Speculation: Rate your level of concern

[Zerotonine]

Not worried one bit. Look how bad we were last year and were we finished. Only thing that worries me is Campbell being worse then i though he could b

 

[ZJuice]

Fall real hard to get Bedard

Edit: just kidding, please do not.

Things look shitty but I still have faith for some reason..

 

[McShogun99]

I'm not to worried yet. Vegas and Seattle are overachieving. Calgary and Edmonton are underachieving. It will all balance out as the season goes on. The team will start tightening up their defence play and Campbell will start getting used to the team and vice versa, secondary scoring will start picking up.

 

[KlimasLoveChild]

I'd say I'm mildly concerned about what Evan Bouchard is at this point. I'm really thinking Keith was working over time babysitting this guy last year and got no credit for it. I think he has potential but he needs to set it up.

I don't want to see any more of Devon Shore. Put him and Kostin into a room and who ever comes out stays in the show.

If they are going to be running seven dmen why not start to blood some of the guys we have down in the farm. Let's see what we have.

I saw Benson practicing with the team before the Carolina game. I'm not sure how long he has been well for but he may be an option soon.

 

[Soundwave]

If Kane was available, then less so, but without him the Oilers were trending to miss the playoffs last year, who exactly is going to step up in his absence?

Puljujarvi? Holloway? Yamamoto? Foegele? Janmark?

Skinner needs to get on a tear here until Campbell finds his game, the team D needs to pull their heads out of their asses, no one is saying you have to be a great defensive team, but the level of effort on D right now is abysmal.

Holland probably is gonna have to try and make some moves sooner than later and who knows if he's even capable of doing that.

Woodcroft needs to run a tighter ship here too, you can't so be so casual with this team, gotta crack the whip in practices.

 

[Moregoalspls]

I feel that once they relearn to play some form of team defence, secondary scoring will pick up and goaltending will improve. The defence will never be stellar but it should be good enough that they start drawing penalties again and outscoring there opponent.

 

[MessierII]

I feel that once they relearn to play some form of team defence, secondary scoring will pick up and goaltending will improve. The defence will never be stellar but it should be good enough that they start drawing penalties again and outscoring there opponent.

I agree but the question is why aren’t they?

 

[Moregoalspls]

I agree but the question is why aren’t they?

Not sure, less veterans? Coaching? Bad luck? It's actually amazing how often they give up the first goal. And amazing how well they play when they get it.

 

[RegDunlop]

EDIT
Longest post I ever did. Sorry! My opinion only if anyone reads it all!!

What I'm concerned about is that nothing ever seems to change. I have no idea what the problem(s) is, as I think this team should compete consistently. I'm not concerned with making the playoffs but that shouldn't be the goal. I'm considered with winning.

Second concern is regression. Bouchard, Yam, JP - these players should be advancing when clearly they're not.

My armchair coach / gm takes are that we still don't have the right mix. If McD, and Drai to a lesser extent, don't individually win us games, then very rarely are we successful. To me it's attitude, identity, systems, and coaching. And that dreaded concept - culture.

It's not that these players are useless or aren't NHL calibre. They are. But they are not the right type of player needed for the position they're in. We all know that 97 29 93 91 and 18 are bona fide top 6 players. Two of them the elitist of the elite. But that's our team. There are not enough minutes that the bottom 6 do anything positive. And way too often when they are net negative. Again, to me not the players but the mix, although McCloud and Foegele have the makings of a good third line. Just keep them there, teach them the intricacies of the roles. Stop trying to make players what they aren't.

On defense we have Nurse as a bona fide top tier defenceman. That's it. Ceci, Kulak, and Barrie round out a core that us competent in my view. Now the mix comes in again. Ceci and Kulak can be a fair to good second pairing. Barrie needs to be 3rd and continued 1st unit PP. Bouchard is quickly working himself out of the mix as Barries heir apparent. Lots there of course, and young so don't give up on him, but teaching, coaching, and ice time management need to be in play.

I have no idea about goaltending. On Campbell it is obvious to me he is very fragile. I'm not so sure that that can ever be overcome in his position. It's unique in that you need a cold as ice demeanor that enables a complete 'let go' of negatives. You can't move forward goaltending if you carry the baggage of what happened in the past, or what just happened. Psychology perhaps could help him I guess. I believe in his physical ability as he's proven he's more than capable. Hopefully he gets past this.
As for Skinner, all those clamoring for a starters position are incorrect IMO. I'm very excited about his future and think he will be our number 1, but just think he's in the best position he can be right now as a solid NHL back up. He also will get opportunities, like right now, to run with the ball as Campbell struggles. I'm confident he can.

Here's my team. The blanks need filling to be a true contender is what I think.
Forwards;

91 97 93
18 29
37 71
55 10(barely)

Yams can slot into that 3rd line IF he's willing to change his game. His tenacity is needed and that's exactly where. Not top 6. He can still use his skill as the 3rd line should be versatile in both D and O.
Defense;

25
27 5
22 (2 in the wings)

We need one stud. Most agree with this but to me it's 1RD position. 3rd pairing LD can and should be filled within.

I really think though that thus is just normal bust boom slump world beater aspects of regular season. But like I said what concerns me is that without some fundamental changes this team will not win a Stanley Cup. And that would be a shame as we have the greatest player in franchise history behind 99.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Goaltending, defense, depth scoring. These issues have plagued the Oilers for years and still aren’t fixed.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Goaltending, defense, depth scoring. These issues have plagued the Oilers for years and still aren’t fixed.

Probably can't be at this point

 

[Soundwave]

Probably can't be at this point

You probably could fix the D if you let go of the obsession that every 1st round pick or prospect is a star in the making.

