Is Our Best Shot At Winning With McDrai Gone?

[The Moose]

I think they have two more shots, but it will depend mostly on players maturing and/or rebounding from a poor season, rather than making high-impact roster changes. We just don't have the cap space.

 

[Stealth1616]

Definitely not, I know the wound is fresh from the most recent playoffs but when you look at the season as a whole I wouldn’t say we were a top contender. Remember we were struggling for a playoffs spot at Christmas.

Ekholm definitely helps the team and going into next year there should be some pretty high expectations but we need the consistency all season. Main keys to success next year will be:

1) Better and more consistent goaltending. Hopefully Campbell can bounce back and Skinner improves his consistency

2) We desperately need some young guys to actually become something in the NHL. Internally drafted depth is absolutely killing us right now. An ELC player coming in as a 60 point player would be massive

 

[Soundwave]

Definitely not, I know the wound is fresh from the most recent playoffs but when you look at the season as a whole I wouldn’t say we were a top contender. Remember we were struggling for a playoffs spot at Christmas.

Ekholm definitely helps the team and going into next year there should be some pretty high expectations but we need the consistency all season. Main keys to success next year will be:

1) Better and more consistent goaltending. Hopefully Campbell can bounce back and Skinner improves his consistency

2) We desperately need some young guys to actually become something in the NHL. Internally drafted depth is absolutely killing us right now. An ELC player coming in as a 60 point player would be massive

An Oiler ELC player? Scoring 60 points? Not a top 10 pick?

 

[SwedishFire]

Nope. Reload and go again next year. We have two more years with Drai, we have some young players maturing. A full season with Ekholm-Bouch pair, hopefully an upgrade on Ceci/Yamamoto and we go again. Entire "core" is locked up for 2-3 years minimum. A few shots left yet.

7 millions on upgrades over Yamamoto and Ceci? Thats small margins. Let Bjugstaf take Yamamotos spot. And use 5 millions instead on a RD upgrade that is a great fit.

An Oiler ELC player? Scoring 60 points? Not a top 10 pick?

NHL isnt taht easy.
McDavid is not so easy, he demands fast paced linemates, who are elite in senses. Otherwise you look very bad even if you arent.

 

[Took a pill in Sbisa]

This may have been the easiest "route" that we were ever going to have with no real dominant team left. With that being said I put us in the top 3 contenders for the next 2-3 years.

 

[The Panther]

Yes, the two best forwards in hockey are killing the team's chance of winning!!

If only we could go back to the glory days of 2010 when the club's top scoring forwards were Penner, Gagner, Brulé, Horcoff, O'Sullivan, and Potulny.

 

[OilerTitanFan]

It won't get any easier. Soon it will also be the Bedard era. clock is ticking. McDavid has given his ultimatum. You have 1 more season Edmonton. Then it's back to being the joke of the league.

Bedard era soon? I think Chicago needs 2 or 3 more first picks plus 5 years or more to complete a rebuild. Chicago has more holes than the oilers when the oilers drafted Mcdavid.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

I'd lean towards no. If you go back to before the TDL most thought next year would be the main target, Upgrading Barrie to Ekholm didn't chance that, though it did help add this year as a potential shot.

Though the main issue with this year: Although you do need to get value out of your ELCs, running 3 (including 2 proper rookies) on defence isn't a recipe for playoff success. Add in an unexpected rookie starting goalie, and they were just too green. Post deadline with the new additions, they got up to the level of "competent" in their own zone (a nice upgrade from the a$$ tier they were at before the TDL), but competent doesn't get you far in the playoffs.



Next year they've got Ekholm for the entire season, plus Bouchard, Broberg, Vinny and even Niemelainen are all a year older. That should go miles towards having the defence and goaltending look far more stable. Though imo they still need that defensively elite forward that they've been lacking since... Peca?

 

[Gnome17]

I think possibly yes, but with that said I dont think the coming year will be far behind in terms of chance of winning. They will be right there again.
A lot went wrong for the Oilers this season/offseason, if those things go right they win.

 

[Evilsports]

Yes, the two best forwards in hockey are killing the team's chance of winning!!

If only we could go back to the glory days of 2010 when the club's top scoring forwards were Penner, Gagner, Brulé, Horcoff, O'Sullivan, and Potulny.

I don't think anyone believes that the players are killing the teams chances. The point was, the combined salary hit of McDrai after/if they both re-sign could prove to be extremely prohibitive with regards to affording the ancillary players that we need in order to go the distance in the playoffs.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Nope.

 

[K1900L]

The team next year will be as good at least, but I don't know if this is enough.

LA will be stronger, if you've listened to their interviews following their lost series against us they were explicitly saying that the Oilers will be the team to beat for them in the West in the upcoming seasons.
They will add players and some of the young guys will mature. They could be as good and deep as Vegas by next year imo.

