Step Back From the Ledge, Things Are Going to Get Better

[Bryanbryoil]

Yes I know that losing sucks and we are all tired of it. We are all tired of seeing our team just lay down like they did in the 2nd against Carolina. Our record sucks, some of our top players are playing poorly at the moment and we've been hit by the injury and flu bugs.

Here's the thing, unlike in years past Todd McLellan usually has the team bouncing back from these types of losses and really there's only been 3 lopsided losses for us this season that come to my mind off hand. Against Dallas, Washington and Carolina (I missed the Arizona game).

Our defense is much improved and we are about to add one of our top defenseman to that mix as soon as Friday in Schultz. As long as he is healthy he will make a solid contribution to our club. Klefbom, Sekera and Nurse are all playing very good hockey right now and this is likely the best that our D has been in years.

Draisaitl has stepped up big time and has shown that he can help sooner than later.

McDavid will be back hopefully in the not too distant future. Even if we are long out of the playoff picture if he puts on a show there will be other players wanting to be a part of what we have here talent wise.

While he has been quiet through this season, Chiarelli is seeing first hand what kind of a mess he was left with and he has a capable coach telling him what each player is made of inside the locker room. I for one would be very surprised to see MacT back next season as the on ice product speaks volumes to his moves as GM.

Things will turn around.

Click to read more...

 

[StoveTopStauffer]

I'm not even that mad as I think we've shown to be a pretty damn good team at times.


We REALLY need a bottom 6. We gave up one of the best 4th lines in the league by moving Gordon imo. A 4th that could actually act as a 3rd if for nothing else playing extremely tough minutes and not looking like a joke.

I think if we had some semblance of a 3rd and 4th line we'd be a lot better off.

Time to sign Derek Roy or find a 3C worth a damn.

2 moves made by Chiarelli that I really don't like are getting rid of Gordon and moving those 2 picks for Reinhart. Those picks could of been better spent on more things we need rather than more LHD we don't really.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Well things can't get much worse...

I'm just not seeing much progress. The Oilers played a good game against the Caps but as has been the case many times this year they made a mistake and it cost them the game. McCurdy made a nice little graph of the games this year:

That's ten games they've blown in the second half of the third period. If the Oilers are to show any improvement that has to change. They have to learn to close or maintain games. Just being close isn't enough.

Seeing the team at the bottom of the standings again when worse teams are ahead of us doesn't give me much hope. I wasn't expecting a whole load of improvement but I didn't think we'd be in last yet again.

I understand the need for patience BBO but games like the one last night were eerily similar to many games last year.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Well things can't get much worse...

I'm just not seeing much progress. The Oilers played a good game against the Caps but as has been the case many times this year they made a mistake and it cost them the game. McCurdy made a nice little graph of the games this year:

That's ten games they've blown in the second half of the third period. If the Oilers are to show any improvement that has to change. They have to learn to close or maintain games. Just being close isn't enough.

Seeing the team at the bottom of the standings again when worse teams are ahead of us doesn't give me much hope. I wasn't expecting a whole load of improvement but I didn't think we'd be in last yet again.

I understand the need for patience BBO but games like the one last night were eerily similar to many games last year.

That to me shows that there are gains from the coaching staff and players this season. We are in those games but right now we aren't getting the bottom 6 scoring or key saves to win those games.

I agree that game was typical bad Oilers from the recent path but as long as we don't go on a string of those I think that things are still looking up.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

That to me shows that there are gains from the coaching staff and players this season. We are in those games but right now we aren't getting the bottom 6 scoring or key saves to win those games.

I agree that game was typical bad Oilers from the recent path but as long as we don't go on a string of those I think that things are still looking up.

I agree to an extent but the Oilers need to start winning those close games. If they won in Washington I think they would've handily beaten the Canes. Instead they lost and then barely put together anything against Carolina. They seem to think they're better than they are (McLellan says they're better than a last place team) and can take those games off.

I have faith in Chia and McLellan but man this is hard to watch because you can just feel the game-changing error coming. For instance, when they had the extended power play and didn't score I started to think that was going to come back to bite them because the Caps weren't going to get shut out.

The efforts and overall play are vastly improved from last year but the results have to come. Do they walk into Detroit and Pittsburgh and come out with anything?

 

[Weitz]

Ah yes, moral victories.

I would agree with the OP if the rebuild started a year or 2 ago, but when you have not progressed in 6 years, and actually have gotten worse, it's just sad.

