Is mark fayne the next kurtis foster?

[joestevens29]

While it's too early to write the guy off I'm not sure what people expected. He played 18minutes last year and the year before. He was as much of a top pairing d-man as McNabb in LA is right now.

 

[ponokanocker]

While it's too early to write the guy off I'm not sure what people expected. He played 18minutes last year and the year before. He was as much of a top pairing d-man as McNabb in LA is right now.

Anyone calling him a 1st pair D is delusional.

 

[Joey Moss]

I don't think he's been terrible.. Nikitin's been much worse.

 

[missinthejets]

really puzzling defense pairings so far this season. Why in gods name are Schultz and Hunt together? Don't you usually try and put some sort of defensive conscience with your river boat gamblers? Why give Fayne and Nikitin the tough pairings when Nikitin is clearly not that guy? Just so many dumb decisions being made. The fact that Petry can be scratched when he's still the closest thing this team has to a #1 defenseman is mind blowing. What harm is there in giving Marincin or Klefbom a chance? At least Marincin looked like he could handle it somewhat with Petry last year. Maybe even he and Fayne could do OK. Klefbom is another high potential guy, give him a shot over Hunt? Oh sure Hunt can shoot, but he misses the net as much as he hits it and sucks defensively. I just don't understand the decision making process. It's one thing to want a certain type of player, but if you don't have guys who can do it at the NHL level then you need to adjust to fit what you do have.

 

[DarkSaturn]

Fayne can obviously play within the defensive system. Even Ference seemed competent at it a few years back.

The right play within a good system when applied without said system turns into a boneheaded play real quick.

 

[oilermeister]

He's similar to Smid with a breakout pass.

I hated the Smid trade when we did it since he was or only tough, shot blocking defensive defenceman and he would still be our best shut down dman right now. Teams are built from the back end out and the Oilers management team continues to try the reverse andit will never work.
And on nother note the East is so weak we should never deal with anyone there unless we are etting a proven superstar or very close to it.

 

[DisgruntledGoat*]

Why give Fayne and Nikitin the tough pairings when Nikitin is clearly not that guy?

Because, last summer (just like every summer), the Oilers convinced themselves that he was 'that guy' despite a solid body of evidence that he was not.

Now, he's playing just like he's always played but we're depending on him to be a top four when, in reality, he's a sixth/seventh.

It really is amazing how incompetent the Oilers are.

 

[missinthejets]

watching the game last night I decided that Eakins system works in the AHL because the pace of the game is slower and allows that kind of thing to work, but in the NHL players are too fast, the passing too crisp and the finish by players too good that it's just leaving huge gaps all over the ice for people to exploit.

 

[belair]

No Fayne is not the new Foster.

But Schultz is the new Del Zotto.

 

[Captain Pilsner]

Fayne can legit play; Nikitin was a dumb gamble; Ferrence was just a sheltered hipster that liked to bicycle so fit into the captains mold

quoted for hilariousness

 

[BarDownBobo]

I wanna see him split from Nikitin before judging his play too much. It sounded like a good idea in the offseason but it obviously hasn't worked. Pair him with Klefbom or Marincin please.

 

[missinthejets]

I wanna see him split from Nikitin before judging his play too much. It sounded like a good idea in the offseason but it obviously hasn't worked. Pair him with Klefbom or Marincin please.

yeah if Fayne is going to be the Petry replacement try him with Marincin see if that works. Nikitin I think might have purpose on this roster, but it's the purpose they're trying to get Hunt to do, why? Let the actual NHL player be your shot from the point and stop trying to pretend he's a top pairing guy. And stop expecting Schultz to log big minutes. Use him as the 3rd pairing PP specialist, it'll be best for everyone.

 

[McTedi]

yeah if Fayne is going to be the Petry replacement try him with Marincin see if that works. Nikitin I think might have purpose on this roster, but it's the purpose they're trying to get Hunt to do, why? Let the actual NHL player be your shot from the point and stop trying to pretend he's a top pairing guy. And stop expecting Schultz to log big minutes. Use him as the 3rd pairing PP specialist, it'll be best for everyone.

Agreed, the truth of the matter is that we lack a top pairing D man completely. Fayne will settle in, he has the tools to be better. Nikitin is a nice offensive weapon but we are currently unbalanced in that category. Nurse looked good at times last night when he wasn't running around but he was obviously trying to hard to impress.

 

[Horseradish]

is it just me or did Nurse looked a lot better than Fayne, Nikitin and Ference!

You realize that Nurse started 90% of his shifts in the o-zone, right? Arcobello was a PPG player through 10 games playing on a scoring line last year too.

