The Oilers cannot score when McDavid isn't involved

[Cellee]

Sometimes believe it or not the coach of a underachieving team is to blame. He overreacts still remember him calling the oilers bad news bears after their first loss last year. Great stuff to say to the media to a young team.

It could be.

It could also be that the team isn't very good. It is not like this is a deep talented team.

 

[Eternal Leaf]

Saw the last two games for McDavid. Might just be me, but they can't be serious about playing Benning.

Watching him defend is depressing.

 

[Woodrow]

The roster is ****ing putrid outside of the top 4 or 5 guys. Totally bizarre how few moves they made after a brutal season.. it's the same team!!

They traded away all the assets that had value for scraps last year so now it's hard to make moves when all you have is scraps to offer. lolChiapet

 

[6ix]

For anyone that knows the term butterfly effect, I’ve been thinking about this in regards to the Oilers and the 2016 NHL draft.

Consensus top 3 according to most draft panels and scouts was Matthews, Laine, Puljujarvi. Oilers were ready to take sergachev at 4, but then Columbus throws in a curveball and shakes up the draft by taking PLD at 3. Oilers, who probably didn’t scout Puljujarvi too much thinking he was going 3rd cannot believe their luck and quickly nab the consensus 3rd guy with the 4th OA pick.

Oiler management is now thinking they got an elite winger prospect, so Taylor Hall becomes expendable in regards to getting a Dman trade wise (and the fact hat RNH’s value was low).

What if the Oilers took Sergachev, they get their high end dman and keep Hall because he’s not expendable.

Could it be possible that the surprise pick of Dubois at 3 led to this massive butterfly effect? If Puljujarvi goes 3rd to Columbus, maybe Taylor Hall is still an Oiler today.

Late night thoughts, mannnnn.

 

[780il]

Saw the last two games for McDavid. Might just be me, but they can't be serious about playing Benning.

Watching him defend is depressing.

Benning is so f***ing trash its crazy. He's shit at literally every element of the game compared to his peers. Guy should be in the AHL.

 

[MasterDecoy]

Management in EDM are tools

 

[Shayne Corsi]

Chia is one of those rare GMs that is so bad that he actively moves the needle in the wrong direction. He is the quintessential "asset bleeding with every transaction" GM. He also enjoys long walks on the beach and wildly overpaying free agents.

To have had four #1 overall picks and several other high picks, including the far and away best player in the league and still be this futile ... it's really sad. What a waste of the best talent the NHL has seen since Crosby.

 

[KaseMeOutside]

He shouldnt have signed that extension. He has no leverage on management

 

[lawrence]

What if the Oilers took Sergachev,

What Butterly effect. Oilers had 4th pick, period. Puljujarvi at 4 is a solid choice, and we were hoping, Edmonton takes Tkachuk or a Dman so Puljujarvi would have fallen to us. Every scouting source had Puljujarvi over Sergachev.

 

[Eternal Leaf]

Benning is so ****ing trash its crazy. He's **** at literally every element of the game compared to his peers. Guy should be in the AHL.

Yeah he had some major blunders throughout the game.

Took the worst possible angles, made bad decisions, and you could tell Bruins purposely picked on his side at times.

 

[Shayne Corsi]

How do we even know that Puljujarvi is a genuine miss and that had you drafted Tkachuk he would have been as good as he has been for Calgary? Every time I see Puljujarvi play he looks so dangerous. Maybe Edmonton's ineptitude and futility extends to player development as well.

 

[6ix]

What Butterly effect. Oilers had 4th pick, period. Puljujarvi at 4 is a solid choice, and we were hoping, Edmonton takes Tkachuk or a Dman so Puljujarvi would have fallen to us. Every scouting source had Puljujarvi over Sergachev.

The butterfly effect of Puljujarvi falling to #4. There were reports that the oilers already had sergachevs jersey ready, thinking the Columbus was taking Puljujarvi. Oilers change their pick from sergachev to Puljujarvi since he fell, and Taylor Hall is later traded for a dman since Puljujarvi would replace him.

 

[EdmFlyersfan]

Chiarelli's trades slowly downgrade the Oilers roster; Bruins fans warned Oilers fan when Chia was hired as a GM...but I recall the Oilers fans clamoured about how Chia was a "Stanley Cup" GM and Bruins fans were just jealous...better late than never suppose...

 

[13 others]

They are probably gonna have to blow it up at some point, but idk when. I'd say Mcdavid, Draisatl, Nurse, and Larsson should be the untouchables. But otherwise, they need to retool a lot, especially on the blue-line. If you trade RNH, you practically lose your last bonafide option as a top 6 winger, and that means you probably have Strome as your #2 if Draisatl is on that top line. If lucic does decent, keep him. Otherwise, that contract is gonna have to be shedded (and that means losing Puli or Yamamoto for that to happen). Its gonna be another ugly few years... I can't believe they blew it with Mcdavid.

Lets just imagine Chia doesn't ever make those stupid trades and drafts properly.... now imagine this top 6.

Hall-Mcdavid-Draisatl
RNH-Barzal-Eberle

That would be so stacked. Yeah the blue line would suck, but who gives a ****! Hell, you could probably trade one of Eberle or RNH for some defensive help and give Puli a chance for once.