Vegas won't get any worse.
Colorado will be back.
Winnipeg will make moves this offseason.

So even the West won't get any easier.

Then you have teams like Toronto, New York who will bounce back imo.
Young teams like New Jersey, Ottawa etc.

It is possible to win, but definitely not if the team is worse next year.

 

[McFlash97]

As long as we rely on Skinner and Woodcroft's questionable decision making, we will be looking at the same result. Also RNH is pretty much a waisted roster space in the playoffs. Just not good enough and too perimeter. Gets pushed off the puck. Teams like Vegas and teams that attack just push him off the puck. You need impact players at depth positions. Players who can drive play and get in on the forecheck, tip pucks, battle for rebounds. RNH is none of this.

 

[Kanedogg]

I still think we're just a few minor pieces away. Last year everyone knew it was Colorado year. Many guys in my pool picked Tampa Colorado to make the finals.

It sucks because this year is wide open but imagine if we have a hellebuyck and a Devon Toews.

A lot of problems in the back end are solved.

As long as we rely on Skinner and Woodcroft's questionable decision making, we will be looking at the same result. Also RNH is pretty much a waisted roster space in the playoffs. Just not good enough and too perimeter. Gets pushed off the puck. Teams like Vegas and teams that attack just push him off the puck. You need impact players at depth positions. Players who can drive play and get in on the forecheck, tip pucks, battle for rebounds. RNH is none of this.

I agree entirely. Now is the time to be bold and move nuge when he's got his 100 pts recency bias. Guy will never be able to stat pad like that again on a pp.

 

[FlameChampion]

Bothers me that the thread title vs the poll question have nothing to do with each other.

 

[GOilers88]

I think some of you are very misguided in thinking there’s an easy path to a cup finals. Selling Dallas very short here, even Seattle. Let alone getting past either Carolina or Florida.

Look at what the Canes have done without basically an entire top line. There are no easy outs in the post season, regardless of whether people consider some teams weak and/or easy matchups.

Really surprised parts of this fanbase hasn’t learned that over the last few years.

The multi time Presidents Trophy winning Caps teams are a great example of how hard it is to win a cup, even with a loaded roster and a good goaltender.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

I think some of you are very misguided in thinking there’s an easy path to a cup finals. Selling Dallas very short here, even Seattle. Let alone getting past either Carolina or Florida.

Look at what the Canes have done without basically an entire top line. There are no easy outs in the post season, regardless of whether people consider some teams weak and/or easy matchups.

Really surprised parts of this fanbase hasn’t learned that over the last few years.

The multi time Presidents Trophy winning Caps teams are a great example of how hard it is to win a cup, even with a loaded roster and a good goaltender.

A lot has to go right in order to win a Cup, including pure luck. In 2019 basically all the contenders were gone early, opening a path for the Blues to win it all. Even during the miracle run of 2006, things probably would've been different had Dallas been in the way.

Of the teams that remain the Canes were the only team that I'd think would give us major problems but even then I don't trust their lack of gamebreakers and goaltending. Dallas is supposed to be elite but Seattle gave them everything they could handle and Oettinger looked incredibly human during that series.

There are no guarantees in this game, but it's hard not to look at this playoffs as a major missed opportunity. The Avs will be back, the Kings will be better, and as long as they continue to mortgage the future for the here and now, the Knights will be in our way.

And while I agree there's no "easy" path to the Finals, give me the Wild/Kraken over the Kings/Knights any day.

 

[BudBundy]

We clearly missed a glorious chance, but so long as Holland handles things this summer intelligently, the team should return no worse than it is now. There is chance the team might actually be marginally better with growth from McLoed, Skinner, Kostin, Deharnais, and Broberg plus a regression to average with Campbell. Draisaitl and McJesus are still in their absolute prime as is Nurse. Bouchards best is clearly arriving. Yamo will be jettisoned as he was a poor bet that will finally be recalculated. Can someone please surreptitiously lace Nuge’s vitamins with a bunch of horse steroids over the summer? Other teams have weaknesses just as we do, and honestly there is never an “easy path” to the Cup. Boston and Toronto, for example, aren’t in this thing because Florida is just playing that good. Next year it will be someone else coming up big. If you want to be the best, you’ve got to become that team.

 

[BardownMagic]

Welp, time for an LA kings model. We need to move almost all the draft pucks in the next 2-3 years, win one maybe two cups, then do a mini retool that culminates with mcd and drai still being top line centres with a new young wave.

Idc what it costs, blow your load and get rid of campbell, bring in a real goalie, trade for ek65, and grab a legit top 6 rw at the deadline with double retention.

