It's Not The Water Or Culture, It's Your Forward Depth, Dummy.

[soothsayer]

I wouldn't say that was their least talented team. Kuznetsov became a legit superstar and played like one in the playoffs especially where arguably he was their best player.

They were still very talented and deep. Kuzy turning into a star was the difference IMO, they didn't have that in their previous runs.

Not to mention, Carlson became a no-doubter number 1 defenseman, scoring nearly a PPG in the playoffs and playing very well defensively. They also sped up their transition game by moving Alzner out and replacing him with speedier options. They identified their slow-ish blueline as a main area in need of fixing, so off Alzner went. Their quicker transition was one of the bigger factors in their success. (There were a lot of factors, but the decision to speed up their back-to-front transition paid off big time.)

 

[MessierII]

Buy in and work ethic only go as far as the other team's willingness to let you outwork them. If your team of motivated plumbers shows up to play a bunch of motivated all-stars, what do you think is probably gonna happen?

You can go to the cup finals like Vegas.

 

[Soundwave]

You can go to the cup finals like Vegas.

Vegas is more talented than people think.

Vegas has like 6 50+ point scorers now upfront and four more 40+ point scorers, that's loaded. The Oilers have 3 50+ point guys and Chiasson while technically is on pace for 40, he's likely to soon fall below that as he is falling down to earth hard.

Gallant is a an elite coach, but that team has some impressive depth.

 

[Little Fury]

You can go to the cup finals like Vegas.

I guess that's why they stood pat and didn't try to add any good players after last season.

I mean, they lost the Cup to the more talented team, so I dunno how you don't see the lesson there.

"Get lucky" is not a plan.

 

[Soundwave]

I guess that's why they stood pat and didn't try to add any good players after last season.

"Get lucky" is not a plan.

Meanwhile in Edmonton:

 

[MessierII]

Vegas is more talented than people think.

Vegas has like 6 50+ point scorers now upfront and four more 40+ point scorers, that's loaded. The Oilers have 3 50+ point guys and Chiasson while technically is on pace for 40, he's likely to soon fall below that as he is falling down to earth hard.

Gallant is a an elite coach, but that team has some impressive depth.

Who were they before Vegas? A bunch of castoffs. The only proven top 6 guys were the two from Florida and David Perron. None of their D were perceived as even top 4 guys on other teams.

 

[Aerchon]

The Oilers clearly have more trouble keeping the puck out of their net than putting it in.

Both obviously bad, and the lack of scoring more pronounced this year, but the Oilers have bigger problems than scoring still.

 

[Soundwave]

Who were they before Vegas? A bunch of castoffs. The only proven top 6 guys were the two from Florida and David Perron. None of their D were perceived as even top 4 guys on other teams.

Marchessault had a 30 goal season the year before, lol. Reilly Smith had score 25 goals two years prior. Neal was an All-Star before. Perron was a good player before.

People just assumed they would be bad because previous expansion teams were bad not noting that Vegas had much more favorable expansion rules than in the past.

Schmidt and Theodore were young-ish guys that developed well, it's hard to know what you have with a D at those ages.

 

[Little Fury]

Who were they before Vegas? A bunch of castoffs. The only proven top 6 guys were the two from Florida and David Perron. None of their D were perceived as even top 4 guys on other teams.

So they overachieved. That's not a plan.

 

[Soundwave]

The Oilers clearly have more trouble keeping the puck out of their net than putting it in.

Both obviously bad, and the lack of scoring more pronounced this year, but the Oilers have bigger problems than scoring still.

You can't play "we suck at scoring, so lets grind it out on D" hockey any more. The officials don't allow it.

You have to be able to score in the new NHL, you cannot think you are going to play 2-1 hockey most of the time. You are going to end up in situations like last night where the Leafs just went "OK, lets run now" and the Oilers crapped their pants.

12-13 years ago maybe that would work, you could clutch/grab/hold guys, hit players in the head/from behind and get away with it like the Sutter Flames used to.

