News Article: NHL Off Season by the Numbers

[Tad Mikowsky]

NHL offseason by the numbers: Which teams have improved the most (and least)?
NHL offseason by the numbers: Which teams have improved the most (and least)?

It’s the Athletic, so it’s a paywall. But Dom has the Oilers at second for most improved team, behind the Devils and calls the Oilers having the best forward group in the league.

Click to read more...

 

[bobbythebrain]

Dont gave the Athletic but based off OP, finally an objective article with some context and common sense.

I've been saying Holland has topped the league this offseason.

If the Devils add Tatar, then I'd give it to them, but all they've really done is booster the blueline, unless we're talking draft, then ya, adding the other Hughes was massive

I'd probably put Wpg at 3. That dcore is something impressive.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

Funny how the Oilers eggheads here and on the Twitter cesspool say we got worse because of WAR charts ‘n stuff but an actual published egghead who does egghead stuff for a living says otherwise.

Note to eggheads - egghead is a term of endearment.

 

[Tad Mikowsky]

I’m not sure how much you’re allowed to copy from paywall, but here’s the Oilers section:


Wins Added: 3.8 wins
Salary Added: $8.2 million
In: Zach Hyman, Warren Foegele, Derek Ryan, Cody Ceci, Duncan Keith
Out: Ethan Bear, Adam Larsson, Caleb Jones, Dmitry Kulikov, Jujhar Khaira
There are a number of people out there who didn’t like what the Oilers did this summer, myself included. The defenceman musical chairs where they kept Tyson Barrie and lost Adam Larsson, traded Caleb Jones for Duncan Keith and signed Cody Ceci to a four-year deal while losing Ethan Bear all felt misguided. That the team gave Mike Smith a two-year deal in the hopes he can repeat last year’s magic without any semblance of a strong backup plan also isn’t ideal.
But one area where the team did legitimately improve is up front. The team’s top six looks the best it has in decades and they have added two strong depth pieces on top of that to help out a bottom six that always gets crushed. That’s where much of the value is coming from.
There’s a lot of risks that comes with signing a 29-year-old power forward to a seven-year deal, but Zach Hyman is still a great player who should fit in perfectly with the Oilers. He’s developed into a bonafide top line contributor over the past couple of seasons and has a proven track record playing next to superstars and making their lives easier. Remember Chris Kunitz being the perfect linemate for Sidney Crosby? Edmonton is hoping Hyman can be the same for either Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl, and I don’t think that’s a bad bet.
Add Warren Foegele to the mix, an elite forechecker who resembles early career Hyman well, and the team has a strong third line left wing addition. Derek Ryan is a massive upgrade over Jujhar Khaira as well. Those three pieces together should give the Oilers one of the best forward groups in the league … just don’t mind the rest of the team.