Pre-Game Talk: Series Discussion: WC Qualifier - Edmonton Oilers (5) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (12)

[PositiveCashFlow]

Are they going to follow the Flames' lead and hold TC in the States?

I'd imagine even if Coach Tippett wanted to start TC tomorrow morning the off-shore guys would still need to quarantine for 14 days. Or, can the other players be part of their 'cohort'?

Either way, I hope to start seeing some 'unofficial' practices here at Rogers soon.

 

[yukoner88]

Jones seems to be almost criminally underrated by a decent number of posters here. He's not a flashy defenseman nor does have an attribute that will blow you away. But the guy seems to be really steady. There hasn't really been a role Jones was asked to fill, where he failed at it. When injuries on the blue line were piling up before the trade deadline and Jones had to eat some top 4 minutes, he kept things stable and simple.

Jones may not be our best defenseman but I'd argue he's been the most useful and most durable/steady blue liner we've had for the better part of the season.

And as a bonus Jones is on a very team friendly contract.

 

[bone]

I must say looking at this debate is fun. For the first time in forever, we reasonably have 14 forwards that you can make an argument should be in the lineup for what they bring instead of sucking less. We also have 8 defensemen that deserve to get into the lineup (I know some believe otherwise about Russell, but he is still an NHL level defenseman as long as his minutes are managed).

Each game (barring injury) there will 4 players that some would argue should be in the lineup, and it'd be less about the guys in the lineup sucking and moreso specific things they'd bring that may help the team.

 

[Aerchon]

Jones seems to be almost criminally underrated by a decent number of posters here. He's not a flashy defenseman nor does have an attribute that will blow you away. But the guy seems to be really steady. There hasn't really been a role Jones was asked to fill, where he failed at it. When injuries on the blue line were piling up before the trade deadline and Jones had to eat some top 4 minutes, he kept things stable and simple.

Jones may not be our best defenseman but I'd argue he's been the most useful and most durable/steady blue liner we've had for the better part of the season.

And as a bonus Jones is on a very team friendly contract.

That contract is more Jones friendly than team friendly. He has yet to define himself as anything but a #7 on an average team.

The contract is a reward for being a warm body that filled in not too badly... at times. So many thought Jones would likely be a top 4 defender and after the last year plus I think thats less likely. He is still relatively young and development is not linear... so still possible but he has a long ways to go.

A massive huge difference between Bear and Jones. Bear exceeded all expectations Jones has not.

Not to mention Jones is a LD. I know he plays right as well but at the nhl level he is nowhere near good enough to play his offside regularly. With Samorukov and Broberg only a step or two behind Jones has a very small window to prove himself more than a depth defender.

 

[duul]

That contract is more Jones friendly than team friendly. He has yet to define himself as anything but a #7 on an average team.

The contract is a reward for being a warm body that filled in not too badly... at times. So many thought Jones would likely be a top 4 defender and after the last year plus I think thats less likely. He is still relatively young and development is not linear... so still possible but he has a long ways to go.

A massive huge difference between Bear and Jones. Bear exceeded all expectations Jones has not.

Not to mention Jones is a LD. I know he plays right as well but at the nhl level he is nowhere near good enough to play his offside regularly. With Samorukov and Broberg only a step or two behind Jones has a very small window to prove himself more than a depth defender.

Well, I'm excited that we now have a date for training camp. Only one month to go before we can see these guys back on the ice again.

I think Jones is being severely underrated here by you and others, so it'll be cool to see how Tippett deploys him.

 

[ChaoticOrange]

That contract is more Jones friendly than team friendly. He has yet to define himself as anything but a #7 on an average team.

The contract is a reward for being a warm body that filled in not too badly... at times. So many thought Jones would likely be a top 4 defender and after the last year plus I think thats less likely. He is still relatively young and development is not linear... so still possible but he has a long ways to go.

A massive huge difference between Bear and Jones. Bear exceeded all expectations Jones has not.

Not to mention Jones is a LD. I know he plays right as well but at the nhl level he is nowhere near good enough to play his offside regularly. With Samorukov and Broberg only a step or two behind Jones has a very small window to prove himself more than a depth defender.

Broberg and Samorukov are significantly more than a step or two behind. Samorukov needs at least one more full season at the AHL level to even merit consideration for spotwork and Broberg has a full year overseas coming along with presumable AHL time.

