GDT: Holland to address media at 11 AM

[Soundwave]

There were large improvements.

They played at a 105 point rate from New Years Eve onwards with Kailer Yamamoto in the lineup. What I've been saying for 3 years was true ... the moment the Oilers had 2 actual dangerous lines they would start winning a lot of hockey games, and Yamamoto was the catalyst for that.

At game 70, when the season stopped they had the same amount of points as the 16-17 Oilers did at game 70.

You're full of shit if you're going to say there were no improvements.

The people most down now are likely the same ones who were the most cocky and overconfident two weeks ago. A format like this with players off 4 1/2 months given only 1 freaking exhibition game and then straight into a best of 5 massively favors the play-in teams that had nothing to lose.

You should have known that such a format was always going to be a crapshoot.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

You mean the best power play in the last 40 years? That is something to be proud of not something that we should just cast aside. never understood why people think a PP goal is worth less then a 5v5 goal. They all count as a goal.

It's also not something likely to be replicated.

 

[belair]

43 shots on net??? They threw everything they had at Chicago in game 4. Had Tippet let the Dry line play the whole game we would have been playing a game 5. Tippet cost is the series in his quest for balance that he had already created earlier in the season.

The Draisaitl line was ass in game 4. Draisaitl did not play well in this series. Yamamoto was invisible.

I'm fine with the argument that Tippett should have stuck with the DRY line all series, but you're talking about a four month layover. And judging by RNH's production in the first two games, Tippett's gamble giving McDavid some support wasn't exactly a bad decision.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

The Draisaitl line was ass in game 4. Draisaitl did not play well in this series. Yamamoto was invisible.

I'm fine with the argument that Tippett should have stuck with the DRY line all series, but you're talking about a four month layover. And judging by RNH's production in the first two games, Tippett's gamble giving McDavid some support wasn't exactly a bad decision.

McDavid put up points because he's McDavid, not because he had RNH next to him.

Not uniting that line in the first place was a dumb decision.

 

[Little Fury]

It's also not something likely to be replicated.

It's not likely to go into the toilet either. They've had a top 10 PP in three of the last four seasons.

 

[belair]

I’m just tired of excuses and mental gymnastics to prove how oilers are improving. honestly won’t be surprised if we are not a playoff team again next year after hearing Holland’s comments about trying to resign Mike Smith. I’m sorry but is he really that dumb?

At the trade deadline, most people didn’t even want to trade picks/futures because “we’ll be gambling our future” for rentals

How was that wrong? How's that AA deal looking?

 

[Draiskull]

Special teams and a terrible division are the reasons the Oilers were as good as they were.

Special Teams and good division were the reasons the Oilers were bad a couple yrs ago.
Back when Cali teams were a force and our special teams a farce.

Not sure how you can dismiss Oilers' success just because they had good special teams.

 

[ChaoticOrange]

Holland’s not wrong about the regular season at least. I don’t know why people here want him to throw either of them under the bus.

His actions will speak much louder than his words.

he is wrong about the regular season. Koskinen made the team better, Edmonton won games in spite of Smith, not because of him.

 

[Soundwave]

The Draisaitl line was ass in game 4. Draisaitl did not play well in this series. Yamamoto was invisible.

I'm fine with the argument that Tippett should have stuck with the DRY line all series, but you're talking about a four month layover. And judging by RNH's production in the first two games, Tippett's gamble giving McDavid some support wasn't exactly a bad decision.

That's on Tippett, I'm OK with the idea of balancing the top six more, but that's something you do in lower stakes pre-season + regular season games.

Not shaking it up in a do or die short series.

Bouncing Athansiou all over the lineup in the regular season games prior to the break was also stupid because lo and behold none of the other line combos had any chemistry.

 

[KlefDown]

There were large improvements.

They played at a 105 point rate from New Years Eve onwards when Kailer Yamamoto in the lineup.

At game 70, when the season stopped they had the same amount of points as the 16-17 Oilers did at game 70.

You're full of shit if you're going to say there were improvements.

The people most down now are likely the same ones who were the most cocky and overconfident 2 weeks ago. A format like this with players off 4 1/2 months given only 1 freaking exhibition game and then straight into a best of 5 massively favors the play-in teams that had nothing to lose.

You should have known that such a format was always going to be a crapshoot.

EVERYONE was cocky and overconfident two weeks ago. The fact that we lost was a reality check.
Every team got the same time of prep and exhibition game so that’s no excuse. We would have lost to Chicago in best of 7. We weren’t good enough.
I hate always playing the victim card. oh the refs are biased, the NHL imposed a play-in round which doesn’t favour us is the reason we lost

 

[Del Preston]

Again, yes we were better because it was Leon and Connor doing the heavy lifting. Do you remember how scared the whole fanbase got because Connor got hurt down our most important stretch of the season? How many games did we win when Leon didn’t register a point?

All I’ve been trying to say is this team will not go anywhere unless the people around them dont improve and Holland seems to be fine keeping much of it as is

Can we give him more than four days before freaking out, though?

 

[WaitingForUser]

The Draisaitl line was ass in game 4. Draisaitl did not play well in this series. Yamamoto was invisible.

I'm fine with the argument that Tippett should have stuck with the DRY line all series, but you're talking about a four month layover. And judging by RNH's production in the first two games, Tippett's gamble giving McDavid some support wasn't exactly a bad decision.

Except the first 30 seconds they were on the ice together they created 3 prime scoring chances. They should have been a line from game 2 on period.

 

[AddyTheWrath]

he is wrong about the regular season. Koskinen made the team better, Edmonton won games in spite of Smith, not because of him.

