Pre-Game Talk: Oilers vs Seattle. McDavids line once again short handed.

[McShogun99]

He also made the mistakes that cost us the win vs Winnipeg and was benched by the end of it. He couldn't even think on the 4th line taking a colossally stupid penalty while getting in his teammates skating lane.

You cant take the good without the bad.

For anything remotely good PJ does in a game there are more things per game that make you shake your head.



First one I will participate in this year!

I hate the $100 option but it's pretty much the only ticket you can buy if you want a better shot at winning.

 

[gordonhught]

Woodcroft needs to be taken to the woodshed for continuing to play PJ on McDavids RW.

I assume we see the continuation of the leagues most useless breakout and forecheck as well.

Coach needs to go. He can take Holland and Nicky with him.

I might be wrong, but I think that Hyman and JP are a package.

Woody talked to Drai and Connor. He told them that without Kane, their choices for wingers were:

Hyman/JP

or

Yamo and Foegele.

Connor said he would only take JP if he got Hyman. Drai said that he would rather Yamo and Foegele and skip JP altogether.

Poor RNH gets Janmark and Kostin and he does what he can with those two (although Klim is awesome).

I think Drai asked for Holloway instead of Foegele, but Woody said no.*



*All of the above is just crapposting.

 

[tardigrade81]

We win. Simple as that

 

[Mack a doodle doo]

I feel like Kostin has shown more offensive prowess than Yamamoto or JP lately. JP on line 1 feels like Mcdavid or Holland's doing. I don't believe Jay wouldn't see what is in plain sight for everyone watching.

Kostin also has a lot of the same qualities as McDavid’s former best line mate chemistry wise, in Pat Maroon, I bet McDavid would work really well with him the same way he did with big Pat.

 

[walktheboulavard]

Broberg has more potential but is absolutely not a better player right now. Nemo doesn’t have much upside but he’s a legit NHL D man right now and Broberg just isn’t.

What has Nemo shown to suggest what you're saying over Broberg. Team literally gives up more high danger shots against and in prime areas when Nemo is on the ice. He also plays less than Broberg when he's in the line up.

Does this have something to do with his first play, his first game of the season when Lafreniere spun off him near the blue paint and scored on the tap in? Because same can be said for Nemo when he got burned for a breakaway up the gut vs NJ

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

I hate the $100 option but it's pretty much the only ticket you can buy if you want a better shot at winning.

That’s why I quit buying them. I’d support a few but at $100 it’s either a hot dog and a beer or the 5050 ticket.

 

[Louis Cypher]

But Nemo brings the no nonsense physical D play and clearing guys around net that the team needs more of in ownzone. Its arguable that Nemo is a better option than Kulak, and that he's presently a better option than Broberg. For sure at price Nemo is a better option than Kulak. The more minutes I see Nemo eat the better and more confident he seems to get.

I agree Nemo should replace Kulak. But Broberg needs to be brought along first.

 

[Louis Cypher]

Not just this, because for the first multiple weeks the players were being used they weren't used adequately or ideally or given much minutes. Kostin for the longest time was burried in the 4th line with players like Shore.

Remember who taught Woody. TMac was the worst for killing talent with plugs.

 

[McHelpus]

Oilers really put themselves in a bad position, they are suppose to be contending but they are barely holding a wildcard spot. These next 10 games are HUGE, if they go 5-5 or worse, i don't see them making the playoffs.

 

[xoczar99ox]

Wait the f*** a minute here! Last year Woodcroft was a god send and this year he’s a shit coach?

You guys do realize that management has the final say on if a player gets ice time or not right. If they say we want JP with MaDavid to try and pump his tires there is nothing that Woodcroft can do about that.

 

[Louis Cypher]

We finally got a third line and everyone wants to mess with it because JP is on the top line. I think JP fits better with McDavid than Yammo does plus Yammo and Dria seem to have a little chemistry although that was a while ago. It sucks that our RW is so bad but hopefully one catches fire soon.

 

[Whyme]

Time for the Oilers to show they can sustain the better stretch. I've bet some money for the Oilers to win the SC, not a huge amount but enough to win a pretty nice bonus. I did the same last year and as I'd placed the money when the Oilers struggled under Tippett I had a chance to take a nice amount out before the conference final, but went till the bitter end and don't regret it

 

[CycloneSweep]

We finally got a third line and everyone wants to mess with it because JP is on the top line. I think JP fits better with McDavid than Yammo does plus Yammo and Dria seem to have a little chemistry although that was a while ago. It sucks that our RW is so bad but hopefully one catches fire soon.

i think we should just swap Holloway and Pulju honestly.

Nuges line is working wonderful, so as much as it might be fun to see Kostin higher, I rather promote a young guy with skill who might be able to gain some confidence with more icetime first.

Before you break a line that’s not working, shake up lines that aren’t.

Edit: if you want to move Kostin up then the better option is to simply swap RNH and McDavids wingers so Nuge doesn’t just have to deal with scraps.

I agree Nemo should replace Kulak. But Broberg needs to be brought along first.

Why? We are a team that’s trying to win, you play your best players and Broberg isn’t better than either honestly at this moment.

 

[alphahelix]

People are focusing on the wrong thing here. Kane will return and the winger depth will feel much stronger (Not that there isnt any room for improvement, but guys playing specific roles instead of being asked to be scorers will be more successful)

Nothings perfect on this team but raw chaos rears its head almost every game with this D corps and we need to reduce that. The chaos makes too many playoff games against elite opportunistic scorers essentially unwinnable.