Jones will be an everyday defenceman next year once Russell is offloaded, and the team will be better for it rather than trying to shoehorn Russell into the lineup for no other reason than muh veterans.

 

[yukoner88]

That contract is more Jones friendly than team friendly. He has yet to define himself as anything but a #7 on an average team.

The contract is a reward for being a warm body that filled in not too badly... at times. So many thought Jones would likely be a top 4 defender and after the last year plus I think thats less likely. He is still relatively young and development is not linear... so still possible but he has a long ways to go.

A massive huge difference between Bear and Jones. Bear exceeded all expectations Jones has not.

Not to mention Jones is a LD. I know he plays right as well but at the nhl level he is nowhere near good enough to play his offside regularly. With Samorukov and Broberg only a step or two behind Jones has a very small window to prove himself more than a depth defender.

This is what I meant, Jones' game is less noticeable which causes people to under rate him. Jones at this point is a very solid 5/6 defenseman whos proven himself to be a reliable number 4 when injuries hit and not cause you any headaches.

 

[Aerchon]

Broberg and Samorukov are significantly more than a step or two behind. Samorukov needs at least one more full season at the AHL level to even merit consideration for spotwork and Broberg has a full year overseas coming along with presumable AHL time.

Jones will be an everyday defenceman next year once Russell is offloaded, and the team will be better for it rather than trying to shoehorn Russell into the lineup for no other reason than muh veterans.

This is what I meant, Jones' game is less noticeable which causes people to under rate him. Jones at this point is a very solid 5/6 defenseman whos proven himself to be a reliable number 4 when injuries hit and not cause you any headaches.

Of the depth defenders I think Russell and Benning are significantly better than Jones. Jones being dirt cheap and Russell being overpaid make a perfect swap despite the drop in performance tho.

Laggesson and Bouchard both likely to at least meet Jones current level of play next year.

I agree Samorukov and Broberg are at least a year+ away but combine that with all the rest and that window is pretty darned small to prove he is a top 4 defender.

 

[bone]

Of the depth defenders I think Russell and Benning are significantly better than Jones. Jones being dirt cheap and Russell being overpaid make a perfect swap despite the drop in performance tho.

With the added benefit that there is a reasonable chance that development by Jones will yield a better overall player possibly as early as next year.

 

[Cloned]

You can hear a snippet of Marody's musical tribute to Colby Cave.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

Of the depth defenders I think Russell and Benning are significantly better than Jones. Jones being dirt cheap and Russell being overpaid make a perfect swap despite the drop in performance tho.

Laggesson and Bouchard both likely to at least meet Jones current level of play next year.

I agree Samorukov and Broberg are at least a year+ away but combine that with all the rest and that window is pretty darned small to prove he is a top 4 defender.

Laggesson is likely to be better than he is currently? You do know he's older than Jones?

What's to stop Jones from getting even better.

Laggesson is a number 7 at best. Guy makes Benning look like a good skater.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

That contract is more Jones friendly than team friendly. He has yet to define himself as anything but a #7 on an average team.

The contract is a reward for being a warm body that filled in not too badly... at times. So many thought Jones would likely be a top 4 defender and after the last year plus I think thats less likely. He is still relatively young and development is not linear... so still possible but he has a long ways to go.

A massive huge difference between Bear and Jones. Bear exceeded all expectations Jones has not.

Not to mention Jones is a LD. I know he plays right as well but at the nhl level he is nowhere near good enough to play his offside regularly. With Samorukov and Broberg only a step or two behind Jones has a very small window to prove himself more than a depth defender.

How is that not team friendly? He is paid less than #7 numbers to play on our third pair?

That is exactly what a team friendly deal is.

 

[Delicious Pancakes]

Laggesson is likely to be better than he is currently? You do know he's older than Jones?

What's to stop Jones from getting even better.

Laggesson is a number 7 at best. Guy makes Benning look like a good skater.

I think that's a little harsh, guy just got his first taste of the NHL this year. He could develop into more of a defensive #4 in time.

But yeah at this point Jones is better and more of a competent puck mover than any of Russell, Benning or Lagesson, and also Jones was starting to find a groove the last 10 games or so. I'm very curious to see what these young defenders look like at training camp. Wouldn't be surprised to see one of them has taken a jump from where they left off in March.

