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

[jukon]

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.

RNH did great when he had good wingers. Depending on who else the team has, he could be a top line centre on quite a few teams.

To the poll question, I would try Kahun with Drai first because they are already familiar with each other. But I'd try him with both centres. We know Nuge works great with both, let's see who Kahun plays better with too.

 

[Broberg Speed]

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

If you believe that is RNH's value what should his next contract be in your estimation? Should they trade him or just let him walk after next season if he is asking thereabouts 6 million per season for 5 or more years?

 

[Canovin]

RNH did great when he had good wingers. Depending on who else the team has, he could be a top line centre on quite a few teams.

To the poll question, I would try Kahun with Drai first because they are already familiar with each other. But I'd try him with both centres. We know Nuge works great with both, let's see who Kahun plays better with too.

We aren't stacking up the 3rd line just so RNH can center that line.

I agree I definitely like to see Kahun with McDavid just in case line ups do go cold

 

[Canovin]

If you believe that is RNH's value what should his next contract be in your estimation? Should they trade him or just let him walk after next season if he is asking thereabouts 6 million per season for 5 or more years?

~6.5M is what I'm hoping RNH extends for. Good chunk of change for a complementary 1LW plus the Covid discount

 

[McSuper]

You grossly undervalue Nugent Hopkins.

Not really . RNH is a much better winger then a centre . Have to keep in mind that RNH was given crap as wingers for the last 5 years . Not since Hall and Eberle has RNH had good wingers . RNH is also paid too much to be on the 3rd line . Both of you guys make good points . I just agree more with canovin

 

[Broberg Speed]

~6.5M is what I'm hoping RNH extends for. Good chunk of change for a 1LW plus the Covid discount

~6.5M is more than the number I mentioned... and yet you're OK with paying that to what is a "a good complementary player" in your estimation? If that is what he brings to the club that money could be better spent, considering we have two highly paid elite centers and a winger, who may not play in the top six, taking up 5.75M against the cap.

And I'm not dismissing the idea of a trade. Despite the covid economics there would be a great deal of interest for RNH in a trade and it could open cap space this year and well into the future. I don't know what value he would return but if he were made available other clubs would scramble to make it work financially.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

IMO Connor needs someone good to play with especially if Kassian is the other winger on his line. Drai and Kahun know each other very well and have played together in the past. RNH is one of the few players that click really well with 97 with the other obviously being Draisaitl.

RNH-McDavid-Kassian/Puljujarvi
Kahun-Draisaitl-Yamamoto

If the 2nd line doesn't mesh then maybe you try Pulju with Drai and move Yamamoto with Connor and Nuge.

What I don't want to see is something like Ennis-McDavid-Kassian as IMO that is just wasting Connor's talents.

 

[Canovin]

~6.5M is more than the number I mentioned... and yet you're OK with paying that to what is a "a good complementary player" in your estimation? If that is what he brings to the club that money could be better spent, considering we have two highly paid elite centers and a winger, who may not play in the top six, taking up 5.75M against the cap.

And I'm not dismissing the idea of a trade. Despite the covid economics there would be a great deal of interest for RNH in a trade and it could open cap space this year and well into the future. I don't know what value he would return but if he were made available other clubs would scramble to make it work financially.

~6.5M is a good price to pay for a PPG player regardless if he's a complementary player. That's .5M raise for his UFA years.

RNH getting a raise has nothing to do with Neal. Not sure why that's being brought up. Plus Neal will likely not be on the team after next season.

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

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

Nugent Hopkins played a lot of a young career treading water as an overplayed #1 centre at 21, often with minutes among the highest of NHL forwards across the league, and in one year heading centre ice depth that included an overwhelmed 18 year old Draisaitl, two AHL tweeters, and fourth liner Boyd Gordon. His opposition was a murderer's row of big, good Pacific Division teams led by centres like Getlaf, Thorton, Sedin, Kopitar. The Oilers deep end approach to player 'development' has proven to be a failure which Nugent Hopkins endured while redefining his game to contribute on a deeper roster led by two Hart Trophy winning centre men.

EDIT: He's proven to play with either elite centreman, play big PK minutes on a top kill unit and also PP, with versatility to move into centre or successful transition to wing.

 

[Broberg Speed]

~6.5M is a good price to pay for a PPG player regardless if he's a complementary player. That's .5M raise for his UFA years.

RNH getting a raise has nothing to do with Neal. Not sure why that's being brought up. Plus Neal will likely not be on the team after next season.

The club only has so much money available to spend in a fixed economic environment. If there is a better option available to spend that money on, which makes the club more competitive now and into the future, you should take that avenue. Yes, Neal's contract and "all other contracts on the club" has plenty to do with what contracts can be handed out now and into the future.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

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.

Nope.

 

[Smartguy]

RNH-Drai-Yamamoto

Was arguably the best line in the NHL after Jan 1 last year.

It was insane not to start the playoffs with that line, and it’s also insane to not at the very least give that line another shot starting next year.

Kahun can be tried with Mcdavid, see if that works. I’d only shuffle again if that line above struggles.

The DRY line was the biggest reason the Oilers were a playoff team last year, single handedly flipped the season around.

 

[LTIR]

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.

That was like a decade ago. Hopefully there is something there but expecting decade old chemistry to carry over in NHL might be too optimistic. There would certainly be familiarity between the 2 as there would be between McD and Connor Brown if put together.

