Player Discussion Jujhar Khaira

Pointteen

Registered User
Jun 9, 2008
8,021
1,667
New Brunswick
He was very good last year.

No idea what happened to him this year.

I wouldn't say he was very good, serviceable. Solid fourth liner often for sure. Serviceable higher when he zones in
Players have slow starts. I hope that's it.


The bottom six is a bloody mess. Again. We all knew it. Again.
I hope Holland learns quicker than the others. League knows he isn't impulsive.
 

OldManBouchard

Registered User
Oct 14, 2019
352
241
While I agree Khaira has been pretty bad this season, I would still be pretty hesitant to write him off.

I see two positives in his game this season. One of them being his ability to retain possession in the offensive zone for prolonged periods. The other his ability to PK.

Not giving him a free pass. Just think he's got more in the tank to give. He's got all the tools to be a really effective 4th liner. A healthy scratch is inevitable the way he's playing. Maybe some time in the press box will help.
 

MessierII

Registered User
Aug 10, 2011
27,646
16,191
I wouldn't say he was very good, serviceable. Solid fourth liner often for sure. Serviceable higher when he zones in
Players have slow starts. I hope that's it.


The bottom six is a bloody mess. Again. We all knew it. Again.
I hope Holland learns quicker than the others. League knows he isn't impulsive.
I don’t believe that statement can be definitive at this point. The bottom 6 is off to a bad start offensively is a fair comment. They have also been key cogs on our very successful pk which IMO is a more important improvement considering how long it’s been a major problem for us.

The same crappy offensive production from the bottom 6 but with an elite pk, like we’ve had so far , is a massive goals against swing over the season. Any extra production is gravy.

Goals against were a much bigger issue than goals for last season.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Perfect_Drug

TheNumber4

Registered User
Nov 11, 2011
35,793
39,940
He's a 4th liner that does 4th liner things well. A 4th liner who can retain possession in the O-zone and eat away at the oppositions time in our zone, why wouldn't we want that. A 4th liner who can fight and answer the bell when needed, why wouldn't we want that. A 4th liner who can chip in offensively from time to time, why wouldn't we want that.

That being said, he's had a rough start to the season, but when you see Khaira good, when he has some confidence and is making plays, and playing with more creativity than your average 4th liner.... you see that there is potential there.

I was high on Kassian and told everyone to back off the trade proposals when Kass had his crappy run. I won't back Khaira with the same amount of enthusiasm... but I'm telling you there's something there with this player. At Khaira's best he can be an impact player for us, he's just got to find a way to show his best again.
 

Bryanbryoil

Pray For Ukraine
Sep 13, 2004
85,960
34,082
but I'm telling you there's something there with this player. At Khaira's best he can be an impact player for us, he's just got to find a way to show his best again.

I agree but he's basically run out of runway IMO. He has the size and hands to be a solid NHL player but he isn't assertive or consistent enough for my liking at this point in his career.
 

Dazed and Confused

Ludicrous speed, GO!
Aug 10, 2007
5,995
2,260
Berlin, Germany
Truth be told, he reminds me a bit of Kassian.

You can see the skill, and the physical talents, but I'm not sure he's an ideal option on a defensive line; his game starts becoming too "safe" (in the sense he stays back defensively, but he still makes mistakes with the puck though). While he's adequate defensively and a good PK'er, I'll never confuse him for a defensive forward.

As said, this reminds me a lot of Kassian during the first half of last year; or to a more extreme level: RNH and when the team played him as the 3rd line defensive centre. You're taking a player that's "just good" defensively and asking them to help form a shutdown line.

I know people don't like the idea of a player "falling up," but I think the best fit for him would be in Jurco's role, and as the 3rd wheel on the RNH and Neal line. Khaira and RNH have looked good together in the past, so it might be worth a shot. Plus I wouldn't mind Jurco in the bottom 6, as he would bring a little creativity to the group. He and Sheahan actually use to be effective line mates back in Detroit in the early part of the decade.


