Proposal: Rumors and Proposals Thread: Painted Yourself into a Corner Edition

[Gordian Knot]

Just keep drafting better than league average and you get better. If we trade something to something we are losing assets. Seen too many times it. Lucic and the captain gave 100 % in first game. If they continue to do so, rest are forced to follow or they need to be cut off.

 

[Jumptheshark]

What torture. The team lays an egg in their first game after a dumpsterfire season and now we have to deal with thinking about it for almost a week until their 2nd one while Leafs fans will be watching their 4th game on Tuesday.

The cologne game was a warning sign I ignored. Thought they took it easy. Turns out they didn't.

 

[CupofOil]

Depth destroying trade to fill which dire organizational need? The Oilers aren't a Stanley Cup contender--even with an added top four defenseman. There isn't any rush to pull the team into that position either.

Jobs are on the line. There is a rush for them to get this righted so don't expect Chia to stand pat and let it play out if they go in the tank in the next 10 games or so.

 

[Ritchie Valens]

The cologne game was a warning sign I ignored. Thought they took it easy. Turns out they didn't.

I have to agree. Many posters had the opinion of they weren't trying, but it sure looked like they were to me.

 

[Ritchie Valens]

Why not just put Benning in the A and let Bear play in his spot. He certainly can't be any worse and is more competent.

Benning really is Schultz all over again. They didn't learn from that fiasco one bit, NCAA defenseman rushed into the NHL when he's not ready or has seriously regressed. Now they're trying to smash a triangle shaped peg into a circle shaped hole.

Idiots.

 

[nexttothemoon]

Wait and watch the bounceback/intensity in this Bruins game... if they lay an egg with low effort levels and can't play a full 60 minute game... then there's obviously real reason for concern as they should obviously be a determined team that is intense and is ready to come out in "house on fire" mode after that disappointing opener.

I give credit to the Devils as well. They worked harder and obviously wanted that game more than the Oilers(probably also helped that they had more days in Sweden to settle and practice after their Swiss game)... now it's time for the Oilers to do the same to the Bruins and come out and outcompete/outwork them.

Jersey is home to the Caps after travelling back and the Oilers play the Bruins on the road so basically equally tough matchups after travelling back from overseas. Will be interesting to see which team does better after the overseas excursion.

 

[Fixed to Ruin]

They will lose to the Bruins.

And maybe the Rangers too.

 

[Louis Cypher]

We come out flat against the Bruins

Many go into panic mode

I just hope management doesn't. Easy to avoid this place and its negative vibe for a while.

 

[Mcnotloilersfan]

I just hope management doesn't. Easy to avoid this place and its negative vibe for a while.

The only panic move that I would approve of is a coaching change. Find someone who will unleash players like Puljujarvi to help build his confidence. Roster wise, we need to maintain patience. It likely means Bouchard being sent down, and Yama maybe getting some AHL time.

I think we have everything in our system to be a contender. We just have to be patient for it and make sure we have the coaching staff to develop it properly!

 

[McJadeddog]

And maybe the Rangers too.

We're going to lose to MOST teams this year. The sooner people get used to this idea and just give up the better. This is another bottom-10 team without any question. ZERO improvements in the off-season, and we finished 23rd overall last year. We have a top-4 dman injured for the year. Why, exactly, would we be any better this year? There is just as good of a chance that we are a worse team, rather than better.

 

[Ritchie Valens]

The only panic move that I would approve of is a coaching change. Find someone who will unleash players like Puljujarvi to help build his confidence. Roster wise, we need to maintain patience. It likely means Bouchard being sent down, and Yama maybe getting some AHL time.

I think we have everything in our system to be a contender. We just have to be patient for it and make sure we have the coaching staff to develop it properly!

This sounds like Todd Nelson...hopefully he'd be a candidate and would consider popping his name in the hat (again) .

 

[Faelko]

We're going to lose to MOST teams this year. The sooner people get used to this idea and just give up the better. This is another bottom-10 team without any question. ZERO improvements in the off-season, and we finished 23rd overall last year. We have a top-4 dman injured for the year. Why, exactly, would we be any better this year? There is just as good of a chance that we are a worse team, rather than better.

I wouldn't say "zero" improvements. Brodziak and Rieder are 2 bottom six Pk'ers that this team needed, but other than that, yeah, not much.

 

[Soundwave]

We're going to lose to MOST teams this year. The sooner people get used to this idea and just give up the better. This is another bottom-10 team without any question. ZERO improvements in the off-season, and we finished 23rd overall last year. We have a top-4 dman injured for the year. Why, exactly, would we be any better this year? There is just as good of a chance that we are a worse team, rather than better.

You're probably right, I mean this team sucked last year. Bad. The idea that by doing nothing but changing the assistant coaches was magically going to fix everything was naive to begin with.

The Sekera injury is too much for this blue line to recover from, the blue line is able to keep their head above water when everything is perfect and Talbot is 110%. But any time anything in that equation changes negatively they start to drown and quick. Losing Sekera forces Nurse and Benning into positions they simply cannot handle.

 

[McJadeddog]

I wouldn't say "zero" improvements. Brodziak and Rieder are 2 bottom six Pk'ers that this team needed, but other than that, yeah, not much.