 

[Messrules11]

Breaking up the DRY line is about the stupidest thing they could do.

 

[Broberg Speed]

That was like a decade ago. Hopefully there is something there but expecting decade old chemistry to carry over in NHL might be too optimistic. There would certainly be familiarity between the 2 as there would be between McD and Connor Brown if put together.

The two played something like 11 international tournaments together over the years. This includes the 18-19, 17-18, 16-17 and 15-16 WCs, a very high level of international competition. However improbable that there is some extra performance, an extra gear if you will, that can be found in Kahun by playing him with Draisaitl... don't you have to give them that opportunity to play together on a line to find out?

The way I look at it is 30 other NHL teams would jump all over themselves to sign the contract Dominik Kahun did with the Oilers. A contract that leaves him as a RFA at the end of the year to boot. Might Kahun not have chosen the Oilers with it in mind that he gets to play alongside Draisaitl, particulary if it inflates his point totals for monetary consideration during his next contract negotiation.

Alternatively I can see the reasoning of placing Kahun on the third line. He is a proven commodity as a middle-six player and there is the potential for him to be moved up the lineup once his next contract is signed at a more reasonable rate.

Kahun is a bit of a wild card. He could be an average 2nd liner capable of 45 point seasons, he might not even accomplish that but he is young enough, with the club holding his NHL rights into the future, that he may be considered worth protecting in the expansion draft if his point totals increase with expanded ice time.

 

[Broberg Speed]

I'm looking at Dominik Kahun's last season, which he split with Pittsburgh and Buffalo. On Jan 20 he received a concussion, missing 8 games, while playing with Pittsburgh and was out until Feb 18, which directly after recovering from he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres at the trade deadline, Feb 24, where he almost immediately received a knee injury which cost him 3 additional games.

Even with these two injuries he put up solid numbers with 13:27 ATOI in Pittsburgh scoring 27 points in 50 games played. With Buffalo, where he put up 4 points in six games, he played only 11:53 ATOI.

He is a good even strength producer: "If we look at the even strength point production of all NHL forwards for the last two seasons, Kahun ranks 86th overall, which places him as a bottom-end, first-line NHL forward." "He put up 2.2 pts per 60 in 1749 even strength minutes" both quotes as per David Staples. So if this is mistaken you know who to blame.

My point is what could he have accomplished last season with better health and increased ice time. Additionally it must be asked if he is physically up to the task of increased NHL ice time. He played all 82 games in his rookie season with Chicago, and he played well with with 37 points with a +/- of 10 while receiving 14:09 ATOI.

I know posters seem to dislike the +/- ratio for an audit of a player but Kahun is a plus player for every club he has played for in the NHL. Plus 18 in 138 NHL games played. Also he can play all three forward positions and did go 28 and 25 for a 52.8 FO% with Pittsburgh. Not saying Kahun can play center but he could be an option for draws.

 

[tardigrade81]

Give Kahun a chance. If he sucks, switch.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

Both will see time with McDavid and draisaitl this year.

lines are never written in pen in the NHL.

 

[BarDownBobo]

I hope Kahun starts skating with Drai in Germany ASAP. Whenever the season starts I think there’s going to be a very short training camp and maybe 2/3 preseason games tops so if they can start getting their chemistry going beforehand it could be huge. Hit the ground running when the season starts.

 

[Joey Moss]

I’m torn on this. Kahun gives us a bit of flexibility if he can play either wing. I feel like Benson is being overlooked as well. I’m sure he will be pushing hard for a spot and may make a case for it.

At some point I can see Kahun on RW with McDavid. Benson on any of the top 3 lines. Lots of options. I’d start like this:

RNH - McDavid - Kassian
Kahun - Draisaitl - Yamamoto
Ennis - Turris - Puljujarvi

 

[Mr Positive]

Imo the priority is to get McDavid going so imo the default answer is to pencil in Kahun with Draisaitl. RNH is proven to work with McDavid. Hes the only winger we have who is.

Now of course we can try lots of stuff out in camp. If Kahun works better with McDavid, or any player besides Kahun even, then they can be with.

The exception is Yamamoto, and that's my expression of saying how important Drai is. He gets his top six winger too

 

[dss97]

Nuge.

I don’t care if Kahun is German. Why mess with a combination that is proven to work? We were in free fall last year until Nuge-Drai-Yam were put together.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

Nuge.

I don’t care if Kahun is German. Why mess with a combination that is proven to work? We were in free fall last year until Nuge-Drai-Yam were put together.

We were in free fall until Yamamoto was called up you mean.

 

[KahunWOW]

Kahun is loaned to EHC Red Bull München (Munich) in Nov-Dec for a German cup competition

Dominik Kahun läuft beim Magentasport Cup für den EHC Red Bull München auf

Kahun says:
Oilers wanted him to find a club to prepare for the new season. His obvious choice was his former team. (note: Munich has a very strong team by european standards with high wages)
Also says he will wear #21 in Edmonton.

 

[Draiskull]

Kahun is loaned to EHC Red Bull München (Munich) in Nov-Dec for a German cup competition

Dominik Kahun läuft beim Magentasport Cup für den EHC Red Bull München auf

Kahun says:
Oilers wanted him to find a club to prepare for the new season. His obvious choice was his former team. (note: Munich has a very strong team by european standards with high wages)
Also says he will wear #21 in Edmonton.

Drai should sign there too and build some chemistry