People like to say changing 1 dman wont fix this team but I think the relative stability improvement and ability to PK/shutdown elite attackers in key moments will give this team a major shot in the arm. The D who dont get lit up against elites anymore after the shuffle will have major confidence boost and focus more on offence. The forwards and goaltending will play with more decisiveness and certainty.

It'll make things much easier on the coaches trying to calculate survivable matchups so they can focus on deploying for offence more often.

An Ekholm type could be enough to set this team up for success. I'm not saying it would guarantee them anything but they would handle most teams with much more ease and give themselves a chance against elites.

 

[gordonhught]

Go Oilers.

I hope JP gets 2 goals with McDavid, or, plays 8 min on line 4.

 

[CROTT]

i think we should just swap Holloway and Pulju honestly.

Nuges line is working wonderful, so as much as it might be fun to see Kostin higher, I rather promote a young guy with skill who might be able to gain some confidence with more icetime first.

Before you break a line that’s not working, shake up lines that aren’t.

Edit: if you want to move Kostin up then the better option is to simply swap RNH and McDavids wingers so Nuge doesn’t just have to deal with scraps.

Why? We are a team that’s trying to win, you play your best players and Broberg isn’t better than either honestly at this moment.

I would like to try

Hyman-McDavid-Bouchard
McLeod-Draisaitl-Yamamoto
Holloway-RNH-Kostin
Janmark-Ryan-Foegele

Nurse-Barrie
Broberg-Ceci
Kulak-Niemo

Need a RW why not try Bouchard? While Kane is still out, Though it leaves the defence worse off

 

[Kerberos]

I think JP fits better with McDavid

What does Puljujarvi do on that top line other than kill plays? He's not responsible defensively. He doesn't open up space or ice for his linemates. He floats around like a pylon.

When that line succeeds, it does so despite him dragging it down, not because he's on it.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

What a player we get to watch nightly

 

[94 Oil Drops]

People are focusing on the wrong thing here. Kane will return and the winger depth will feel much stronger (Not that there isnt any room for improvement, but guys playing specific roles instead of being asked to be scorers will be more successful)

Nothings perfect on this team but raw chaos rears its head almost every game with this D corps and we need to reduce that. The chaos makes too many playoff games against elite opportunistic scorers essentially unwinnable.

People like to say changing 1 dman wont fix this team but I think the relative stability improvement and ability to PK/shutdown elite attackers in key moments will give this team a major shot in the arm. The D who dont get lit up against elites anymore after the shuffle will have major confidence boost and focus more on offence. The forwards and goaltending will play with more decisiveness and certainty.

It'll make things much easier on the coaches trying to calculate survivable matchups so they can focus on deploying for offence more often.

An Ekholm type could be enough to set this team up for success. I'm not saying it would guarantee them anything but they would handle most teams with much more ease and give themselves a chance against elites.

If Holland is smart he'll try to trade for a top 4 D AND a bottom pairing shut down D at the deadline. If we can somehow scoop up Ekholm or Parayko and one of Schenn or Soucy, our back end will be in real good shape.

I'm not convinced a single defenseman alone will solve all our problems, nor would it transform us into a contender. Broberg is made out of glass and Holland can't afford to just sit around on his bum and hope the kid will develop into what everyone wants him to become. This is the year we need to see management make an effort to get McDavid and Draisaitl their cup ring!

 

[K1984]

His production this season and all around flexibility is something that is taken for granted at times. The Oilers are very fortunate to have him on the roster. He’s worth every dime hes paid.

Thank god he had a very mediocre season in his contract year. Usually it works in the other direction for us, but this time a below average season finally married up with a contract season.

The $5M we paid him would be $7+ if he was playing like this back in 2020-21.

 

[brentashton]

Thank god he had a very mediocre season in his contract year. Usually it works in the other direction for us, but this time a below average season finally married up with a contract season.

The $5M we paid him would be $7+ if he was playing like this back in 2020-21.

Tru Dat.

 

[K1984]

If Holland is smart he'll try to trade for a top 4 D AND a bottom pairing shut down D at the deadline. If we can somehow scoop up Ekholm or Parayko and one of Schenn or Soucy, our back end will be in real good shape.

I'm not convinced a single defenseman alone will solve all our problems, nor would it transform us into a contender. Broberg is made out of glass and Holland can't afford to just sit around on his bum and hope the kid will develop into what everyone wants him to become. This is the year we need to see management make an effort to get McDavid and Draisaitl their cup ring!

Just for once I'd like to see the Oilers put out a fly with a sledgehammer in a way that makes us all say "holy shit I didn't see that coming!" except in a good way. Agree that we need two d-men to make this all actually work. I would have shunned anyone that thought that trading Bouchard would be a good idea even weeks ago, but the more I think my way around it it might actually be the best move if we truly wanted to make our defense best in the short term for a cup run. That's the type of hard move that championship GMs make (assuming we don't blow the deal up, which is very possible).

We won't though. We'll pick and prod and make up excuses as to why just going with the status quo that might pay dividends three years from now is actually the right move to make now.

 

[Mr Positive]

Nemo was on for a goal against recently without clearing the front of the net, just standing there taking a nap

And no, he’s not arguably a better option than kulak

Nemo Is a huge positive to the team and imo its because we need that type of D badly. If we can get a veteran version of him it would be amazing, but even then I'd like it if somehow we kept Nemo as the 6th or 7th D who would be added in certain matchups. I could see him developing into a solid bottom 4 D, and it wouldn't take that long really

 

[Cloned]

Claim Vrana and waive Pulju.

Figure out the salary cap when Kane is ready.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Claim Vrana and waive Pulju.

Figure out the salary cap when Kane is ready.

Or trade Puljujarvi for him and add a sweetener to figure out the cap