That is actually a good point. I would argue that, theoretically at least, the bottom 6 should be a bit better, and the PK should be a bit better as a result as well.

 

[McJadeddog]

You're probably right, I mean this team sucked last year. Bad. The idea that by doing nothing but changing the assistant coaches was magically going to fix everything was naive to begin with.

The Sekera injury is too much for this blue line to recover from, the blue line is able to keep their head above water when everything is perfect and Talbot is 110%. But any time anything in that equation changes negatively they start to drown and quick. Losing Sekera forces Nurse and Benning into positions they simply cannot handle.

Exactly. Losing Sekera, and then not replacing him with *anything*, tanked the season before it began. More great GMing my our idiot-in-chief, Chia.

 

[nabob]

Exactly. Losing Sekera, and then not replacing him with *anything*, tanked the season before it began. More great GMing my our idiot-in-chief, Chia.

I’d like to hear what solution was available. Make sure to take into account when Sekera’s injury happened and how LTIR actually works for a player who will return during the season.

The obvious answer is to have better depth and have an extra established top 4 Dman on hand at all times in case one gets injured. But that’s not really a reality in today’s NHL. Plenty of teams bump guys up the depth chart when needed.

 

[belair]

Exactly. Losing Sekera, and then not replacing him with *anything*, tanked the season before it began. More great GMing my our idiot-in-chief, Chia.

Sekera was a bottom pairing defenseman on a healthy Oilers roster this year. I'm not sure what people were expecting in terms of replacements, but whatever it is, it's probably not realistic.

 

[Frank the Tank]

Sekera was a bottom pairing defenseman on a healthy Oilers roster this year. I'm not sure what people were expecting in terms of replacements, but whatever it is, it's probably not realistic.

Not many players make an immediate return to their previous form after ACL reconstruction. I think penciling Sekera into a top-4 role was a reasonable expectation (prior to his Achilles injury) if he would have had a whole summer to train normally.

 

[OilerTyler]

The problem isn't that we didn't acquire another top 4 defenceman after Sekera went down, it's that we didn't acquire another one BEFORE he went down.

We knew we needed one all off-season, even with Sekera healthy. Sekera's injury just compounded the problem.

 

[belair]

Not many players make an immediate return to their previous form after ACL reconstruction. I think penciling Sekera into a top-4 role was a reasonable expectation (prior to his Achilles injury) if he would have had a whole summer to train normally.

Who was he playing over? Klefbom or Nurse? Every preseason write-up had Sekera in that 3LD spot, paired with Russell. The only major thing the Sekera injury effected was the available point options on our PP units, which were already severely limited.

 

[McJadeddog]

The problem isn't that we didn't acquire another top 4 defenceman after Sekera went down, it's that we didn't acquire another one BEFORE he went down.

We knew we needed one all off-season, even with Sekera healthy. Sekera's injury just compounded the problem.

ding ding ding

Defense was a major issue before the injury, now the positional group is a complete and utter travesty. Easily bottom-3/5 in the league.

 

[McDaddy]

Read on Twitter RNH might have the flu. Looking forward to seeing Caggiula in that 1RW spot. Deserves it!

 

[soothsayer]

The problem isn't that we didn't acquire another top 4 defenceman after Sekera went down, it's that we didn't acquire another one BEFORE he went down.

We knew we needed one all off-season, even with Sekera healthy. Sekera's injury just compounded the problem.

This is exactly the case, and it's the stronger argument, the one people need to address when arguing against the criticism of Pistol Pete's dealing with the Sekera situation.

 

[belair]

This is exactly the case, and it's the stronger argument, the one people need to address when arguing against the criticism of Pistol Pete's dealing with the Sekera situation.

Not really. Acquiring a top four defenseman was never on the to do list after the Oilers landed Evan Bouchard at the draft. Unless that player was added at a ridiculously low cost, the addition of such a player was entirely unrealistic considering our current cap situation. Trading any considerable value for a 'stopgap' was always going to be a very poor use of the team's limited assets assuming one of Evan Bouchard or Ethan Bear are prepared to step in within the next two seasons.

What was adding a top four defenseman--which I'm assuming is in the Justin Faulk variety of player--going to do for the Edmonton Oilers ultimately for the next two seasons? IMO the overall product just doesn't improve that drastically.

 

[Mcnotloilersfan]

Not really. Acquiring a top four defenseman was never on the to do list after the Oilers landed Evan Bouchard at the draft. Unless that player was added at a ridiculously low cost, the addition of such a player was entirely unrealistic considering our current cap situation. Trading any considerable value for a 'stopgap' was always going to be a very poor use of the team's limited assets assuming one of Evan Bouchard or Ethan Bear are prepared to step in within the next two seasons.

What was adding a top four defenseman--which I'm assuming is in the Justin Faulk variety of player--going to do for the Edmonton Oilers ultimately for the next two seasons? IMO the overall product just doesn't improve that drastically.

Ultimately this is it, its all about drafting and patience and avoiding trades to fill needs as much as possible.

If we are patient, Klefbom, Nurse, Larsson, Bouchard, Bear, Berglund, Laggesson, Jones is a great young d core that we can keep adding too.

If we are patient, McDavid, Draisaitl, Puljujarvi, Yamamoto, Mcleod, Benson, Maksimov is a great group 22 and under (we keep forgetting that part) that we can keep adding too.