Speculation: Rate your level of concern

[Soundwave]

Sadly, Bottom third of the league might have been an improvement on a few of the GMs this team has had since 2006…

Yeah people clown on Dubas, but I'd take Dubas over Holland and Chiarelli and Tambellini every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

this team misses Duncan Keith and Mike Smith....vocal leaders that went out there and did their jobs

 

[Oilhawks]

lol on what planet is this not on management?

What do you want from McDavid exactly? A 92 goal pace perhaps?

Kevin Lowe is the last time the Oilers had an average GM ... everyone since then has been bottom third in the league if not one of the worst GMs in the league flat out.

Kevin Lowe was an absolute junk GM. Please stop overrating him based on one season that he was able to accidentally take advantage of cap strapped teams in a once in a lifetime occurrence

 

[Soundwave]

Kevin Lowe was an absolute junk GM. Please stop overrating him based on one season that he was able to accidentally take advantage of cap strapped teams in a once in a lifetime occurrence

That may be so, but what does it say when every GM since then has been considerably worse?

Lowe added Pronger, Souray, Visnovsky, Gilbert, and Pitkanen in like a 3 year stretch at one point.

His issue was he never had a superstar like McDavid, let alone the two best players in the world to start with and he was always being forced to some how trade for a franchise player.

this team misses Duncan Keith and Mike Smith....vocal leaders that went out there and did their jobs

I don't think they miss them to that much of an extent. Sleepy starts and poor 5 on 5 play and allowing over 3 goals against was the norm for many stretches of the time Keith and Smith were here.

The supporting cast that Holland has built simply lacks in too many places.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

That may be so, but what does it say when every GM since then has been considerably worse?

Lowe added Pronger, Souray, Visnovsky, Gilbert, and Pitkanen in like a 3 year stretch at one point.

His issue was he never had a superstar like McDavid, let alone the two best players in the world to start with and he was always being forced to some how trade for a franchise player.

he had Pronger and traded him for magic beans that started the Decade of Darkness

we were in that mess because of Lowe

 

[Soundwave]

he had Pronger and traded him for magic beans that started the Decade of Darkness

we were in that mess because of Lowe

And where would the Oilers be if McDavid's girlfriend insisted he be traded after one season here?

Chiarelli and Holland especially have had every opportunity in the world to build a solid team here, they are incompetent, that's all there is to it.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

And where would the Oilers be if McDavid's girlfriend insisted he be traded after one season here?

Chiarelli and Holland especially have had every opportunity in the world to build a solid team here, they are incompetent, that's all there is to it.

hopefully not trading for a 1st rounder 2 years from now like Lowe did

 

[belair]

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

How did they downgrade? They re-signed Kane and Kulak and went out and signed a starting goaltender.

 

[McDNicks17]

Hope did they downgrade? They re-signed Kane and Kulak and went out and signed a starting goaltender.

A starting goalie that's playing worse than any Oiler goalie has over the last 25 years.

 

[Soundwave]

Hope did they downgrade? They re-signed Kane and Kulak and went out and signed a starting goaltender.

The problem with this franchise in part I think is the front office on down are too easily contented by any measure of success that the default becomes "just do as little as possible and sit back for the good times to roll".

The decision to triple down on Puljujarvi and Yamamoto as support forwards when they did basically nothing in the playoffs and for huge chunks of last year when there were good available forwards sitting there for the same-ish money doesn't look so hot right now.

There's never any opportunistic mentality with the Oilers, any success and they think it's due to happen again rather than "are we putting together the best roster here we can".

 

[belair]

A starting goalie that's playing worse than any Oiler goalie has over the last 25 years.

Noted, but the poster is suggesting that the Oilers downgraded their roster in the offseason. Nothing suggests that was the case. If anything, there was an active attempt at maintaining the successful product and addressing the situation in goal with one of the top options available on the active market.

I don't see how one would be reminded of an offseason where players were required to be moved due to future cap challenges.

 

[Soundwave]

I think the end lesson is it's just too difficult to try and outplay a shitty blue line.

The Oilers have been trying to do it for years to mediocre results overall, Vancouver is basically in the same boat. You can have a really good season here and there, but if you're just going to ride that forever it'll come back to bite you in the ass.

Oilers as an organization and a group also learned very little from 17-18.

 

[McDNicks17]

Noted, but the poster is suggesting that the Oilers downgraded their roster in the offseason. Nothing suggests that was the case. If anything, there was an active attempt at maintaining the successful product and addressing the situation in goal with one of the top options available on the active market.