When do they finally realize the losing rotten core of this team needs to go? Hall's body language on the bench last night was embarrassing.

 

[McDeathbyCheerios*]

Ah yes, moral victories.

I would agree with the OP if the rebuild started a year or 2 ago, but when you have not progressed in 6 years, and actually have gotten worse, it's just sad.

When do they finally realize the losing rotten core of this team needs to go? Hall's body language on the bench last night was embarrassing.

Halls body language is like that because the majority of the games he is doing everything he can to sin and guys like RNH and Eberle take the night off.

Hall is far from even being a problem on this team.

 

[StoveTopStauffer]

We need a 3rd line, desperately.



Few mistakes so far by Chia imo are moving Gordon who provided us an amazing 4C for easily one of the best 4th lines in the league.

Moving the picks for a position we didn't need (Reinhart trade).

However that said, nobody expected Lander to start the season being this awful.




We need some moves for a 3rd line worth a damn.

 

[Weitz]

Halls body language is like that because the majority of the games he is doing everything he can to sin and guys like RNH and Eberle take the night off.

Hall is far from even being a problem on this team.

So lay in to them instead of sulking on the bench. If you want to be a leader on the team, lead. Don't sulk on the bench and bring down everyone else. What does that achieve?

 

[McDeathbyCheerios*]

So lay in to them instead of sulking on the bench. If you want to be a leader on the team, lead. Don't sulk on the bench and bring down everyone else. What does that achieve?

We only see glimpses of the bench. Who is to say he didn't lay into a few of them and they just ignored him, or laid into them in the locker room. We don't know. But to get upset at Hall for being passionate and upset is falsly directing blame.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

I agree to an extent but the Oilers need to start winning those close games. If they won in Washington I think they would've handily beaten the Canes. Instead they lost and then barely put together anything against Carolina. They seem to think they're better than they are (McLellan says they're better than a last place team) and can take those games off.

I have faith in Chia and McLellan but man this is hard to watch because you can just feel the game-changing error coming. For instance, when they had the extended power play and didn't score I started to think that was going to come back to bite them because the Caps weren't going to get shut out.

The efforts and overall play are vastly improved from last year but the results have to come. Do they walk into Detroit and Pittsburgh and come out with anything?

I get that, but the season is a 1/4 of the way through. They could still learn to close out some of these games especially when McDavid comes back and/or we get better play from RNH and Eberle.

That will depend on goaltending. Talbot likely gets the next start, and if he wants to be a starter in the NHL he needs to make then most of it. IMO we have a better shot of beating Detroit than we do Pittsburgh.

Ah yes, moral victories.

I would agree with the OP if the rebuild started a year or 2 ago, but when you have not progressed in 6 years, and actually have gotten worse, it's just sad.

When do they finally realize the losing rotten core of this team needs to go? Hall's body language on the bench last night was embarrassing.

The losing culture wasn't about to change overnight, Chia and McLellan pretty much expected that. It's about putting forth good habits and trying to stay even keeled. So far that has been the case more often and not.

Hall is tired of losing. He looked like a defeated man last night but Friday is a new day.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

I get that, but the season is a 1/4 of the way through. They could still learn to close out some of these games especially when McDavid comes back and/or we get better play from RNH and Eberle.

That will depend on goaltending. Talbot likely gets the next start, and if he wants to be a starter in the NHL he needs to make then most of it. IMO we have a better shot of beating Detroit than we do Pittsburgh.

But the problem is it's easier to play when there's nothing to play for. They're "competitive" in the sense that they're in most games but they seem to take worse teams lighter and to me is very alarming. I'm pleased they're bringing their A game against the elite teams but they need to play like that consistently. If they go out and punk either Detroit or Pittsburgh (both would be fantastic) then my faith will be restored but it's hard to feel too positive about this team when they haven't won back to back games in 6 weeks.

 

[Weitz]

I get that, but the season is a 1/4 of the way through. They could still learn to close out some of these games especially when McDavid comes back and/or we get better play from RNH and Eberle.

That will depend on goaltending. Talbot likely gets the next start, and if he wants to be a starter in the NHL he needs to make then most of it. IMO we have a better shot of beating Detroit than we do Pittsburgh.


The losing culture wasn't about to change overnight, Chia and McLellan pretty much expected that. It's about putting forth good habits and trying to stay even keeled. So far that has been the case more often and not.

