Rumor: Rumors and Proposals Thread | Defense Set, or Another Addition In the Works?

[McDNicks17]

Honka is an interesting guy. Not great defensively and hasn't really figured out the offensive zone at the NHL level, but he's so good in transition.

There's lots of value in those guys that just stop rushes and get pucks going the other way in the modern NHL, but you need to find the right coach/organization.

I wouldn't mind him as the #6/7D.

 

[Panda Bear]

I don't see how Honka fits. He plays on the right, and we have three natural right side defencemen on our roster and another two that can play their offside in Jones and Russell. In the minors and ready to step in at a moment's notice would be Bouchard.

 

[oobga]

My god, Jan 1 with soaring case numbers? I'm staying hopeful for sure.

We'll find out after the season that all the players got the vaccine before any regular civilians

 

[Oilhawks]

We'll find out after the season that all the players got the vaccine before any regular civilians

Only in Calgary though

 

[Delicious Pancakes]

This is beside the point, but Jones used to get a lot of looks on the top line back then. He was a pretty solid finisher, not unlike Maroon. It only magnifies the fact that production from our bottom six has been an area of need for many years.

Pisani and Moreau are the last two productive true checking line wingers the Oilers have owned.

....uhhh.....
..................
...mmmm.......
..................
....Oh, I think I've figured it out. You got the Delorean and you've been travelling back in time so much that you may have picked up some unfortunate verbage as it pertains to the working class. We may have to deprogram you.

Okay say it with me, "Employee"...."Workers Rights"...."Slavery Bad"...."Freedom of Choice".....
..................
...........wait......"Pisani score tying goal in Game 7, then OT winner"....Can you make that happen?

....Never mind, science says it wouldn't work, Carolina would win anyways.
Time travel is theoretically possible, new calculations show. But that doesn't mean you could change the past.

 

[NotAVacuumSalesman]

....uhhh.....
..................
...mmmm.......
..................
....Oh, I think I've figured it out. You got the Delorean and you've been travelling back in time so much that you may have picked up some unfortunate verbage as it pertains to the working class. We may have to deprogram you.

Okay say it with me, "Employee"...."Workers Rights"...."Slavery Bad"...."Freedom of Choice".....
..................
...........wait......"Pisani score tying goal in Game 7, then OT winner"....Can you make that happen?

....Never mind, science says it wouldn't work, Carolina would win anyways.
Time travel is theoretically possible, new calculations show. But that doesn't mean you could change the past.

What if we go further back... like before 2006?

 

[belair]

....uhhh.....
..................
...mmmm.......
..................
....Oh, I think I've figured it out. You got the Delorean and you've been travelling back in time so much that you may have picked up some unfortunate verbage as it pertains to the working class. We may have to deprogram you.

Okay say it with me, "Employee"...."Workers Rights"...."Slavery Bad"...."Freedom of Choice".....
..................
...........wait......"Pisani score tying goal in Game 7, then OT winner"....Can you make that happen?

....Never mind, science says it wouldn't work, Carolina would win anyways.
Time travel is theoretically possible, new calculations show. But that doesn't mean you could change the past.

...what?

 

[BoldNewLettuce]

I wonder if it was Weeger for Russell?

 

[Mcnofool6110]

An All Canadian division will be super interesting. No Vegas style super team - every top team has glaring holes. We better off there or in the Pacific?

 

[Anarchism]

Wonder what Holland's plan is on D? Is he going to stick with what we have and look at training camp for progression of our prospects? Or has he already made a deal with a vet Left D to sign after season starts?

Sounds as if there was three swings and a strike out on Goaltenders. Mike Smith signed as insurance or from loyalty?
Will Holland revisit this 20 games in if it becomes clear that Mike Smith is no longer enough to push KostKo? Is there a plan already in place? Gotta think Holland was serious about upgrading the Tender and looking at his history he is not likely to let that go!

 

[Roof Daddy]

Here we come January 1st?

16 outdoor games to start the season.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

16 outdoor games to start the season.

16?

 

[nabob]

16?

Think Jan 1st has been the outdoor game for a while now. Would be cool to have every team play outdoors on opening day lol. Logistically impossible though.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

Think Jan 1st has been the outdoor game for a while now. Would be cool to have every team play outdoors on opening day lol. Logistically impossible though.

I know there’s outdoor games that day, but there’s only enough teams for 15.

 

[McShogun99]

An All Canadian division will be super interesting. No Vegas style super team - every top team has glaring holes. We better off there or in the Pacific?

I think we’re better off in the Pacific Division with the rebuilding California teams. An all Canadian division only has 1 weak team in Ottawa.

 

[Spawn]

I think we’re better off in the Pacific Division with the rebuilding California teams. An all Canadian division only has 1 weak team in Ottawa.

Hot take, but Montreal still sucks and Vancouver replaced their team MVP with a goalie who was as bad as Smith last season.