In no way should Nurse and Larsson be untouchables. The big problem is outside of McDavid and Drai the team is overrated. People should not be surprised at this start.

 

[780il]

The butterfly effect of Puljujarvi falling to #4. There were reports that the oilers already had sergachevs jersey ready, thinking the Columbus was taking Puljujarvi. Oilers change their pick from sergachev to Puljujarvi since he fell, and Taylor Hall is later traded for a dman since Puljujarvi would replace him.

We really did have the Sergachev jersey ready. We thought there was no way in hell Pulju drops to us, hence his draft jersey not having his name on it.

 

[johnnybbadd]

What makes the Hall trade even more absurd is that the Oilers knew that Yakupov was a bust since he was traded to St Louis a few months later. If Yakupov panned out in any sort of way I could understand parting ways with Hall. The return for Hall has been discussed to death so I don’t need to add anything there but even the Oilers philosophy on deciding to trade Hall was flawed based on what they had in their forward group at the time.

 

[780il]

How do we even know that Puljujarvi is a genuine miss and that had you drafted Tkachuk he would have been as good as he has been for Calgary? Every time I see Puljujarvi play he looks so dangerous. Maybe Edmonton's ineptitude and futility extends to player development as well.

Maybe if Mclellan gave him a shot in the top 6 with Mcdavid or Drai and pp1 time. But no, Todd seems to have it out for the guy. Or he might just be really f***ing stupid (he is). Pulju is put on the pp2 and not even in the correct spot on the left half wall, he is played in the f***ing bumper where he looks lost af.

 

[Cellee]

We really did have the Sergachev jersey ready. We thought there was no way in hell Pulju drops to us, hence his draft jersey not having his name on it.

To be fair, I think any team makes that pick.

 

[HugginThePost]

Is t this the excuse every time?

It was:
Krueger
Eakins
Nelson

And now Mclellan

Not sure it’s the coaching. Might be the player personnel.

Let's be honest here.....it's far more than just those four:

• Kevin Lowe
• Craig MacTavish
• Pat Quinn
• Tom Renney
• Ralph Krueger
• Dallas Eakins
• Todd Nelson
• Todd McLellan

The last six coaches have come in the last 8 years. Let's say TMac does get fired this year (80%), that would mean 7 coaches in the last 8 years.

Hard to put the blame on the coaches when you've gone through so many of them and the on ice product remains the same.

I just think it's that they aren't good enough. Aside from McDavid they really have nothing spectacular. The greatest irony is that they had the right team several years ago to compete in today's NHL. Small, fast and skilled team. Then Chia arrived and made them tough, which let's face it, the Oiler faithful loved after years of being kicked around. Now they are big, slow and less talented. Not a recipe for today's NHL.

They have a lot of work to do........and I don't think Chis is the right man for the job.

Having said all of that.......it's two games in. Of course, their next 8 games are going to be ugly as well given the level of competition they will be facing. Rangers may be their only chance at a W.....but that's an afternoon game and they are putrid in those.

I'll judge them on the first 20 games. Mind you, after 20 they may be out of the playoff race so it won't really matter. Tough schedule. The exact opposite of the Leafs schedule........

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

The good news for Oilers fans: Connor McDavid is on pace for around 120 points this season.

The bad news for Oilers fans: The Oilers are on pace for around 120 goals for this season.

 

[6ix]

We really did have the Sergachev jersey ready. We thought there was no way in hell Pulju drops to us, hence his draft jersey not having his name on it.

Exactly - if Columbus takes Puljujarvi at 3, the oilers take sergachev at 4. Oilers keep Hall because they don’t have an elite winger prospect replacing him, and don’t need to trade for Larsson since they took Sergachev. Chain of events ala butterfly effect.

 

[johnnybbadd]

To be fair, I think any team makes that pick.

Why didn’t Columbus then? Seems like they did their homework on both Puju and Dubois and something didn’t add up to them. If Edmonton did so much homework on Sergachev, they should have stuck with their plan because it looks like he is going to be a stud and they knew it.

 

[Cellee]

Why didn’t Columbus then? Seems like they did their homework on both Puju and Dubois and something didn’t add up to them. If Edmonton did so much homework on Sergachev, they should have stuck with their plan because it looks like he is going to be a stud and they knew it.

Fair point

 

[Crede777]

Exactly - if Columbus takes Puljujarvi at 3, the oilers take sergachev at 4. Oilers keep Hall because they don’t have an elite winger prospect replacing him, and don’t need to trade for Larsson since they took Sergachev. Chain of events ala butterfly effect.

Maybe but no way Columbus would have taken him. It seems Jarmo knew something and was totally against drafting him.

 

[space321]

Lol @ everyone saying its MacLellan or Benning. Get Babcock to coach this team and it still would be shit.

Bottom line is Chiarelli gave away all the "expendable" pieces and still hasn't fixed the D. Traded Hall + 1st + 2nd for Larsson + Reinhart. And then signed Lucic to SEVEN YEARS. THAT IS THE PROBLEM. NOT MacLellan, NOT Benning, NOT Draisaitl.

Who the f*** cares about Matt Benning? A measley <2m contract just f***ing waive him. Draisaitl's overpaid but at least he can score on McDavid's wing (unlike Lucic). He also produced when he centred Hall (although they kinda ran out of gas at the end of that season).

CHIARELLI is the ONLY PROBLEM.