Hall is tired of losing. He looked like a defeated man last night but Friday is a new day.

I don't think you can change a losing culture by changing habits. You need to change out players.

We only see glimpses of the bench. Who is to say he didn't lay into a few of them and they just ignored him, or laid into them in the locker room. We don't know. But to get upset at Hall for being passionate and upset is falsly directing blame.

Don't buy it. If that were the case guys would have been moved out already.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

But the problem is it's easier to play when there's nothing to play for. They're "competitive" in the sense that they're in most games but they seem to take worse teams lighter and to me is very alarming. I'm pleased they're bringing their A game against the elite teams but they need to play like that consistently. If they go out and punk either Detroit or Pittsburgh (both would be fantastic) then my faith will be restored but it's hard to feel too positive about this team when they haven't won back to back games in 6 weeks.

It's all part of the growing process. The tide will turn unless we start to give up and feel sorry for ourselves like we have in the past.

 

[McDrai]

Too many holes on this roster still. Bottom 6 is absolute trash, not enough offense from the blueline, defensive breakdowns, inconsistent goaltending, bad powerplay setups, etc. I think a message needs to be conveyed by management to the players through a big trade. The "core" has seen coach after coach after coach fired and has not taken accountability for all of the losing . It's finally time to send a message to the players that this losing will no longer be acceptable and that the coaches will no longer take the full brunt of the accountability.

 

[PaPaDee]

This team "is what it is" - they've finished bottom 5 for how many years in a row now??? And looking to continue that trend this year.

I think the 2018-19 season is a reasonably realistic hope for playoffs, IF our young D continue developing and we actually bring in useful veterans to support our new core players.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

It's all part of the growing process. The tide will turn unless we start to give up and feel sorry for ourselves like we have in the past.

That is a distinct possibility that worries me. I know TM won't allow that to happen but the players will start to feel it sooner or later.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

I don't think you can change a losing culture by changing habits. You need to change out players.



Don't buy it. If that were the case guys would have been moved out already.

Most of these players are very young and have had **** for mentors. They want to win but their confidence in themselves and their teammates are not that great, McLellan has touched on this a number of times. We have had a lot more 50+ minute efforts this season than we have in a number of previous seasons already.

 

[oilwave]

I saw a thread like this 4 years ago...

 

[Bryanbryoil]

That is a distinct possibility that worries me. I know TM won't allow that to happen but the players will start to feel it sooner or later.

If that were to happen then nothing but a trade would fix it IMO. I'm hoping that the team can get some traction and soon for that very reason. Trading from a position of weakness usually doesn't end well.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

I saw a thread like this 4 years ago...

Seeing as MacT and Lowe are no longer calling the shots I think that this time could well be different.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

If that were to happen then nothing but a trade would fix it IMO. I'm hoping that the team can get some traction and soon for that very reason. Trading from a position of weakness usually doesn't end well.

I agree... The Oilers are unfortunately trapped in an endless cycle that never seems to end. And until they get better they will always be trading from a position of weakness.

 

[SometimesY]

I think McDavid brought a lot of confidence to the team, a lot of hope. He wasn't on every line, but every line looked better when he was healthy. Looks to me like a psychological issue at times. I really believe in some of the goofy team building stuff that Vancouver does, and Montreal had players do fun things as well.

This team has had a lot of turmoil, a lot of new players coming and going. It's better when they get drafted by us, develop in the AHL together and get called up to join the team, with a few pieces added here and there. Of course that is in a perfect world. That's why I liked Nelson, he had a system, he knew the guy sending guys up to him and how he worked. I really liked the idea of coaching staff sort of developing for us as well. Water under the bridge and now we have McLelland. If Chiarelli is going to make 'bold' moves, I hope he does it soon, so that we can gel this year and prepare to make a bang next year in our new arena (an arena that has had a sweet grass ceremony, been blessed, had ghostbusters filter it, loonies buried in centre ice at cement level, and whatever other magic needs to happen)

Still enjoying the games and hope we get some wins in a row soon for the gonestreaking site.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

I agree... The Oilers are unfortunately trapped in an endless cycle that never seems to end. And until they get better they will always be trading from a position of weakness.

Yup. This is why we need to try and bolster our team without shipping out useful players.

 

[40oz]

Honestly, aside from a handful of games I've really enjoyed watching the team this season. I just have to remind myself not to care too much about the big picture and that I need to move on from the past decade and enjoy each game as it comes. Works for the players, works for me.