Nuge-mcd-hyman
Kane-drai-new RW
Holloway-mcleod-bourg/kostin
Janmark/kostin-bjugstad-ryan

Ekholm-Bouchard
Nurse-new RD
Broberg-vinny

New goalie
Skinner

I would consider interviewing other coaching candidates, but I still believe woody is good enough. He won’t be a difference maker/needle mover, but he won’t stop the team from winning a cup.

Possible targets:
Ek65
Paryko
Provorov
Meier
Konecny
Elvis

 

[bone]

Only said no because we don't know anything yet. We have at least two more shots at it and can't say what the team will look like September 2023 or September 2024 at this point nor what the rest of the league looks like.

If the cap goes up to $86M as apparently Seravalli is suggesting, then there's at least enough room to make some tweaks this summer to a team that played almost a quarter season of hockey without losing a game in regulation. If next year shows a breakout from a couple more young guys or we see another Ekholm like trade the team can improve even more.

The key is what these tweaks are and if the coaching staff improves themselves a bit, it could be enough. Vegas was a good team, for some reason everyone seems to forget they were a 111 point team. Some years that's top 2 in the NHL. This wasn't Edmonton choking against a .500 team or getting swept by a 93 point team, and if the team cleaned up some short periods of plan the second periods of Game 5 and 6, we could very much be looking at a matchup vs. Dallas on Friday night.

This sucks, big time and is a huge opportunity lost, and there is a finite amount of opportunities available to this core, but it's not the end.

 

[bellagiobob]

Missed opportunity that still stings two days later, and likely will all summer. But the door isn’t closed, but some things need to change.

Woody needs to stop being so stubborn and learn to match lines when presented with obvious evidence that his choices are getting caved game in and game out. And has to be more open to stop being so protective of his Bakersfield Boys, and admit when they are overwhelmed and need to sit at times. He also needs to adjust our dzone coverage to simplify coverage for Nurse, as it seems to complicated for him. He also needs to trust his depth players more and limit Drais ice time. He isn’t built like Connor, and wears down when playing too much. Was burnt out by game 8 of the playoffs. Not conducive to a long run.

Campbell needs a bounce back season, which is easier said than done. Really hoping for the guy, as a platoon system with two reliable goalies would be ideal next year.

Add another top six winger to replace Yams. An under the radar player who out performs his contract.

By the trade deadline at the latest, accumulate more veteran Dmen who can step into at least the 6-7 role, so that we aren’t stuck with rookies. Our D corp were incredibly lucky with injuries this year, barely missed any time, can’t count on that every year.

Hard to look ahead right now as I’m still gutted, but there is still lots of hope. Strong core just needs the proper tweaks, and some coaching adjustments, a little luck coming our way, and you never know.

 

[bone]

Vegas and Carolina were better than the Oilers this year

And Dallas was pretty much on par as well.

 

[Stoneman89]

Before I screw off and enjoy my summer, I figured this might be an interesting discussion to have. I figure we blew it for a couple of reasons:

1) All our toughest competition has been eliminated and the path would have been wide opened for us if we got past Vegas. The Avs will be healthy and the Kings are likely going to be upgraded.

2) We need to sign Bouchard and will have to lose some of our depth to make that possible. The roster will most certainly be worse than this year (or at least on paper) because we will have no cap. Unless a massive is made at some point I just don't see how we can win a cup before the contracts of Connor & Leon expire.

Thoughts?

No guarantee the Avs will be healthy, and Kopitar and Doughty will be another year along.

Certain people were saying last year there was no way we'd be better this year due to cap constraints.

 

[bone]

I love how everyone keeps saying it was wide open because of upsets in the first round. There were literally only two upsets in the first round, and only one in the second round based on regular season results. The only team left that didn't finish with 108 points or more is Florida who is 12 months removed from a Presidents Trophy and a top 10 all time season.

The four remaining teams are all still really good teams.

This isn't like 2006 where the lower ranked team won every series in the first round in the West leading to a 6 vs 8 Western Final (12 vs 14 overall). These are good teams. Even Seattle was a 100 point team finishing 12th overall and 9 points back of the team they "upset".

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

I love how everyone keeps saying it was wide open because of upsets in the first round. There were literally only two upsets in the first round, and only one in the second round based on regular season results. The only team left that didn't finish with 108 points or more is Florida who is 12 months removed from a Presidents Trophy and a top 10 all time season.

The four remaining teams are all still really good teams.

This isn't like 2006 where the lower ranked team won every series in the first round in the West leading to a 6 vs 8 Western Final. These are good teams. Even Seattle was a 100 point team finishing 12th overall and 9 points back of the team they "upset".

Yah no one said they weren’t really good teams. Boston and the Champs getting knocked out in the first round opened up a lighter path to the cup. Or do you disagree with that?