Speculation: Rate your level of concern

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

POLE OF THE DAY

Live look at the Oilers start.

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Where are you at with the Oilers overall level of play after 15 games and 1 game over .500?

Early still? Getting ulcers? Total panic mode?

Curious to see where everyone is at.

Click to read more...

 

[Cloned]

I’d be less worried if Kane wasn’t out for 4 months.

This could really spiral out of control.

 

[longtimeoilfan]

I voted "start of a problem" because it was closest to how I feel. I believe it's a personal problem, we have the wrong mixture of players. Defense wins championships... I don't even blame our goalies, our defense isn't set up to defend.

Our start is indicative of a problem.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

I’d be less worried if Kane wasn’t out for 4 months.

This could really spiral out of control.

I think we can kiss finishing 1st in the division goodbye anyway.

 

[The Safe Play]

In the middle. I can't remember the last time I was this optimistic going into a season (maybe never) and I thought the team looked great on paper. Didn't have us pegged as a Stanley Cup champion but had us as top 3 in the West behind Calgary and Colorado.

At this point I don't even know what the problem is as so many players are under performing and it feels a little like Woodcroft/Manson have lost the plot compared to last year. I especially feel like they don't know how to optimize the defence.

I think most people are probably worried about Campbell but to be honest it's the drop off in 5v5 and PK play that had me concerned as goaltending is notoriously streaky.

I hope they turn it around.

 

[Cloned]

I think we can kiss finishing 1st in the division goodbye anyway.

I’m more worried that they don’t even make the playoffs.

 

[GMofOilers]

The only thing im concerned about is Jack Campbell, I was a big time supporter of this guy and he has been trash.

Skinner im not confident in either at all.

Goaltending which should of been a upgrade is looking like a downgrade.

 

[boredem]

We are the same team as last year. Trying to outscore bad D and goaltending.

Only reason we are relevant is because we have the top 2 scoring players in the NHL.

 

[AddyTheWrath]

If you looked at the numbers before yesterday’s game, we’re actually playing well at 5v5 and on the PP. It’s our PK that’s atrocious. But we still need better defenders.

 

[Ritchie Valens]

I think we can kiss finishing 1st in the division goodbye anyway.

It's Remembrance Day and the GK's pretty much have the division wrapped up.

 

[Mez]

My biggest concern is how we ended up back to tippet era D structure? Giving up the zone entries and allowing teams space to shoot.

 

[CupofOil]

Mildly concerned, how can one not be, but I'm not worried about them missing the playoffs as long as McDrai, Hyman and Nurse stay healthy. I know that, visually, they've looked rough at times but they're 8-7 after a really tough schedule, the goaltending is as bad as can be and nobody is really clicking yet so there's another level or three that this team can hit.

Furthermore, I can't imagine that Holland is dumb enough to think this is his "all in" team going into the playoffs (or maybe he is?) so I expect a different looking team going into the playoffs than the one we see now.

Also, don't really care about winning the division. Just get in to the dance and anything can happen.

 

[MettleMcOiler]

As fans, collectively, do we overly micromanage the team with critique to the point of suffocating the players from just playing their game?
Always ready to move on and trade a player because certain elements of their game is lacking? With the grass greener on the other side mentality with players we don't have.
Complaining for lack of effort but we are not the ones on the ice going through it?
Laying the body and exerting real physical effort.
I am concerned from some posters making comments on not watching and listening to the games.
There are things happening on the ice that make me concerned and right now is how penalties are being called on the team and game mangement. Something feels off and I can't place it.
We lost Yamamoto and Kane. Both have their roles, and both eat up minutes that either pushes the needle or keeps their head above water.
I think the boys are missing some locker room presence In Russell, Kassian, Smith and Keith.
The people that wanted Keith to retire so we have cap space, are they the same people asking to trade pieces for a defencemen?
He wasn't at a norris level but you can obviously see he brought a stability that many here took for granted.
Campbell has been hot and cold, but I still believe in him. I think the adjustment period is still ongoing and I would be patient as he gets his bearings.
It seemed the Foundations that Tippet bestowed and having Woodcroft come in and tweak seemed to work well last year. Did we lose some of that or do not have certain specialized players in roles to execute properly?
Highs have been high and lows have been low. It's definitely a Rollercoaster so far. They definitely need figure out the synchronization and balance this ride.
Lots of new faces, and some still breaking into their roles.
Nobody wants to hear it but it's growing pains for this team right now as they try and sync and build chemistry with each other.
I think my only real concern is the patience of the fan base. Flying off the handle is probably not the most effective way to support the team when the team is struggling.