Speaking on his current deployment though, I don't really like the Khaira-Sheahan-Archibald line, mainly because I don't know what kind of identity it has. Khaira and Sheahan make the line too slow to be a transition/dump and chase/forecheck line, where Archibald excels; and Archibald can't cycle, which is what the other two need. Russell was a better fit for those two.

It's the same issue with the Nygård-Granlund-Chiasson line, there's just no identity, because as a group they're not big or fast. IMO, you need two speedy guys for a group to be a good transition line; and for a grind line, you can't have a guy that's a liability on the cycle.


Khaira should spend the next game or two in the PB, but I would be curious to see a lineup like this in the coming weeks.

Draisaitl-McDavid-Kassian
Khaira-RNH-Neal
Nygård-Haas-Chiasson
Granlund/Jurco-Sheahan-Archibald/Jurco/Russell
 
  • Like
Reactions: ZenOil and ujju2

Pointteen

Registered User
Jun 9, 2008
8,021
1,667
New Brunswick
I don’t believe that statement can be definitive at this point. The bottom 6 is off to a bad start offensively is a fair comment. They have also been key cogs on our very successful pk which IMO is a more important improvement considering how long it’s been a major problem for us.

The same crappy offensive production from the bottom 6 but with an elite pk, like we’ve had so far , is a massive goals against swing over the season. Any extra production is gravy.

Goals against were a much bigger issue than goals for last season.


Yeah, no doubt.

I know it is a slow start and I'm jumping the gun.
But the bottom six isn't all new players, some of them we've seen. Five ugly bottom six games. Offensively only, everything else is a good point. We're not bleeding goals so far. That's amazing on its own. We don't need elite goaltending when the team buys in like this.

I have a hard time seeing this team continue to have a bottom six that can't score. We aren't missing expensive players.
 

redgrant

Registered User
Nov 2, 2013
6,306
3,688
Heard an interesting stat. Khaira is the 6th most played forward for the oilers. After mcdavid drai nuge Neal and Kassian.

He also leads in pk minutes. Not too happy with his play but Tippett clearly trusts him most of his bottom 6.
 

Aerchon

Registered User
Jul 20, 2011
10,491
3,668
The bottom 6 have been terrible offensively, again. Kharia part of that. On that note I also would like to see him tried with Nuge briefly buy that is a bandaid solution for one guy.

Failing to get a legit 3c or actually any real top 9 talent outside of Neal falls squarely on Holland.

Right now we have a clear cut top that has all the notable talent.

Even a line of Chaisson Sheahan/Haas and Kassian would at least resemble more of a third line. But until they split the three centers scoring will be limited to the top 6 almost exclusively.

Even if each bottom 6er gets 5 goals each that's only 30 goals. Spread out over a season that is extremely thin.

Maybe if Bear and Persson can prove to be legit top 4 guys we can trade Larsson and/Puljujärvi + for a legit 2/3 two way center.
 

Burnt Biscuits

Registered User
May 2, 2010
9,164
3,179
For context though the eye test should be more relevant with a sample size this small. 5 on 5 CF%, and CF% rel, and zone start bias for this season.

Markus Granlund CF%= 41.2, CF% rel.= -6.9, DzoneStart%= 63.9
Joakim Nygard CF%= 41.5, CF% rel.= -6.4, DzoneStart%= 37.0
Juhjar Khaira CF%= 47.5, CF% rel.= 0.7, DzoneStart%= 83.3

So based on these numbers Khaira is doing the best of these 3 from a Corsi perspective while simultaneously getting the toughest zone starts. I know I've mentioned in the past, but Tippett is one of the few coaches who seems quite fine with the old school pure shut down defensive zone line, where they get crap assignments all day, every day, and the idea is they bleed as a line, but keep the bleeding to a minimum. This is very much the role Boyd Gordon had for him and the reason we signed him, was put in a situation that being a net negative was basically an inevitability, but did that role better than almost anyone else could and allows more offensive zone starts for the better offensive players.
 

destro909

Registered User
Jan 3, 2008
432
250
Heard an interesting stat. Khaira is the 6th most played forward for the oilers. After mcdavid drai nuge Neal and Kassian.