Scoring is not an optional "nice to have". It's a must have now. The league has changed.

 

[onetweasy]

Alex Chiasson: No goals in 20 games
Zack Kassian No goals in 8 games
Milan Lucic No goals in 15 games
Jujhar Khaira: No goals in 10 games (and injured)
Tobias Reider: No goals in 49 games
Ty Rattie: No goals in 8 games
Jesse Puljujarvi: No goals in 15 games (and injured)
Kyle Brodziak: No goals in 18 games

This is essentially the entire bottom 9 on large goal droughts.

Just amazing. I would love to have a beer....better make it a case, with Chia and figure out how all of this played out in his own words.

 

[Aerchon]

You can't play "we suck at scoring, so lets grind it out on D" hockey any more. The officials don't allow it.

You have to be able to score in the new NHL, you cannot think you are going to play 2-1 hockey most of the time. You are going to end up in situations like last night where the Leafs just went "OK, lets run now" and the Oilers crapped their pants.

12-13 years ago maybe that would work, you could clutch/grab/hold guys, hit players in the head/from behind and get away with it like the Sutter Flames used to.

Scoring is not an optional "nice to have". It's a must have now. The league has changed.

Agreed, but, do you really think with Hitchcock behind the bench and the systems being utilized that the Oilers are "allowed" to even think the game the way needed to win?

Yamamoto and Puljujarvi both utilized up and down the line up with little leash and more in a support role... Both were drafted for their offensive instincts and have not been used that way.

Reider is a two way forward but known for speed and scoring far more than he has... I see him use his speed to dump and chase.

Rattie, not exactly brought in for his defensive ability...

Draisaitl, Mcdavid, and Nuge are doing thier part.

4th lines still typically are not scoring lines.

I've heard McDavid repeatedly say the Oilers are not a team that can win by scoring. That they need to grind out wins 2-1. Where do you think that is coming from...

 

[Soundwave]

Agreed, but, do you really think with Hitchcock behind the bench and the systems being utilized that the Oilers are "allowed" to even think the game the way needed to win?

Yamamoto and Puljujarvi both utilized up and down the line up with little leash and more in a support role... Both were drafted for their offensive instincts and have not been used that way.

Reider is a two way forward but known for speed and scoring far more than he has... I see him use his speed to dump and chase.

Rattie, not exactly brought in for his defensive ability...

Draisaitl, Mcdavid, and Nuge are doing thier part.

4th lines still typically are not scoring lines.

I've heard McDavid repeatedly say the Oilers are not a team that can win by scoring. That they need to grind out wins 2-1. Where do you think that is coming from...

Puljujarvi and Yamamoto don't have the talent level that Oiler fans hyped them to have. Not yet anyway, if it ever develops than the equation changes.

But scoring in the NHL is not easy. You need to be a very good player to do it againast NHL level comp and goalies. Puljujarvi and Yamamoto are not up to snuff.

Smartest thing Columbus ever did was passing on Puljujarvi, Dubois is a much better player.

The rest of the Oilers roster past McDavid/Drai/RNH is junk. Hall needed to be retained to be a reliable 55-70 point player, you can't just have 3 players scoring 50+ a year and think that works. Most good teams have 5-6 of those players.

Hitch isn't wrong ... they don't have the talent to play 4-2, 5-3 hockey ... they do have to play 2-1 hockey, unfortunately for Hitch the NHL has moved on from that style of play and the refs don't allow you to play it so blatantly anymore either.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

The Oilers clearly have more trouble keeping the puck out of their net than putting it in.

Both obviously bad, and the lack of scoring more pronounced this year, but the Oilers have bigger problems than scoring still.

They’re 25th in offense despite their top three centers all having career years. Forward depth is a big problem.

 

[MessierII]

So they overachieved. That's not a plan.

They’re doing it again this year. It wasn’t a 1 year wonder.

 

[Little Fury]

They’re doing it again this year. It wasn’t a 1 year wonder.