 

[tardigrade81]

Anyone who says they aren’t concerned in my opinion is lying. This start is concerning. The defense at times looks worse than last year, and the goaltending from Campbell for the most part has been horrific. Until one of these two (or preferably both) are fixed, the Oilers will be lucky to even make a wild card team.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

My biggest concern is how we ended up back to tippet era D structure? Giving up the zone entries and allowing teams space to shoot.

They do seem to be back to playing off the man rather than closing and engaging. Even with net front and d coverage. It’s puzzling.

 

[FlameChampion]

I think my concern is two fold. I would say that I am not overly concerned about the team making the playoffs. I think once the pressure is on them, they will start to play better. But after watching last nights game, the game against Dallas, etc I am questioning myself if this is even a playoff team. Which is insane considering what our roster is and what it should be capable of.

But I think my biggest concern is, I am just not sure that this team can really win anything. The team just seems like they are broken and I am not sure why. They seem to have a myriad of issues. You can blame Holland, Woodcroft, not having a LD2 or Campbell but just seems something deeper is wrong with this team.

 

[9GWG9]

Our goalies aren’t getting a fair shake. We have no secondary scoring, they pass to each other like jerks and we have way to many brain farts on the back end.

Add Berry having a super shitty game and a broken catcher and viola.

 

[Reasonable Oil Fan]

I'm very concerned and not exactly surprised unfortunately.
It's been going on for much too long.
We continue to blow chances. On a small level like last night's opportunity (I've said it before, backup goalie, playing a tired team) and on a bigger lever like wasting all these years of centers the rest of the league would die to have.

 

[Arpeggio]

Very concerned. Top two scorers in the league, one guy with 15 goals in 15 games, and the team is .500. Not looking forward to what happens when that pace slows up.

 

[Oilhawks]

To me it’s not necessarily a level of concern but a level of expectations. This level of inconsistency and play has made it so I expect a level of success equivalent to last year at best, which isn’t good enough.

Don’t feel that this is a contending team whatsoever. The Pacific sucks and I think this team will pull it together to make the playoffs, but they absolutely need an upgrade at RW, LD and another bottom 6 player to do anything of significance, IMO. I don’t see how that happens with the cap constraints

 

[Stealth1616]

Pretty concerned. The goalie gamble doesn’t seem to be paying off. And the issues we are facing this year are not unlike the ones we’ve had in the past - bad defence structure and no depth scoring. Those are things that aren’t easily fixed either.

The Klefbom injury is such an underrated bad thing that happened to this team. If we had him + all the money from buyouts, retention, the ~9mil tied up in wingers that didn’t do anything plus the inevitable lower salary Nurse would have got, we would be a very different team

 

[Jumptheshark]

My concern level is as it always was. Like every year, if our goalies let us down we are fooked. And Campbell is letting us down. We hoped he was just mishandled in TO. TURNS out it was him.

If they do not start Skinner more, this board will go into meltdown. Teams have figured Camobell out and that is bad news for us.

Several posters complained about me being negative all the time. I did not like what I saw early on and it just got worse.

We have no choice but play Holloway because we are in cap hell.

McDavid and Leon can only do so much.

We made bad mistakes on D, starting with the Barrie contract...

I got no answers on how to solve this mess beyond playing Skinner more and Campbell less

 

[BlackDogg]

At this point I see seattle and LA beating the Oilers

 

[Lacaar]

Way too many players trying to find confidence.

That’s the new way of saying “I can’t dial it in”

Nice team on paper but they’re in mcdavid will do it mode.

What has me concerned is December/January is coming and this team always seems to play poorly in those months

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Our defensemen are not clearing the net and are too eager to jump into the play as a whole. This needs to change before both our goalies confidence goes into the toilet. Apparently Edmundson is back for Montreal, he might be a good fit for Bouchard. We need guys that can defend and make it tough on opposing forwards instead of making it tough on our goalies.