Kahun vs. RNH: Who should be Draisaitl's LW?

[Cloned]

Part 12 of my offseason poll series.

Time to cast your votes!

Click to read more...

 

[Soundwave]

Which ever combination wins the Oilers more games. Like if Tipp has to "fall back" to the DRY combo, so be it.

Kahun McDavid Kassian, lets go get it.

 

[Dr Awesome]

Try Kahun with Mcdavid first and allow them chance to develop some Chemistry before adjusting Dri’s line.

 

[DropTheGloves]

Kahun, because even if it doesn’t work like we all hope IMO the real key to Line 2 is not RNH but Yams. There’s the potential for 200 combined points from each line if they’re deployed that way, whereas I think a Kahun-McD-Kass unit is easier for other teams to contain.

 

[McDNicks17]

If Kahun does have plug and play chemistry with Drai, I think you roll with that.

Gives both Drai and McDavid a LWer they've shown chemistry with.

 

[shoop]

If Draisaitl and Kahun show chemistry keep them together. Yamamoto with the two of them could actually be a better line than DRY.

 

[McNuge]

With a shortened (likely) season I think you need to try and build as much chemistry as fast as possible. It is great we are bringing in all these new faces because they were a lot better than the old ones but chemistry takes some time. We know Kahun and Drai have chemistry already, and from most reports they are very close off the ice. RNH is the guy McDavid wants to play with and they've played in the past and had great success. It also allows Kassian and Neal to be rotated on the top line and still have a very strong duo in McDavid and Nuge, where as I don't see the same if it was Kahun-McDavid.

Yamo is the 4th best forward on this team right now so it doesn't make much sense to me to have 1 pulling 5s-9s and 2 3 4 together. As much as I loved the DRY line scoring balance is more important to overall success.

 

[CupofOil]

I know that Kahun and Drai are buddies but the team is a lot better with the DRY line together and McDavid with the lesser winger. As good as Drai is McDavid is the better line driver, plus I see very little chemistry between RNH and McDavid. At least not nearly as much as the chemistry RNH has with Drai and Yamamoto.

I know it's almost a guarantee that Kahun and Drai start the season together and it could be a great combo if their chemistry from many years ago carries over but I much prefer to see him on McDavid's wing and I think his style compliments McDavid nicely too.

Really happy to have this conversation btw. I've been pushing for the Oilers to sign Kahun since he didn't get qualified, I just liked his fit as a realistic winger option who is young enough to be a potential long term solution. This gives Tippett a lot more flexibility now.

 

[BudBundy]

This season is going to be a sprint. I don’t think we have the luxury of hoping Nuge develops chemistry with McDavid and Kahun meshes with Draisaitl. Run the DRY line from the hop and tinker with the McDavid and Turris lines over time.

 

[TheUltimateOiler]

Well if drai and Kahun put up 400 points in a season between the two in junior, I feel like maybe they should have some chemistry.

I would start nuge with Connor and Neal, especially since Neal looked good in the play in.

Run Kahun drai yams as the second line.

 

[FlameChampion]

I am not sure what the correct answer here is but I think its nice we have legitimate options.

I am pretty sure it will be RNH with McDavid and Kahun with Draisaitl regardless of what the correct answer is, but Tippett at least has the options to change things up when/if things go through a dry spell. I like Ennis coming back but I dont think him being the LW1/2 was a great solution here. I really like the forwards this year. I dont see a whole lot of holes with the forward group, I cant remember the last time I said that.

 

[Canovin]

DRY line was something special but I believe there's some synergy between Drai and Kahun. If they read each other off like the Sedin twins, teams better watch out

 

[Fixed to Ruin]

Figure it out in preseason.

 

[TheUltimateOiler]

I am not sure what the correct answer here is but I think its nice we have legitimate options.

I am pretty sure it will be RNH with McDavid and Kahun with Draisaitl regardless of what the correct answer is, but Tippett at least has the options to change things up when/if things go through a dry spell. I like Ennis coming back but I dont think him being the LW1/2 was a great solution here. I really like the forwards this year. I dont see a whole lot of holes with the forward group, I cant remember the last time I said that.

How sweet would it be if we could run
Ennis - McDavid - Kassian
Kahun- drai- yams
Nuge - Turris - puljujarvi
Archi- Khaira - Neal / haas

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

In a perfect world our centers are McDavid, Draisatl, RNH, and Turris.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

In a perfect world our centers are McDavid, Draisatl, RNH, and Turris.

RNH wasted on the 3rd line? why?

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

RNH wasted on the 3rd line? why?

Depth? I thought we had it now so having him center his own line would only help.

 

[Broberg Speed]

In a perfect world our centers are McDavid, Draisatl, RNH, and Turris.

I believe so. Oilers have the center depth if they had the winger depth to do this they would be a contender.

 

[Canovin]

Depth? I thought we had it now so having him center his own line would only help.

When RNH running his own line on any line, he isn't very good. He's good as a complementary player. Turris would be a better 3rd C than him.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

Depth? I thought we had it now so having him center his own line would only help.

paying RNH 6+ mil to run a 3rd line is terrible asset management

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

Tippett likes his forward pairs. Quality balance will be important to exploit elite centres, McDavid and Draisaitl. I think Tippett goes McDavid/Nugent Hopkins and Draisaitl/Yamamoto. Won't be surprised if Kahun and Ennis rotate onto Draisaitl's line if it goes cold.

Nugent Hopkins is the X factor with elite versatility whose proven to play with both elite centres and can rotate around the line up if desired. Could also see Turris moving up to wing on occasion if the team needs a spark or run a stack line looking for a big goal. Nice to have a right handed shooter option ... finally! Will also help having some heavy game options with Chiasson and Neal.

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

When RNH running his own line on any line, he isn't very good. He's good as a complementary player. Turris would be a better 3rd C than him.

You grossly undervalue Nugent Hopkins.

 

[FlameChampion]

In a perfect world our centers are McDavid, Draisatl, RNH, and Turris.

I think RNH on the third line is a bit of a waste personally. Even though our wingers are considerably better, I dont think putting Ennis with McDavid is the answer personally. I sort of understand it though because as good as McDavid is, I dont think he really uses (or needs to for that matter) his linemates that effectively. The guy is literally a one man show. And to be honest I dont think McDavid is lights out with RNH either.

I do think we need to see how Turris does in the third hole. If he bounces back, and has any kinda of resemblance to his time in Ottawa, I am not sure it even matters whos on the fourth line. If Turris plays like a 2C, the Oilers should dominate other teams through the center. Even in Nashville, while he wasnt great, he still put up pretty good points even for a 3C. Even if things dont really break for him here, I cant really see him being dissapointing on that contract.

 

[ohheyhemsky]

Keep the gat damn best line in the NHL together, gat'damnit.

 

[Canovin]

You grossly undervalue Nugent Hopkins.

McDavid-Drai-RNH. We've seen that before. Hardly anything came out of RNH centering the 3rd line. He's a good complementary player playing with either McDavid or Drai. This is not me downplaying RNH. Just prefer to play him at his strength and that's on the wing