But I THINK you may have just cracked the code on the thought process of the talking heads in the Oilers org, to be honest.

 

[Horseradish]

No Fayne is not the new Foster.

But Schultz is the new Del Zotto.

Might be onto something here. If we break the bank for Schultz next year, I dunno what I'm gonna do with myself.

Fayne is a good dman. Nothing lights out, but good. Foster and Barker had one or two great offensive seasons while sitting on one of the most powerful PPs in the game, respectively. Fayne was a key cog, a tough assignment defender on a team that made it to the Stanley Cup Finals with mediocre goaltending.

 

[Master Lok]

is it just me or did Nurse looked a lot better than Fayne, Nikitin and Ference!

Its just you and no he wasn't.

I notice a fair amount of age-ism on these boards - where old guys are useless and young kids are beloved and their mistakes overlooked.

Ference was even on plusminus last night.

I was watching Nurse and he was ok, but he certainly made mistakes. In particular - he has a tendency to go for the hit in the corner instead of being in a safer defensive position - case in point - the first goal by LA.

 

[Master Lok]

I hated the Smid trade when we did it since he was or only tough, shot blocking defensive defenceman and he would still be our best shut down dman right now. Teams are built from the back end out and the Oilers management team continues to try the reverse andit will never work.
And on nother note the East is so weak we should never deal with anyone there unless we are etting a proven superstar or very close to it.

I disliked the Smid trade too at the time, but Pat Steinberg who does the team 960 in Calgary following the Flames has said that Smid's foot speed has really dropped and is now basically an overpaid #7 dman.

In retrospect, the Oilers may have avoided a train wreck there.

 

[joestevens29]

I disliked the Smid trade too at the time, but Pat Steinberg who does the team 960 in Calgary following the Flames has said that Smid's foot speed has really dropped and is now basically an overpaid #7 dman.

In retrospect, the Oilers may have avoided a train wreck there.

The advanced stats guys out of Calgary have been against Smid from day one. Makes everyone worse on their team. He's foot speed getting worse is just going to make things even worse.

 

[Master Lok]

No Fayne is not the new Foster.

But Schultz is the new Del Zotto.

haha good call, you might be right.

 

[ponokanocker]

I disliked the Smid trade too at the time, but Pat Steinberg who does the team 960 in Calgary following the Flames has said that Smid's foot speed has really dropped and is now basically an overpaid #7 dman.

In retrospect, the Oilers may have avoided a train wreck there.

Still a number #2 on the Oilers. I'm not even sure that is a joke or not. Oilers fans were in love with him because he blocked a million shots and brought toughness to a team that almost had one. The only reason he blocked a million shots is because he couldn't get the puck out and couldn't beat the opposition to the puck either. The trade was still terrible, but most Oilers fans put him up on a pedestal that he didn't deserve.

 

[Lou is God]

Obvious Devils fan but when I saw the thread title and remembering how terrible Foster was when he was a Devil - to be honest he might have been the worst Devils defenseman EVER - I had to ask why the comparison between the two?

For my 2 cents once Fayne settles in he will become as steady as they come, come to think of it he always comes out the gate slow. But he should be fine but don't ever expect to see his highlights on ESPN, nothing flashy about his game at all.

 

[PeakMcOil]

Fayne will be fine. Let's not write guys off 3 games into the year.

Hasn't looked that bad to my eye, though I couldn't watch that abomination last night to the end.

 

[gqmixmaster]

Fayne can legit play; Nikitin was a dumb gamble; Ferrence was just a sheltered hipster that liked to bicycle so fit into the captains mold

Nikitin is this years belov but possibly worse

Ference spent the whole game in LA thinking about shopping for vintage designer clothes so he can wig out with eakins in style on a really narrow bike seat built for two in downtown edmonton before the snow flies.

 

[gqmixmaster]

Obvious Devils fan but when I saw the thread title and remembering how terrible Foster was when he was a Devil - to be honest he might have been the worst Devils defenseman EVER - I had to ask why the comparison between the two?

For my 2 cents once Fayne settles in he will become as steady as they come, come to think of it he always comes out the gate slow. But he should be fine but don't ever expect to see his highlights on ESPN, nothing flashy about his game at all.

I think part of Fayne's issue is a new coach, he always seems to be trying unlike Nikitin. Fayne is a defenseman who is capable whether he is currently playing bad or not, Nikitin and Ference on the other hand good gravy.

 

[Mr Positive]

I like Fayne. He's been up and down but he seems like smart Dman. I bet given some time he could find consistency no matter how bad the team is.