He also leads in pk minutes. Not too happy with his play but Tippett clearly trusts him most of his bottom 6.

Khaira doesn't lead in PK minutes, he's actually 3rd in total SH TOI behind Drai and Nuge. And he's 6th in SH TOI/GP behind Sheahan, Archibald, and Russell who have just played less games.
 

Anarchism

John Henry
May 23, 2019
4,024
1,130
northern alberta
The bottom 6 have been terrible offensively, again. Kharia part of that. On that note I also would like to see him tried with Nuge briefly buy that is a bandaid solution for one guy.

Failing to get a legit 3c or actually any real top 9 talent outside of Neal falls squarely on Holland.

Right now we have a clear cut top that has all the notable talent.

Even a line of Chaisson Sheahan/Haas and Kassian would at least resemble more of a third line. But until they split the three centers scoring will be limited to the top 6 almost exclusively.

Even if each bottom 6er gets 5 goals each that's only 30 goals. Spread out over a season that is extremely thin.

Maybe if Bear and Persson can prove to be legit top 4 guys we can trade Larsson and/Puljujärvi + for a legit 2/3 two way center.
Having the right top six winger would go a long way to changing the the dynamic there and changing the bottom six too....it would leave us personel that would work going forward with only a scoring winger needed for the bottom....maybe we have that internally....maybe after the trade deadline Mcleod will get a cup of coffee at 4 th line centre this year....

Man hope Bear and Persson work out too.....that trade.....Larsson n Khaira n Pulju for ?? Maybe the big fella retires and Winnipeg crashes and burns and gets desperate.
 

Paperbagofglory

Registered User
Nov 15, 2010
5,557
4,730
Let Tippett work with him for a while before we judge. Hes good at cycling the puck in the corners. Hes kinda fast for his size, hes just super average but a big body that this team needs. He does not have to blow our minds being a fourth liner. He hasn't been great but hes more useful than a small speedy guy that loses the puck all the time and shy's away from contact. He just happens to be a big guy that loses the puck all the time and shy's away from contact, but there is more to work with Khaira.
 

TheNumber4

Registered User
Nov 11, 2011
35,793
39,940
I agree but he's basically run out of runway IMO. He has the size and hands to be a solid NHL player but he isn't assertive or consistent enough for my liking at this point in his career.

You could be right. I mean 4th liners are pretty replaceable, so wouldn’t be surprised if we could get someone further along that can step in and produce more. Most likely this will be JJs last shot, we’ll see what he does with it. But him and Sheahan cycling that puck for extended periods... could turn into production soon.
 

Bryanbryoil

Pray For Ukraine
Sep 13, 2004
85,960
34,082
You could be right. I mean 4th liners are pretty replaceable, so wouldn’t be surprised if we could get someone further along that can step in and produce more. Most likely this will be JJs last shot, we’ll see what he does with it. But him and Sheahan cycling that puck for extended periods... could turn into production soon.

Those 2 and say Jurco or Chiasson could be a force of a line if they click.
 

TheNumber4

Registered User
Nov 11, 2011
35,793
39,940
Those 2 and say Jurco or Chiasson could be a force of a line if they click.

I’d like Jurco to continue getting opportunities in the top 6. He has skill and poise with the puck and he’s been waiting his whole career to prove it.
 

Drivesaitl

Time to Drive
Oct 8, 2017
45,304
54,861
Duck hunting
You could be right. I mean 4th liners are pretty replaceable, so wouldn’t be surprised if we could get someone further along that can step in and produce more. Most likely this will be JJs last shot, we’ll see what he does with it. But him and Sheahan cycling that puck for extended periods... could turn into production soon.
Waiting-Memes-52918-aad4877.jpg
 

ZenOil

Fast Twitch Hitch
Sep 23, 2010
1,411
1,230
Vancouver
Truth be told, he reminds me a bit of Kassian.

