Speculation: So Now What Do We Do?

[Frank Drebin]

Pray that whoever is the starting goaltender for Game 1 of the playoffs is going to be good for the next 2 months because Woodcroft is not willing to switch goalies once the playoffs start.

 

[Broberg Speed]

Similar to Kulak who’s a very good #5 and above Desharnais who’s a #6/7. They’re definitely not way better than Kulak. We lost because our rookie goalie went cold, and our coach refused to start our goalie who was rocking a .961 SV%. Not because one #5 dman may or may not be slightly better than a different #5 dman.



And yet our PP effectiveness drops dramatically without Nuge. He wasn’t the issue. We can’t expect to win every game 6-5. Skinner single handedly lost us the series (well, and Woody who refused to play Campbell)

Well we should have won... if only that darn goaltender hadn't gone cold!
Just like we should have won against Chicago, Winnipeg & Colorado.
Now we can add Vegas to the list.
f*** man, we just can't catch a break.

 

[Duke74]

Well we should have won... if only that darn goaltender hadn't gone cold!
Just like we should have won against Chicago, Winnipeg & Colorado.
Now we can add Vegas to the list.
f*** man, we just can't catch a break.

Chicago and Winnipeg I agree with. No one was stopping Colorado last year, but I think we still should won a couple of games in that series with better puck luck. Vegas was a tossup but still a very winnable series if our coach wasn't the definition of insanity and Draisaitl didn't turn back into a pumpkin.

 

[CROTT]

Doubt Kostin moves on and as an RFA his options are limited . He was effusive in his praise for this team, opportunity to play with his Dad's favourite player McDavid, and the second chance. He was banged up shot blocking and minutes cut with dumb penalties the team too. His own zone play was a little bit spotty at times which hurts fringe players in tight playoff games.

Comparing /60 stats to Draisaitl is a fool's errand. No way Kostin sustains that rate of production with the minutes that Draisaitl gets and delivers at. I love Kostin's game and personality, step one to prove he is an every day NHL player is achieved. Now he can work on the totality of his game and consistency to see where he can go on a deep team in Edmonton.

Exactly, Kostin is a good player and will continue to be. But looking at his production it was streaky, mostly coming in late December to mid January. Against weaker teams and in blow out wins, more minutes usually means a higher quality of opposition which could see his production take a hit.

Its similar to a lot of posters over expecting/estimating Holloway's offensive out put being instant/Calder candidate levels. A lot of posts on sell off Broberg to win now, demote Desharnais, But yet throwing Holloway to the wolves. When he was a turn over machine early last year, and give yet another un proven at high minutes player more TOI is perfectly fine. Everyone has their favorites and players they hate on for very little reason I guess.

 

[Oilhawks]

Chicago and Winnipeg I agree with. No one was stopping Colorado last year, but I think we still should won a couple of games in that series with better puck luck. Vegas was a tossup but still a very winnable series if our coach wasn't the definition of insanity and Draisaitl didn't turn back into a pumpkin.

I may be reading this wrong, but does that mean you think his historical playoff dominance was a Cinderella situation?

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

Exactly, Kostin is a good player and will continue to be. But looking at his production it was streaky, mostly coming in late December to mid January. Against weaker teams and in blow out wins, more minutes usually means a higher quality of opposition which could see his production take a hit.

Its similar to a lot of posters over expecting/estimating Holloway's offensive out put being instant/Calder candidate levels. A lot of posts on sell off Broberg to win now, demote Desharnais, But yet throwing Holloway to the wolves. When he was a turn over machine early last year, and give yet another un proven at high minutes player more TOI is perfectly fine. Everyone has their favorites and players they hate on for very little reason I guess.

There's a player there for sure. It's actually a good thing the Oil are reaching a stage where they can onboard young players in a more realistic manner with quality veteran support around them. Build their confidence versus throw into sink or swim situations per this organization's decade of failure. Veteran guys like Ryan, Bjugstad and Janmark have been great to stabilize this team's quality of bottom six while helping to onboard the vital young, cheap talent critical to cap threshold teams. Adding a high quality veteran d Ekholm completely transformed this team's d-corp beginning with stabilizing an inconsistent Bouchard and supporting his eye popping transformation with calming mentorship and wisdom.

It's often tough for cup window phase organizations to effectively onboard young, inexperienced players. Edmonton is a better position now with the quality veterans as backbone players on hand.