 

[Wewillrise]

With the added benefit that there is a reasonable chance that development by Jones will yield a better overall player possibly as early as next year.

Bear was a write off to most last off-season. No one knows what he will develop into yet

 

[MessierII]

Bear was a write off to most last off-season. No one knows what he will develop into yet

Bear was only a write off to people who weren’t paying attention. He had an injury early and a slow start. He was the best D man in Bakersfield by the end of the year including jones.

 

[MessierII]

I think that's a little harsh, guy just got his first taste of the NHL this year. He could develop into more of a defensive #4 in time.

He’s a 2014 draftee and not an nhl regular yet. No chance he becomes a top 4 D but he could be a bottom pair guy.

 

[Aerchon]

Laggesson is likely to be better than he is currently? You do know he's older than Jones?

What's to stop Jones from getting even better.

Laggesson is a number 7 at best. Guy makes Benning look like a good skater.

He’s a 2014 draftee and not an nhl regular yet. No chance he becomes a top 4 D but he could be a bottom pair guy.

Laggesson just got his first few nhl games and got consistently better each time he played. Both Jones and Laggesson are #7s with Jones slightly ahead.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

He’s a 2014 draftee and not an nhl regular yet. No chance he becomes a top 4 D but he could be a bottom pair guy.

The same kind of no chance that draisaitl would ever outscore McDavid?

 

[Tobias Kahun]

Laggesson just got his first few nhl games and got consistently better each time he played. Both Jones and Laggesson are #7s with Jones slightly ahead.

If Jones is a 7, Russell is probably a 9.

Jones has a 49.78% xGF.
Russell has a 46.08% xGF
Laggesson has a 41.27% xGF.


They are not both number 7's.

The only player worse than Laggesson last year was khaira.

 

[MessierII]

If Jones is a 7, Russell is probably a 9.

One of those players has a 49.78% xGF.
The other one has a 41.27% xGF.

They are not both number 7's.

The only player worse than Laggesson last year was khaira.

Where you getting those numbers? Russell was on for 20 GF 5 on 5 and 21 GA.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

Where you getting those numbers? Russell was on for 20 GF 5 on 5 and 21 GA.

I was typing too fast.

Those numbers are Jones and Laggesson, will edit the post to clarify.

 

[Delicious Pancakes]

He’s a 2014 draftee and not an nhl regular yet. No chance he becomes a top 4 D but he could be a bottom pair guy.

He went the NCAA route and has only been playing NA pro hockey for two years with the majority of his time in 2019-20 being spent with the Oilers in the press box because of a log jam at D. While it's probable he winds up as a bottom pair guy I wouldn't write him off as not having second pair upside given his progression year over year.

William Lagesson at eliteprospects.com

Not saying it's going to be in the next year or that it's a sure thing but it certainly wouldn't surprise me. Let's see where his skating is at in a year or two. If it doesn't improve then yeah he's going to struggle to make an impact and be more than a #6 or #7, but I think once he gets used to the pace at the NHL level his game will start to translate and you'll see a very steady reliable player.

 

[MessierII]

I was typing too fast.

Those numbers are Jones and Laggesson, will edit the post to clarify.

I gotcha I thought you were talking about russell

 

[tardigrade81]

My question is, how quick do we make adjustments. 5 game series. This is like baseball territory. If we struggle bad in game do we make adjustments in game 2. Especially with goaltending. Generally in a 7 game series, you can give it a couple games. 5 game series.... you almost have to make adjustments after the first game.

 

[Samus44]

That contract is more Jones friendly than team friendly. He has yet to define himself as anything but a #7 on an average team.

The contract is a reward for being a warm body that filled in not too badly... at times. So many thought Jones would likely be a top 4 defender and after the last year plus I think thats less likely. He is still relatively young and development is not linear... so still possible but he has a long ways to go.

A massive huge difference between Bear and Jones. Bear exceeded all expectations Jones has not.

Not to mention Jones is a LD. I know he plays right as well but at the nhl level he is nowhere near good enough to play his offside regularly. With Samorukov and Broberg only a step or two behind Jones has a very small window to prove himself more than a depth defender.

Jones is going to have a quality career and to me is very likely to be a strong 2nd pairing guy for years. He does everything well and is a terrific skater, i have no idea what games you're watching.