I’m not worried about a Canadian division. If the Oilers can’t be at or near the top they aren’t very good.

 

[FlameChampion]

An All Canadian division will be super interesting. No Vegas style super team - every top team has glaring holes. We better off there or in the Pacific?

Pacific I think would be weaker. The california teams are pretty weak at the moment. I think on average the Canadian teams improved better than most American teams.

Edmonton - Forwards are dramatically better. Defense ... hard to say, Barrie added and Klefbom out. Depends on what happens with the young guys. Our right side should be pretty solid though. Dont love Smith coming back, but I think Koskinen is fine.

Calgary - Team should be better in the short term but long term, I doubt it. I think Tanev in and Brodie out is a downgrade. Markstrom is an upgrade though. Their center depth just doesnt cut it though in my opinion. Should be a decent regular season team though.

Winnipeg - I think more or less same as last year. Pretty good forwards. Defense pretty lacking. See if some of their young dman can step in. I cant see Hellebuyck replicating his season last year though. Decent team but kinda middle of the pack.

Vancouver - Not sure if really better. Markstrom is better than Holtby. Schmidt is better than Tanev. Lost Toffoli. They have a lot of scoring depth though, they should still be a solid team but their goaltending is a bit of a question mark but I think will get it done. Their team is built on the young players though, I think they will be fine with Petterson/Hughes.

Toronto - I think they are more or less the same as last year. Forwards a bit weaker (but they have a lot of depth anyway), Defense not sure and they still have the same goaltending. They do have a lot more talent than most canadian teams but overall I dont really like what they did with their forwards much this year.

Montreal - I think they will surprise people a bit. I think they are quite a bit better than last year. Should be better next year but I think those contracts will come back to hurt them in the future. The one thing I always respect about Montreal, is that I think do play like a team. Sum of their parts are generally better than the individual parts. Think depends a lot on Kotkaniemi and Suzuki.

Ottawa - I think they are also quite a bit better than last year. I still expect them to be one of the lower teams in the NHL though.

I see them as:
Tier 1 Edmonton/Toronto
Tier 2 Vancouver/Calgary
Tier 3 Montreal/Winnipeg
Tier 4 Ottawa

I dont see much separation between the tiers other than Tier 4 - Ottawa.

 

[ChaoticOrange]

Hot take, but Montreal still sucks and Vancouver replaced their team MVP with a goalie who was as bad as Smith last season.

I’m not worried about a Canadian division. If the Oilers can’t be at or near the top they aren’t very good.

I really think the only team that can challenge us on paper is Toronto.

 

[nabob]

I know there’s outdoor games that day, but there’s only enough teams for 15.

Oh yeah lol. Maybe a battle of Alberta day/night double header with a game in each city!?

 

[Spawn]

I really think the only team that can challenge us on paper is Toronto.

Maybe Calgary too. But those are my top 3.

 

[ChaoticOrange]

Maybe Calgary too. But those are my top 3.

I think they're going to miss Brodie *a lot*. Between replacing him with Tanev and Gio finally showing signs of age, I really don't think much of their D.

 

[McJadeddog]

Yeah, the Pacific division would obviously be a lot weaker than the all-CAN division, but what can you do.

I see Toronto as being the best, but not by lots. Then I think Edmonton/Calgary are pretty much the same, and Vancouver could be right there with those 2. Winnipeg is almost in that second grouping as well I think. Then Montreal, then Ottawa. If they take the top-4 for playoffs, as I'm assuming they will, then I think we have a pretty good chance of making it. If it is the top-3 and then 2 wildcard, like it is normally, then I'm slightly less optimistic.

Goes without saying, but much of our fortune will depend on getting league average tending, and I'm not sure that we will.

 

[Soundwave]

Yeah, the Pacific division would obviously be a lot weaker than the all-CAN division, but what can you do.

I see Toronto as being the best, but not by lots. Then I think Edmonton/Calgary are pretty much the same, and Vancouver could be right there with those 2. Winnipeg is almost in that second grouping as well I think. Then Montreal, then Ottawa. If they take the top-4 for playoffs, as I'm assuming they will, then I think we have a pretty good chance of making it. If it is the top-3 and then 2 wildcard, like it is normally, then I'm slightly less optimistic.

Goes without saying, but much of our fortune will depend on getting league average tending, and I'm not sure that we will.

If the goaltending declines from last year, I think you put the brakes on that very quickly and make a move for Kuemper or Raanta in-season asap.

Once Klefbom is on LTIR on day 1 of the season, we gain some flexibility.

That said I think Koskinen deserves a shot, .917 is not a bad save percentage behind a young team at all.

 

[LMFAO]

Anybody wonders why nobody signed Caggiula for 1 year/700k yet ?

 

[AddyTheWrath]

Gazzola saying on a podcast that some Canadian owners & teams don’t want to play the upcoming season. Name dropped Edmonton and Vancouver as two teams that there have been whispers about.