I don't see how one would be reminded of an offseason where players were required to be moved due to future cap challenges.

It was an attempt, but he failed to maintain the successful roster by ignoring #2LD and definitely failed to address the situation in net by getting a guy who has been wayyyy worse than anything we saw last year.

 

[belair]

The problem with this franchise in part I think is the front office on down are too easily contented by any measure of success that the default becomes "just do as little as possible and sit back for the good times to roll".

The decision to triple down on Puljujarvi and Yamamoto as support forwards when they did basically nothing in the playoffs and for huge chunks of last year when there were good available forwards sitting there for the same-ish money doesn't look so hot right now.

There's never any opportunistic mentality with the Oilers, any success and they think it's due to happen again rather than "are we putting together the best roster here we can".

Oliver Bjorkstrand was traded for a 3rd and a 5th. Regardless of who the GM is, your team is held within the constraints of the current market. Trade Yamamoto? Sure. But who is giving you value for him?

When I was suggesting that we trade Jesse Puljujarvi this summer, I was targeting Filip Zadina, a younger, cheaper version of him with less of a track record of production. I'm even more willing to make that trade now that Zadina's been struggling.

I don't disagree with the idea that we need upgrades on the lesser impactful parts of the roster, but teams aren't going to necessarily give us value for the underperforming players on our roster.

And fact of the matter is that Yamamoto scored 40 points last season. Puljujarvi scored 35. If you move them, you have to replace that. You rush trade any of those guys in a weak market and you're looking at another Strome for Spooner deal.

 

[belair]

It was an attempt, but he failed to maintain the successful roster by ignoring #2LD and definitely failed to address the situation in net by getting a guy who has been wayyyy worse than anything we saw last year.

It's not possible to address all of those weaknesses on the roster within their cap restraints. Did he make the right choices? Maybe, maybe not. But the roster you enter the season with is never the one you finish with.

What's the easier hole to fill via the trade market mid-season? The starter or the top four defenseman? There are going to be weaknesses, but there has to be a trust that a team minus Duncan Keith still finds themselves clearly in the playoff picture at the very least.

 

[Oilhawks]

That may be so, but what does it say when every GM since then has been considerably worse?

Lowe added Pronger, Souray, Visnovsky, Gilbert, and Pitkanen in like a 3 year stretch at one point.

His issue was he never had a superstar like McDavid, let alone the two best players in the world to start with and he was always being forced to some how trade for a franchise player.



I don't think they miss them to that much of an extent. Sleepy starts and poor 5 on 5 play and allowing over 3 goals against was the norm for many stretches of the time Keith and Smith were here.

The supporting cast that Holland has built simply lacks in too many places.

People are pissy about Holland, I get it. He’s not been great, but he’s better than Lowe ever was. Fans like to discredit him all the time for Detroit’s Cups but the fact is he was the GM and actually managed the team while they won those Cups.

He’s washed up, it’s too bad they didn’t have him when they drafted McDavid, as the team would be much better today than after the patchwork job he’s had to do since Chiarelli set the franchise back 5+ years

 

[McDNicks17]

It's not possible to address all of those weaknesses on the roster within their cap restraints. Did he make the right choices? Maybe, maybe not. But the roster you enter the season with is never the one you finish with.

What's the easier hole to fill via the trade market mid-season? The starter or the top four defenseman? There are going to be weaknesses, but there has to be a trust that a team minus Duncan Keith still finds themselves clearly in the playoff picture at the very least.

The roster could be better by the deadline, but it's a downgrade right now like that other poster said.

And it's not like they don't still have a hole at starting goalie too. It's more like a $5M crater. Hopefully Skinner can fill that now.

 

[Soundwave]

Oliver Bjorkstrand was traded for a 3rd and a 5th. Regardless of who the GM is, your team is held within the constraints of the current market. Trade Yamamoto? Sure. But who is giving you value for him?

When I was suggesting that we trade Jesse Puljujarvi this summer, I was targeting Filip Zadina, a younger, cheaper version of him with less of a track record of production. I'm even more willing to make that trade now that Zadina's been struggling.

I don't disagree with the idea that we need upgrades on the lesser impactful parts of the roster, but teams aren't going to necessarily give us value for the underperforming players on our roster.

And fact of the matter is that Yamamoto scored 40 points last season. Puljujarvi scored 35. If you move them, you have to replace that. You rush trade any of those guys in a weak market and you're looking at another Strome for Spooner deal.

Instead of struggling players, here's a thought ... maybe try someone who can actually score a goal? Like what do our scouts even do?