 

[walktheboulavard]

Team needs one more legit top 4 D. Preferably RHD to pair with Nurse. I think we can shore up on forwards internally with Holloway and Boargault (who suprising had the better goal share 5 on 5 of the two in Bakersfield)

A full season of Ekholm/Bouch. Nurse/top 4 RHD, Kane and Hyman healthy + internal growth should put the team in contention for Stanley next year.

 

[Kanedogg]

Similar to Kulak who’s a very good #5 and above Desharnais who’s a #6/7. They’re definitely not way better than Kulak. We lost because our rookie goalie went cold, and our coach refused to start our goalie who was rocking a .961 SV%. Not because one #5 dman may or may not be slightly better than a different #5 dman.



And yet our PP effectiveness drops dramatically without Nuge. He wasn’t the issue. We can’t expect to win every game 6-5. Skinner single handedly lost us the series (well, and Woody who refused to play Campbell)

This is a comical myth that the pp drops without nuge. It's akin to Barrie would tank the pp. The guy is blessed to be on the greatest pp in history and is the 5th most important guy out there on the first unit pp.

On top of this he's done absolutely nothing ev during the entire playoffs. This while being fully healthy. Guy cannot up his intensity.

Agree skinner primarily to blame for the series but getting fed up at the protection nuge is getting. His failure contributed heavily as well.

 

[The Nuge]

This is a comical myth that the pp drops without nuge. It's akin to Barrie would tank the pp. The guy is blessed to be on the greatest pp in history and is the 5th most important guy out there on the first unit pp.

On top of this he's done absolutely nothing ev during the entire playoffs. This while being fully healthy. Guy cannot up his intensity.

Agree skinner primarily to blame for the series but getting fed up at the protection nuge is getting. His failure contributed heavily as well.

It’s not a myth. It’s a proven statistical fact

 

[Kanedogg]

It’s not a myth. It’s a proven statistical fact

It's 100% myth. Only time nuge didn't play was when the team quit on tippett and were hemorrhaging losses. Their pp went in the tank consistent with all other problems.

Nuge is the 5th most "important" player on the greatest pp of all time.

You're also quite mum on his 2 ev points. So if we don't get pp in playoffs that's our expectation? For him to skate around the boards and do nothing?

 

[Louis Cypher]

We need to start seeing what some of the kids can do.

-Yammo can go.
-Sign Bukstadt
-Upgrade Ceci if you can or if not at least replace Vinny.
-Try to get Broberg more minutes. If that means trading Kulak then maybe.
-Goaltending should get better. Team needs to play better infront.

This is a comical myth that the pp drops without nuge. It's akin to Barrie would tank the pp. The guy is blessed to be on the greatest pp in history and is the 5th most important guy out there on the first unit pp.

On top of this he's done absolutely nothing ev during the entire playoffs. This while being fully healthy. Guy cannot up his intensity.

Agree skinner primarily to blame for the series but getting fed up at the protection nuge is getting. His failure contributed heavily as well.

Nuge is Huge for our Powerplay

 

[BudBundy]

It's 100% myth. Only time nuge didn't play was when the team quit on tippett and were hemorrhaging losses. Their pp went in the tank consistent with all other problems.

Nuge is the 5th most "important" player on the greatest pp of all time.

You're also quite mum on his 2 ev points. So if we don't get pp in playoffs that's our expectation? For him to skate around the boards and do nothing?

Nuge was invisible 5 v 5 in the playoffs and deserves all the scorn heaped upon him for it. I wanted him busted down to 3rd or 4th line with how timid he was and it was so awful that I assumed he was injured. No news of that has me worried.

That said, Nuge statistically actually does appear to be very important to the PP. he has always been a “Power Play witch.” His plays are often subtle, but he’s extremely effective.

So back to his playoff performance overall, he sucked the hind banana worse than I thought possible and that needs to never happen again if this team is going to accomplish anything after game 82.

 

[Kanedogg]

Nuge was invisible 5 v 5 in the playoffs and deserves all the scorn heaped upon him for it. I wanted him busted down to 3rd or 4th line with how timid he was and it was so awful that I assumed he was injured. No news of that has me worried.

That said, Nuge statistically actually does appear to be very important to the PP. he has always been a “Power Play witch.” His plays are often subtle, but he’s extremely effective.