You can see the skill, and the physical talents, but I'm not sure he's an ideal option on a defensive line; his game starts becoming too "safe" (in the sense he stays back defensively, but he still makes mistakes with the puck though). While he's adequate defensively and a good PK'er, I'll never confuse him for a defensive forward.

As said, this reminds me a lot of Kassian during the first half of last year; or to a more extreme level: RNH and when the team played him as the 3rd line defensive centre. You're taking a player that's "just good" defensively and asking them to help form a shutdown line.

I know people don't like the idea of a player "falling up," but I think the best fit for him would be in Jurco's role, and as the 3rd wheel on the RNH and Neal line. Khaira and RNH have looked good together in the past, so it might be worth a shot. Plus I wouldn't mind Jurco in the bottom 6, as he would bring a little creativity to the group. He and Sheahan actually use to be effective line mates back in Detroit in the early part of the decade.


Speaking on his current deployment though, I don't really like the Khaira-Sheahan-Archibald line, mainly because I don't know what kind of identity it has. Khaira and Sheahan make the line too slow to be a transition/dump and chase/forecheck line, where Archibald excels; and Archibald can't cycle, which is what the other two need. Russell was a better fit for those two.

It's the same issue with the Nygård-Granlund-Chiasson line, there's just no identity, because as a group they're not big or fast. IMO, you need two speedy guys for a group to be a good transition line; and for a grind line, you can't have a guy that's a liability on the cycle.


Khaira should spend the next game or two in the PB, but I would be curious to see a lineup like this in the coming weeks.

Draisaitl-McDavid-Kassian
Khaira-RNH-Neal
Nygård-Haas-Chiasson
Granlund/Jurco-Sheahan-Archibald/Jurco/Russell
I like your logic. There's a need for speed in the new NHL. There's such little space now that the easiest way to get the puck into the offensive zone is to give it to a speedster that can knife there way through the trap. It's so clear to see. Connor is the best at doing this. Why? He's the fastest player. Speed. It also creates chaos which helps crumble defensive schemes. Speeeeeed.
 

ZenOil

Fast Twitch Hitch
Sep 23, 2010
1,411
1,230
Vancouver
I like your logic. There's a need for speed in the new NHL. There's such little space now that the easiest way to get the puck into the offensive zone is to give it to a speedster that can knife there way through the trap. It's so clear to see. Connor is the best at doing this. Why? He's the fastest player. Nathan MacKinnon is probably second. Speed. It also creates chaos which helps crumble defensive schemes. Speeeeeed.
 

GhostfaceWu

Shi Shaw
Feb 11, 2015
9,801
10,007
He's too slow and constantly making the same mistakes. How many times do you have to give away the puck in a comprimising position going backwards into your own zone before you learn not to do that? Sheahan is fine as a 3rd line center but as long as we keep making him lug around slow as Lucic type players they aren't going to contribute much on the scoreboard. When Nygard gets back put him and Haas with Sheahan and it probably looks substantially better than Khaira/Russel as his linemates.
 

Stoneman89

Registered User
Feb 8, 2008
27,205
21,405
Khaira's work on the cycle has been very good. But off the cycle he looks unassertive and timid, almost afraid to make a mistake. When a teammate gets pushed around, he does come skating in, but it's not with any fear factor involved. Hardly a finger is layed. I loved what Kass did last night, when he came flying in and grabbed the guy by the head and gave it a twist. Was a big "don't mess with us"moment.
I think he has a really good shot, but he needs to be much more aggressive to get to those open spots and follow his shots in, and keep his feet moving. Having him sit in the PB for a game or two isn't a punishment as much as it is a viewing experience.
 

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

-->