Broberg + 2023 1st + Barrie
for
Chychrun

2024 1st + Yamamoto + Lavoie
for
Gavrikov

Nurse Chychrun
Gavrikov Ceci
Kulak Bouchard

That is probably at the least a decent blue line.

Oilers don't want to do what is necessary though.

 

[Mav3rick07]

After the Panthers game on Nov. 28th, our schedule isn't as scary and there's lots more winnable games moving forward. We just have to keep our heads above water until then.

But yeah. I'm still very worried. This team looked like a hot mess yesterday.

 

[KlimasLoveChild]

Just saw a Kane interview post practice. Reporter asks about the injury. Says he cut everything down to the bone. So it may be worst case scenario. He mentioned the artery having to be reattached from a piece removed from another part of his arm. A good reporter may have asked for a few more specifics but I'm sure it will come out in the next little while.

 

[Zguy370]

There's a few concerns I have, although still early in the season, we lost Kane, 3 of our 3 million $$ players are not doing anything special, esp., Foegele, shows up for one descent game for every 20 and he is the Messiah all of a sudden for most fans, just like Nuge used to be, but the biggest disappointment / concern for me so far is Campbell. I'm not sold on this dude. wasn't Ullmark also available? My first choice, the Bruins got it right!

 

[MessierII]

There's a few concerns I have, although still early in the season, we lost Kane, 3 of our 3 million $$ players are not doing anything special, esp., Foegele, shows up for one descent game for every 20 and he is the Messiah all of a sudden for most fans, just like Nuge used to be, but the biggest disappointment / concern for me so far is Campbell. I'm not sold on this dude. wasn't Ullmark also available? My first choice, the Bruins got it right!

I’d argue the biggest disappointment so far is actually Woodcroft. The team as a whole has been a mess. Everyone’s cheating for offense leaving our D with no options. Our forwards are losing their checks on the regular, our D are floating and not taking their man. The whole team is a hot mess with and without the puck. Complete 180 from what we saw last year.

 

[Stoneman89]

Too many people on here saying the loss of Kane is a big factor in our demise. The fact is, is that we weren't playing particularly well WITH him in the lineup and it's only been a game and a bit. I would also argue that Kane wasn't exactly one of our better defensive players, with a lot of bad giveaways in the last couple weeks or so. (Looks like Holloway is ready to assume that mantle). We will miss his truculance and some scoring, no question, but to completely collapse defensively is not due to one guy being out, specifically Evander Kane. Our defensive core is still what it is, goaltending has been iffy, the bottom 6 continues to struggle, and some of the coaching decisions and systems are head scratchers. Having Kane isn't going to fix those issues.

 

[GOilers88]

Still not worried. It's not how you start but how you finish. I think they'll snap out of it and make a move or two somewhere down the line.

 

[Stoneman89]

Welcome to Dave Tippet's world circa fall 2021 season.

No Evander Kane for most of the year, same iffy defence, goaltending in a shambles, and playing the shit of our our 2 superstars, heading for the annual mid-November/ December crash. Oh, but no Covid to wipe out portions of the team for weeks. Not saying he shouldn't have been canned, but it also comes down to what you have to work with. We'll see how they respond in the next few weeks.

 

[Soundwave]

I’d argue the biggest disappointment so far is actually Woodcroft. The team as a whole has been a mess. Everyone’s cheating for offense leaving our D with no options. Our forwards are losing their checks on the regular, our D are floating and not taking their man. The whole team is a hot mess with and without the puck. Complete 180 from what we saw last year.

Eh that happened plenty last year too. They are actually about the same GA this year as in the playoffs last season.

 

[North Cole]

Not that worried. It's been bumpy but we have also had a difficult schedule and I think the goaltending will right itself to better degree, still more confident in it then when we had Smith. We are still going to be a playoff team, I'm just hoping we add at the TDL and actually move a first or prospect this year.

I see there's a few moronic Leaf fans liking posts in here, lmao! They should be more worried about Matthews being a barely PPG player than our team.

 

[MettleMcOiler]

Just saw a Kane interview post practice. Reporter asks about the injury. Says he cut everything down to the bone. So it may be worst case scenario. He mentioned the artery having to be reattached from a piece removed from another part of his arm. A good reporter may have asked for a few more specifics but I'm sure it will come out in the next little while.

I'm not a doctor, but if the surgery is successful, and he follows the doctors and physiotherapists advice through rehab, God willing he'll be back healed 100%. I guess we have to just wait and see how much it will effect his game when he returns. Just wish him the best through his recovery.

 

[Stoneman89]

Not that worried. It's been bumpy but we have also had a difficult schedule and I think the goaltending will right itself to better degree, still more confident in it then when we had Smith. We are still going to be a playoff team, I'm just hoping we add at the TDL and actually move a first or prospect this year.

I see there's a few moronic Leaf fans liking posts in here, lmao! They should be more worried about Matthews being a barely PPG player than our team.

It would be very nice to add at the TD, but we are up right against the cap now, and if you move only prospects and picks the other way, where do you suppose the cap room will come from? I can't imagine teams lining up to take our 3 million dollar busts.

 

[MessierII]

Eh that happened plenty last year too. They are actually about the same GA this year as in the playoffs last season.

The playoffs isn’t the regular season it’s not comparable. In the playoffs the numbers go out the window you either win or you don’t the how doesn’t matter. In the season under woody we were playing way, wayyyyy more sound hockey last year.

 

[CycloneSweep]

Reminding me a lot of 17/18. Win a playoff round, downgrade roster.