So back to his playoff performance overall, he sucked the hind banana worse than I thought possible and that needs to never happen again if this team is going to accomplish anything after game 82.

This is part of the problem. The miles of benefit of the doubt nuge gets. He's been an okay player his entire career and had one outstanding season buttressed by the greatest pp in history.

I expect a massive regression to his mean as other teams will plan for Oilers pp this year. In fact it would be a blessing in disguise if the pp is average in the year so we can see what we have 5v5 for the playoffs.

It's so bad that when nuge is nuge and is a perimeter player fans assume "he must be hurt". No, he is who he's always been when the going gets tough.

 

[Duke74]

I may be reading this wrong, but does that mean you think his historical playoff dominance was a Cinderella situation?

My point was that he played amazing for the first 8 games (LA series and first two Vegas games) and then regressed significantly for the last four games. Obviously his goal-scoring pace was unsustainable, but everything just fell apart, including his own-zone play.

Games 1-8 - 13 G, 17 P, +6
Games 9-12 - 0G, 1P, -7

That's just a crazy split.

 

[BudBundy]

This is part of the problem. The miles of benefit of the doubt nuge gets. He's been an okay player his entire career and had one outstanding season buttressed by the greatest pp in history.

I expect a massive regression to his mean as other teams will plan for Oilers pp this year. In fact it would be a blessing in disguise if the pp is average in the year so we can see what we have 5v5 for the playoffs.

It's so bad that when nuge is nuge and is a perimeter player fans assume "he must be hurt". No, he is who he's always been when the going gets tough.

Who is giving him miles of benefit of the doubt?? Everyone is pissed off at him!

 

[nabob]

This is part of the problem. The miles of benefit of the doubt nuge gets. He's been an okay player his entire career and had one outstanding season buttressed by the greatest pp in history.

I expect a massive regression to his mean as other teams will plan for Oilers pp this year. In fact it would be a blessing in disguise if the pp is average in the year so we can see what we have 5v5 for the playoffs.

It's so bad that when nuge is nuge and is a perimeter player fans assume "he must be hurt". No, he is who he's always been when the going gets tough.

It’s weird that he gets so much criticism for being a key part of the the best PP of all time. When Nuge was injured last year the PP struggled badly.

He definitely needed to be better 5v5 this playoffs and was disappointing, but people going the extra mile to stretch for things to slag him for is such classic HFOil lol

 

[Kanedogg]

Who is giving him miles of benefit of the doubt?? Everyone is pissed off at him!

Oh he's got his defenders making excuses. Chief one being pp goes to zero apparently if no nuge

It’s weird that he gets so much criticism for being a key part of the the best PP of all time. When Nuge was injured last year the PP struggled badly.

He definitely needed to be better 5v5 this playoffs and was disappointing, but people going the extra mile to stretch for things to slag him for is such classic HFOil lol

That time last year coincided with Koskinen not being able to stop a beach ball, tippett being dead man walking and the team having just basically quit.

As soon as woodcroft came in every aspect of play improved including the pp.

 

[nabob]

Oh he's got his defenders making excuses. Chief one being pp goes to zero apparently if no nuge


That time last year coincided with Koskinen not being able to stop a beach ball, tippett being dead man walking and the team having just basically quit.

As soon as woodcroft came in every aspect of play improved including the pp.

It’s regression and improvement were directly related to Nuge being in the lineup. I’m

Woodcroft doesn’t run the PP.

 

[nabob]

Oh he's got his defenders making excuses. Chief one being pp goes to zero apparently if no nuge


That time last year coincided with Koskinen not being able to stop a beach ball, tippett being dead man walking and the team having just basically quit.

As soon as woodcroft came in every aspect of play improved including the pp.

I’m just stating facts that are backed by all the PP stats last year while you attempt to give the credit to Woodcroft who has absolutely nothing to do with the PP

f*** sakes in my post I even, very clearly, said he was bad 5v5 in the playoffs.

Messed up that fans would actually hope the team does worse and players play worse next year just so you can have an “I told you so” ready to throw out. Fans who care more about that than the team winning are why this place has become such a dumpster the last couple years. Hoping the team does poorly, just so you can hope to be justified in your offseason full of trashing players.

 

[Kanedogg]

It’s regression and improvement were directly related to Nuge being in the lineup. I’m

Woodcroft doesn’t run the PP.

