Pitlick Shows What the Oilers Have Been Missing

[McYoungGuns]

I really don't think offence is going to be much of an issue for Pitlick. With 3rd/4th line players, you're expecting 15-30 points out of them. Pitlick's shot alone should create enough rebounds to get him those points. If he had good playmaking skills/shot accuracy, he'd be a top 6 forward, but I think that ship sailed 2 years ago.

I dont think any ship has sailed for him as of yet , there is still time , however slight it may be there is still time

 

[RuneMcEres]

It's not.

From what we know (the Sportsnet broadcast), Pitlick's mom was there. She flew out when she heard he was playing. He scrambled to find her a ticket.

Unless of course bozwell has information that is unbeknownst to those who's views are skewed by the Oilers brainwashing dome around Edmonton.

They simply said that Pitlick got his mom a ticket for the game. They didn't say anything about him buying her a plane ticket. For what it's worth.

 

[Groucho]

I dont think any ship has sailed for him as of yet , there is still time , however slight it may be there is still time

No kidding, isn't he 21 or 22 ?

 

[Kepler 186f]

What I'm saying is that if Stamkos shoots from where Pitlick generally shoots from it's not a rocket by the time it gets to the net.

If Smyth did it it wouldn't make it to the net.

If Smyth did it the ref would pick up the puck and give him a penalty for delay of game.

 

[Da McBomb]

Really hope he pans out. We really need some of our draft picks past the first round to contribute to this team. Hopefully it was just injuries that slowed down his development the last couple of years.

Now its Curtis Hamilton's turn to start taking the next step.

 

[Gord]

At the end of the day that's probably the wrong attitude. Here's a direct quote from our GM at the end of last season:

“In today’s NHL you really have to be a threat to score at some point, even marginally. We had a lot of guys who really, the best they were going to be in any given game was a non-factor. There wasn’t a lot of upside for our guys, our role players to significantly help us, but the few times we did we ended up winning those games.â€

~sigh~

good point.

 

[jukon]

I really don't think offence is going to be much of an issue for Pitlick. With 3rd/4th line players, you're expecting 15-30 points out of them. Pitlick's shot alone should create enough rebounds to get him those points. If he had good playmaking skills/shot accuracy, he'd be a top 6 forward, but I think that ship sailed 2 years ago.

Yeah because everyone reaches their full potential by the age of 20..... Not sure if you are serious.

 

[The Nuge]

No kidding, isn't he 21 or 22 ?

Ya, he's currently an ancient 21 years old

 

[Trafalgar Sadge Law]

I dont think any ship has sailed for him as of yet , there is still time , however slight it may be there is still time

Yeah because everyone reaches their full potential by the age of 20..... Not sure if you are serious.

I meant it as in his realistic expectations, not his ceiling. His ceiling is still technically 2nd line center, but as of right now, he's projecting more as a bottom 6 winger. 2 years ago pretty much every one of us had him in our top 6 in some capacity. Now I think most of us would be glad if he can become a third liner that hits, forechecks, and chips in a reasonable amount of offence. Anything more is extra. And there's nothing wrong with that. Matt Martin is a 4th liner that's probably more valuable than any forward on the Isles not named Tavares, Moulson, or Okposo.

 

[skorf]

At the end of the day that's probably the wrong attitude. Here's a direct quote from our GM at the end of last season:

“In today’s NHL you really have to be a threat to score at some point, even marginally. We had a lot of guys who really, the best they were going to be in any given game was a non-factor. There wasn’t a lot of upside for our guys, our role players to significantly help us, but the few times we did we ended up winning those games.â€

All he has to do is go hard to the net and he'll get some points. Guys like Smyth and to a lesser extent Jones get their points that way.

If he ends up going to the net hard and getting an ugly goal here and there like Jones does, the rest of his game is how we'd like Jones to play, solid defensively and throwing his weight around.

If he goes hard to the net... I can see him easily being a 25-30 point guy. After one game, I prefer him to most of our options

Once Gagner is back, I'd like to see
Joensuu/Nuge/Hemsky
Gagner/Gordon/Yak
Perron/Arco/Eberle
Gazdic/Acton/Pitlick
13th man Smyth

 

[McOilers97]

It was refreshing to see a 3rd/4th line winger for the Oilers that ACTUALLY plays like one. Fast, finishes his checks, no forced/stupid plays, just a smart all around game.

I think we might be underselling this guy's potential a little bit. Not expecting 50 points by any means but I think that as he gets more time to figure out the NHL game, I see no reason why he can't become a useful 10G-10A guy that brings a lot of value through smart two-way play and finishing his checks. I think he will be more of a 3RW than a 4RW, as long as he begins to figure out how get to the right spots. However, in the mean time, I agree with others saying that if he just plays simple and hard like he did last night, he should easily be in the lineup for the forseeable future, any offense would just be a bonus at the moment.

 

[Bangers]

I'm glad he's picked up his game this year. As I said in the summer, if he can develop into a Bickell-like player (who required a lot of seasoning), he could be an invaluable part of the team - he has the tools.

 

[thinlizzy]

He is hungry and as long as he keeps hitting he will probably stick around.

 

[TheNumber4]

I just watched the Montreal game. Honestly, from all the comments about Pitlick on here I thought I would have seen more. Sure he hits, but it's nothing Mike Brown wasn't also doing. He also doesn't seem to have good foot speed. Unless he starts showing some form of 2-way talent I just don't see the whole Pitlick>>>Brown that everyone else is seeing. Brown can atleast step in and drop the gloves, all else looking equal so far, Brown>Pitlick for that reason. In any case, it's just 1 game. I will wait to see more before making an assessment.

 

[Gret99zky]

One game.

Hopefully he can bring some consistency.

This team is full of hot and colds.

 

[Conkanen*]

When I saw Pitlick in WPG he was hitting everything that moved and flying. Loved it. His offensive game was nothing to write home about but I think that will come in time.

 

[Replacement*]

I liked his preseason and like what he's bringing now. Big kid still rounding into form and guy could be a valuable bottomsix player for a longtime.

I like the potential, we'll see what he delivers and how good he makes himself. Got a lot of ingredients if he puts it together.

Right now especially with Joensuu out we need his physical play. Should've been a callup the moment Joensuu went down imo.

 

[CupofOil]

hall RNH eberle
perron gagner yakupov
joensuu gordon hemsky
smyth arcobello pitlick
gazdic/acton

Not that the team will ever be healthy but if they are, i prefer to see this.

Hall-Gagner-Yakupov (This line was on fire at the end of last season and Hall could get Yak going)
Perron-Arcobello-Hemsky (Looked great the last game, might as well stick with it)
Joensuu-RNH-Eberle (A big guy who can skate and crash the net, possibly pop in some rebounds while also creating some space for the 2 skilled guys, seems like a good match. This isn't a 3rd line per se, just one of the 3 lines that Eakins can roll out with regularity)
Smyth/Gadzic-Gordon-Pitlick (Energy line, tenacious on the forecheck although Smyth seems to contradict that)

It's funny that the center depth was thought of as a major weakness going into the season and now with Arcobello looking like a solid NHLer and Gordon being a bit better than advertised, the C depth is not looking too shabby.

In regards to Pitlick, i liked what i saw in the preseason and his first NHL game but we have seen all too many times when energy guys start off really well and then fizzle out not too long after so i'd like to see more from Pitlick before believing in him as a regular NHLer. Also, keep in mind that Montreal is one of the few teams in the league who are as soft as us so i'd like to see if he plays brave against the big boys in the west.