With the same roster? They didn't stand pat, they went out and swung for the fences to get better, adding Patches and Stastny and now Stone. So clearly someone there thinks adding talent is a better plan than "well, let's just hope for the best."

 

[McFlash97]

You need more Nyquist's and Athanasiou's and less Lucic's and Reiders outside the big 3.

 

[Stoneman89]

You can't play "we suck at scoring, so lets grind it out on D" hockey any more. The officials don't allow it.

You have to be able to score in the new NHL, you cannot think you are going to play 2-1 hockey most of the time. You are going to end up in situations like last night where the Leafs just went "OK, lets run now" and the Oilers crapped their pants.

12-13 years ago maybe that would work, you could clutch/grab/hold guys, hit players in the head/from behind and get away with it like the Sutter Flames used to.

Scoring is not an optional "nice to have". It's a must have now. The league has changed.

It bothers me and hurts my heart to hear guys like Nuge and McDavid say things like, "we need to grind it out and try to win games 2-1 if we're going to be successful". And we have a coach that still believes in that philosophy as well. While we're never going to outscore teams at this point, I sure hope the new GM starts to move the needle and get some players in here that have a high pressure skating style that moves the puck and have some skill and hockey IQ. Such a shame having McDavid and the few others being saddled with what we have now.

 

[Soundwave]

It bothers me and hurts my heart to hear guys like Nuge and McDavid say things like, "we need to grind it out and try to win games 2-1 if we're going to be successful". And we have a coach that still believes in that philosophy as well. While we're never going to outscore teams at this point, I sure hope the new GM starts to move the needle and get some players in here that have a high pressure skating style that moves the puck and have some skill and hockey IQ. Such a shame having McDavid and the few others being saddled with what we have now.

I don't see anyway for this team to be successful than to build an offensive powerhouse.

Unless they fluke out somehow and land a Norris caliber no.1 all world D in the draft some how and that player develops overnight rapidly, they're not going to be the next LA Kings and the league doesn't even play that way anymore, so you'd some how have to get the rest of the league to agree to play slow/trap hockey.

 

[MaxR11]

under a team that plays the right way, pretenders like eberle get exposed. before this year he played on teams that played the wrong way and allowed for cheating etc. he was able to pump up his stats and created an illusion of his worth. now that he has to TRY and play the right way to WIN he is showing he's a ~35 point player. Currently he has 13g and 17a in 66 games and is a -11 on a team with mostly plus players.
i hope he doesn't come back. gives up more than he'll get you. maybe for $1 mil you take a chance.

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

You need more Nyquist's and Athanasiou's and less Lucic's and Reiders outside the big 3.

Great observation haha

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

under a team that plays the right way, pretenders like eberle get exposed. before this year he played on teams that played the wrong way and allowed for cheating etc. he was able to pump up his stats and created an illusion of his worth. now that he has to TRY and play the right way to WIN he is showing he's a ~35 point player. Currently he has 13g and 17a in 66 games and is a -11 on a team with mostly plus players.
i hope he doesn't come back. gives up more than he'll get you. maybe for $1 mil you take a chance.

He and Hall are gone and the team just got waxed by a pathetic Devils team.

 

[McFlash97]

Today was supposed to be an exciting day in Oilerville with a game against Arizona to pull to within 3 points of spot, but due to 75 percent of f***face , no balls, no talent cowardly hockey players donning our jersey, it's now just ride this season out.

Embarrassing franchise.

 

[MikeGrier99]

Today was supposed to be an exciting day in Oilerville

You're going to have to wait a few years for another one of those. I've only been able to watch one Oilers playoff run in a bar as an adult in my life and I'm 30 years old. I don't even want to guess how old I'll be for the next one.

 

[BlackDogg]

You're going to have to wait a few years for another one of those. I've only been able to watch one Oilers playoff run in a bar as an adult in my life and I'm 30 years old. I don't even want to guess how old I'll be for the next one.

On the bright side McDavid gets to watch the playoffs every year from a bar.