The coaching change was the catalyst that changed everything. The only issue at thst time was not solely nuge being injured. Koskinen was openly fighting with tippett in the media. The team had quit on both of them. They didn't decide "well quit 5v5 not on pp" they quit across the board. Everything improved the second woodcroft came aboard.

Also nuge needs to have something going for him besides being the 5th most important guy on the pp.

 

[Fixed to Ruin]

It's 100% myth. Only time nuge didn't play was when the team quit on tippett and were hemorrhaging losses. Their pp went in the tank consistent with all other problems.

Nuge is the 5th most "important" player on the greatest pp of all time.

You're also quite mum on his 2 ev points. So if we don't get pp in playoffs that's our expectation? For him to skate around the boards and do nothing?

90% of the team did very little at 5 on 5. Lots of guys beed to be better. Including Nugent-Hopkins.

Oilers fans said the same exact thing about Eberle a few years ago when he had a bad playoffs. He was one of Seattle's best and most productive player this year.

People need to relax.

 

[nabob]

The coaching change was the catalyst that changed everything. The only issue at thst time was not solely nuge being injured. Koskinen was openly fighting with tippett in the media. The team had quit on both of them. They didn't decide "well quit 5v5 not on pp" they quit across the board. Everything improved the second woodcroft came aboard.

Also nuge needs to have something going for him besides being the 5th most important guy on the pp.

Your unwillingness to even acknowledge that the only time the PP has been awful in the last three seasons was when Nuge was out really shows that you have zero ground to stand on here. Woody has nothing to do with the PP, it’s been stated many times, yet you continue to give him all the credit lol.

Hate on Nuge, it’s fine, you were dead quiet about him being excellent all season and just sit in the weeds waiting for a player to only have a few bad games. It’s sad that you’d rather the PP be bad and the team play poorly just so you can’t act as if you know more than others on the internet. Really sad.

90% of the team did very little at 5 on 5. Lots of guys beed to be better. Including Nugent-Hopkins.

Oilers fans said the same exact thing about Eberle a few years ago when he had a bad playoffs. He was one of Seattle's best and most productive player this year.

People need to relax.

He’s been waiting over a year to crap on RNH and is getting his full dollars worth lol. Some of the worst fans in sports here. He’d rather the team play poorly than play well just so he could have something to whine about on the internet lol. He’s even said it clearly here. That’s messed up.

 

[Kanedogg]

Your unwillingness to even acknowledge that the only time the PP has been awful in the last three seasons was when Nuge was out really shows that you have zero ground to stand on here. Woody has nothing to do with the PP, it’s been stated many times, yet you continue to give him all the credit lol.

Hate on Nuge, it’s fine, you were dead quiet about him being excellent all season and just sit in the weeds waiting for a player to only have a few bad games. It’s sad that you’d rather the PP be bad and the team play poorly just so you can’t act as if you know more than others on the internet. Really sad.



He’s been waiting over a year to crap on RNH and is getting his full dollars worth lol. Some of the worst fans in sports here. He’d rather the team play poorly than play well just so he could have something to whine about on the internet lol. He’s even said it clearly here. That’s messed up.

I'd rather nuge actually show up in the playoffs. He's the one guy who was 100% healthy and if he's not gifted pp time he's is what he is for 10 years a perimeter player.

We all know Hyman and kane were playing badly hurt and not taking practices. Even whipping boy Yamamoto had a massive game and won us a clenching game vs la.

What did nuge do? It's always "omg the pp the pp". This city worships this guy way too much because he extended here for a max contact we will suffer in the end.

 

[nabob]

I'd rather nuge actually show up in the playoffs. He's the one guy who was 100% healthy and if he's not gifted pp time he's is what he is for 10 years a perimeter player.

We all know Hyman and kane were playing badly hurt and not taking practices. Even whipping boy Yamamoto had a massive game and won us a clenching game vs la.

What did nuge do? It's always "omg the pp the pp". This city worships this guy way too much because he extended here for a max contact we will suffer in the end.

Sorry, I mistook you for an Oilers fan. Hard to keep track of which of the new accounts are real and which are fakes lol. Carry on.

 

[Kanedogg]

Sorry, I mistook you for an Oilers fan. Hard to keep track of which of the new accounts are real and which are fakes lol. Carry on.

I'm not going to go back and forth over this a million times. Nuge needs to do more to contribute rather than just compile assists on the power play.