nothing. Only one who didn't see that coming apparently, was Mactavish.

 

[molsonmuscle360]

How many one goal games have they lost this year? I think with a legit starting goalie, and someone who is a legitimate top pairing defensive defenseman the team wins a lot more of those one goal games next year.

4 new players would really do a lot to improve this team. 2 top 4 d-men, a strong bottom six forward and a starting goalie. Add that to Eberle, Nuge, Yak and Klefbom continuing their development, we should do ok I think. Maybe not playoffs, but at least something semi-respectable.

 

[Tyrolean]

No sane fan will ever think the Oilers are vastly improved and could carry over into next year. Every season is different and the team could regress again as they have for many years.

At least they seem to be evolving and learning so that is a good sign. There are still passengers on this team and if the GM does not get rid of them, they will at best be average and at worst bottom 5 again.

I'd keep Nelson as he seems to do what good coaches do. That is to get players to buy into his teaching and methods. Half the battle is to gain the respect of the players. Eakin smay be a good techincal coach, but he tuned everyone off.

 

[Connor Mcdavey*]

During the last 30 games, we've seen a Eberle and RNH that have played absolutely incredible. We have see what they can do without Hall, so I think we should trade Hall and another piece and get a game changing Defenceman that can log some serious minutes. RNH and Eberle are gelling, nothing against Hall but it's not worth it to jeopardize that chemistry. The way Hall plays, he wants the puck on his stick and it sacrifices the play of his line mates

 

[McShogun99]

If our bottom 4 defenceman next season are Klefbom, Schultz, Marincin, Fayne and Scrivens is our backup then we should be much better. A full training camp and new season with a qualified NHL coach could do wonders for this team. Realistically all ye we need up front is 2 third line wingers and a depth center. Roy is a good 1 year stop gap while Draisaitl gains experience in the AHL.

 

[Up the Irons]

How many one goal games have they lost this year? I think with a legit starting goalie, and someone who is a legitimate top pairing defensive defenseman the team wins a lot more of those one goal games next year.

4 new players would really do a lot to improve this team. 2 top 4 d-men, a strong bottom six forward and a starting goalie. Add that to Eberle, Nuge, Yak and Klefbom continuing their development, we should do ok I think. Maybe not playoffs, but at least something semi-respectable.

Well, yeah, but we have our GM. The guy that thinks Schultz is a top pairing D and Nikitin is a 2nd pairing D. He doesn't think he needs to upgrade his D corp. He didn't like Petry, so that means he won't like anything that's out there or offered.

Is he willing to trade what it takes to make the team better? Mact has become Tambo II. Just like his predecessor who became gun shy after getting burned on the Eager-Belanger-Barker summer, Mact is aftraid to pull the trigger after all his missfires.

Not to mention, his job isn't on the line. Wasted seasons are inconsequential.

Only way this team is better next year is if Mact gets lucky on a goalie for once and his young D progress as much as he thinks they will.

 

[Aerchon]

Yes it is fool's gold but still 100 times more valuable than dog crap. Which is what the Oilers were under Eakins.

Rather have them build a bit of confidence and hopefully take a real meaningful step next year than wallow in despair and just hope things magically turn around next year.

 

[Sdrawkcab321]

They're improving while continuing to lose. Which is what you want out of a tanking team. Nelson is a very good coach. Would love to see what he can do with an offseason