Goaltending WAS a strong point though. I don't disagree that Koskinen was better than Smith but for some reason our team played a lot better in front of Smith. And I do remember him stealing a few games for us as well, which didn't happen much from our goalies in 18-19.

 

[Soundwave]

EVERYONE was cocky and overconfident two weeks ago. The fact that we lost was a reality check.
Every team got the same time of prep and exhibition game so that’s no excuse. We would have lost to Chicago in best of 7. We weren’t good enough.
I hate always playing the victim card. oh the refs are biased, the NHL imposed a play-in round which doesn’t favour us is the reason we lost

Nah I wasn't, honestly deep down I knew this format massively favored Chicago.

They were a team that went from like a 5% chance at playoffs to 50/50 basically. You get a few bounces in game 1 and all of the sudden your chances of advancing skyrocket to like 75%.

Anyone who was cocky/arrogant and not seeing Chicago was extremely dangerous (ditto for teams like Montreal) was being stupid, full stop.

You think 4 1/2 months of rust can be worked off in one exhibition game? This whole setup massively favored the play in teams that had nothing to lose.

 

[belair]

McDavid put up points because he's McDavid, not because he had RNH next to him.

Not uniting that line in the first place was a dumb decision.

McDavid also gives up a lot of points. He was a -6 this year. If that was the guy who would regularly be leading the ice time, I'm sure Tippett would prefer they outscore their opposition comfortably.

 

[Oildrum]

My wife is talking in a few years that we should be moving from Edmonton, and the only reason I give her for staying is - but what about my seasons tickets? That is how engaged I am lol.

You definitely need a break man lol.

 

[Snipes45]

The Oilers need to improve:

5 on 5 play - We need players who can make and receive passes at a consistent pace. Actually go intot he other teams zone and have some actual zone time. How do you do that? Win some god damn board battles. I wish we could just pluck half of Columbus' players. We would be rolling up front. Sprinkle work ethic onto the 5 on 5 play and magic happens. I cannot believe how many useless 5 on 5 players we have.

Improve the puck transition on the back end. Trades, new system, I don't know. We are by far one of, or the worst puck transitioning teams in the NHL. I say this after watching, or having on, at least 2/3 games per night. Just from my own eye test. We need guys who do not panic and throw the puck away.

Combine good forwards 5 on 5 play with some competent D, and we will see a huge improvement.

Goaltending. This does need improving, but having players in front of them that do not have a brain fart every shift will help immesnly.

 

[KlefDown]

Can we give him more than four days before freaking out?

That I can do.
I’m just mad because we are wasting precious time from our generational talent. Other fanbases aren’t wrong when they say that. Doesn’t matter if it’s Chiarelli or Holland or whoever. Fact is McDavid has played 17 games in the playoffs in 5 years

 

[MessierII]

The division wasn’t terrible. The Metropolitan is the only division which would have pushed us into a wildcard spot. Our “easy” games are against the freaking Sharks. Out East they get to beat up on Detroit and Ottawa

I mean every other pacific team in the play in round won. Division was not bad at all.

 

[ChaoticOrange]

Goaltending WAS a strong point though. I don't disagree that Koskinen was better than Smith but for some reason our team played a lot better in front of Smith. And I do remember him stealing a few games for us as well, which didn't happen much from our goalies in 18-19.

They upped the urgency in front of Smith because they knew more pucks were going in, IMO.

Its disrespectful to the job Koskinen did to lump the .917 goalie and the .902 goalie into the same pile.

 

[Del Preston]

That I can do.
I’m just mad because we are wasting precious time from our generational talent. Other fanbases aren’t wrong when they say that. Doesn’t matter if it’s Chiarelli or Holland or whoever. Fact is McDavid has played 17 games in the playoffs in 5 years

Ok that's fair. I'm only a few minutes into Holland's press conference but he's mentioned there are some things to accomplish this offseason to make sure they don't fall back next season.

 

[Soundwave]

5 on 5 can someone post stats where the Oilers were 5 on 5 AFTER Jan. 1st?

Because as far as I'm concerned the team pre-Christmas and post-Christmas isn't comparable.

Yamamoto basically gave them a low-level All-Star tier addition into the top 6 that completely changed the metrics of how the team was deployed, puck possession time, scoring from outside the McDavid line, etc. etc.

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

That I can do.
I’m just mad because we are wasting precious time from our generational talent. Other fanbases aren’t wrong when they say that. Doesn’t matter if it’s Chiarelli or Holland or whoever. Fact is McDavid has played 17 games in the playoffs in 5 years

I get that. Holland’s team would have made the playoffs this year if a pandemic didn’t hit. I’m sure he will make some tweaks and they will make it again next year.

The first years were unacceptable but clearly this team is heading in the right direction. I expect McDavid to be in the playoffs quite regularly from now on.

 

[belair]

That's on Tippett, I'm OK with the idea of balancing the top six more, but that's something you do in lower stakes pre-season + regular season games.

Not shaking it up in a do or die short series.

Bouncing Athansiou all over the lineup in the regular season games prior to the break was also stupid because lo and behold none of the other line combos had any chemistry.

That's fair. Just saying that McDavid's line doesn't necessarily always come out on top. I hope they go back to the Drai line next season, but at this point we're four months removed from that being a thing.

When it comes to Athanasiou, what could you do? He's essentially Jesse Puljujarvi today. His mindset is a primary puck carrier, doesn't run his routes and his teammates have a hard time finding him. Tippett went with Ennis, which was a good decision prior to him getting hurt.

 

[CycloneSweep]

They upped the urgency in front of Smith because they knew more pucks were going in, IMO.

Its disrespectful to the job Koskinen did to lump the .917 goalie and the .902 goalie into the same pile.

Yep. In one more game, Smith allowed 9 more goals this season