How did they come to the conclusion that Yamamoto and Puljujarvi are better than like Domi and Kubalik and Strome?

We've known for a long time that Puljujarvi and Yamamoto are mentally fragile players with suspect NHL tools and prone to being inconsistent and dragging down even McDavid and Draisaitl.

They just don't have a great level of skill and if I'm being honest, Alex Chiasson and Drake Caggiula could score 40 points too if you stapled them to McDavid or Draisaitl.

The other difference between this situation and the Strome-Eberle-Spooner thing is there literally were multiple players available for about the same money just sitting there to be had.

You can't go anywhere with this much dead cap on the books every year, too many players getting paid several times more to give you Jhujar Khaira level production.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Nah, it's McDavid and Draisaitl's fault that the bottom 6 is completely inept. It's their fault this team has only 2 true top 4 d-men. It's their fault Campbell can't make a save.

It is there fault that they were owned by players like Moore, Danault, Arviddson last night.

People mention McDrai are still producing, scoring. Sure they are, at the expense of 200ft game. Neither, despite all their acumen and scoring are net outscorers. Not to any significant degree. That element has evaporated.

 

[tardigrade81]

Fall real hard to get Bedard

Edit: just kidding, please do not.

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

Lol I do too sort of

 

[Soundwave]

It is there fault that they were owned by players like Moore, Danault, Arviddson last night.

People mention McDrai are still producing, scoring. Sure they are, at the expense of 200ft game. Neither, despite all their acumen and scoring are net outscorers. Not to any significant degree. That element has evaporated.

Was Gretzky ever a 200 foot player? Was Lemieux? Ovechkin still isn't neither is Malkin neither is Patrick Kane.

Frankly no other two players have to expend so much energy just to keep their team in games, asking for flawless 200 foot play on top of asking them to score 1.5+ ppg is bordering on ridiculous.

Everyone knew the Kings would come out hard last night. Woodcroft IMO handicapped the team by going back to Puljujarvi on McDavid's line which was a gift to the Kings, exactly what they would want. It doesn't work, why force it again in a divisional game when we really need at least a point. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

If the Oilers want a full 200 foot game on top of everything else McDavid and Draisaitl do then they should as an organization commit to building a deep team around them so they can afford to not have to exhaust themselves on the offensive end just to eek out wins.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Was Gretzky ever a 200 foot player? Was Lemieux? Ovechkin still isn't neither is Malkin neither is Patrick Kane.

Frankly no other two players have to expend so much energy just to keep their team in games, asking for flawless 200 foot play on top of asking them to score 1.5+ ppg is bordering on ridiculous.

Everyone knew the Kings would come out hard last night. Woodcroft IMO handicapped the team by going back to Puljujarvi on McDavid's line. It doesn't work, why force it again in a divisional game when we really need at least a point. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

Players like Datsyuk were perennially on the right side of outscoring because they didn't short any corners. For all of McD's glory he's +2 this season and thats it. On ice for 2 more goals for than against. 12.5M could be a lot to pay for just swimming. The GA is WAY too high for all of McDrai and Hyman and half the pts is now just on PP.

 

[Spawn]

It is there fault that they were owned by players like Moore, Danault, Arviddson last night.

People mention McDrai are still producing, scoring. Sure they are, at the expense of 200ft game. Neither, despite all their acumen and scoring are net outscorers. Not to any significant degree. That element has evaporated.

Maybe get them away from bums like Puljujarvi who has been an absolute nightmare this season.

And believe it or not PP points do in fact count. Just as much as a 5v5 goal.

 

[PuckG]

Just your daily reminder that Spec is a turd.

More than enough blame to go around for Oilers' chronic, costly slow starts

It’s too early to worry. We had a similar stretch last season and we went on to progress further than we had since 06. If anything, we already know McDavid/Draisaitl should be good enough to drag us into a playoff spot.

 

[Soundwave]

Players like Datsyuk were perennially on the right side of outscoring because they didn't short any corners. For all of McD's glory he's +2 this season and thats it. On ice for 2 more goals for than against. 12.5M could be a lot to pay for just swimming.

Datysuk also had a borderline All-Star team around him that could win games even when he played like shit.

Matthews is having a mediocre season compared to last year and the Leafs still have a better record than the Oilers

The Oilers mean while can barely tread water with McDavid scoring at a 73 goal rate.

Maybe get them away from bums like Puljujarvi.

That was a nice gift to the LA Kings. Exactly what they would have wanted. "Hey lets take the one player we know LA can't stop and neuter his line with a play killing winger who has no confidence or hockey IQ".