Line Combos: What’s the roster looking like

[Hemsky4pm2]

RNH-Draisaitl-Yamamoto
Ennis-McDavid-Neal (wingers could be shuffled in search of chem)
Kahun-Turris-Puljuujarvi (legit offensive potential - could be an outscoring line 5v5)
Archibald - Haas - Kassian (speed - capable of playing decent minutes)
Nygard - Khaira - Chiasson
P.Russell

Bolded players did not start last season on the roster. 5 players from the top 9 are new, and arguably upgrades on what was there last year. Remember, Jurco, Sheahan, Gagner were all effectively on the team to start last season.

Holland should be trying to move Chiasson, Khaira or Archibald. P. Russell looks destined for the AHL. Nygard will have to fight for a spot.

 

[MuzzaFuzza]

Main Board Thread: "Outside of Edmonton, does anyone actually think Ethan Bear is a good defenseman?"

View attachment 375133

View attachment 375131

Oh yeah, that's why I don't visit the mains as much anymore.

You can tell by that thread who’s bedtime is usually before the Oilers play. Bad takes all over.

 

[SwedishFire]

Its time to fully put Neal in a perfect situation

Nuge McDavid Neal
Kahun Draisaitl Tamamoto
Archibald Turris Puljujärvi
Nygård Haas Ennis

 

[DingDongCharlie]

Its time to fully put Neal in a perfect situation

Nuge McDavid Neal
Kahun Draisaitl Tamamoto
Archibald Turris Puljujärvi
Nygård Haas Ennis

I’d have no problem seeing Neal get that opportunity to start. When he was rested to start last season and the playins he produced.

Your lineup is missing Kassian though and I’m certain he’s playing a regular role.

 

[AddyTheWrath]

Nuge - McDavid - Kassian
Kahun - Draisaitl - Yamamoto
Ennis - Turris - Puljujarvi
Neal - Haas - Archibald

Nurse - Bear
Jones - Barrie
Russell - Larsson

Koskinen
Smith

Wow my first ever prediction that came true.

We probably see Khaira instead of Haas and Barrie with Russell though.

 

[boxcar65]

Hope the Oilers will re-sign Manning and give him a legitimate shot to make the roster.

 

[McIce Whole]

Nuge - Mcdavid - Neal
Kahun - Drai - Yamo
Ennis - Turris - Puju
Archi - Haas - Kass

Nurse - Bear
Jones - Barrie
Broberg - Larsson
Russell

Koski
Smith

Neal and Kass may swap. Kassian was trash in the play ins and Neal is a fast starter. Broberg might not make the team but this is the lineup I prefer and hope to see to start the season.

 

[McIce Whole]

Hope the Oilers will re-sign Manning and give him a legitimate shot to make the roster.

 

[GretzkytoKurri9917]

Hope the Oilers will re-sign Manning and give him a legitimate shot to make the roster.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

Hope the Oilers will re-sign Manning and give him a legitimate shot to make the roster.

McDonald’s is hiring if he needs a job.

 

[BoldNewLettuce]

Just to be bold...

Kahun-McDavid-Puljujarvi
Nugent Hopkins-Draisaitl-Yamamoto
Ennis-Turris-Kassian
Neal-Khaira-Chiasson
Archibald, Quine

Nurse-Bear
Broberg-Larsson
Jones-Barrie
Krussell

Pp1 - neal/chiasson-mcd-drai-rnh-barrie
Pp2 - pulju-turris-yam-nurse-bear
Pk1- rnh-drai-broberg-larsson
Pk2- khaira-kassian-nurse-bear

 

[bucks_oil]

Its time to fully put Neal in a perfect situation

Nuge McDavid Neal
Kahun Draisaitl Tamamoto
Archibald Turris Puljujärvi
Nygård Haas Ennis

Like your first two lines. Archie and Kass are both RW. Ennis is LW. Switch up your bottom six like McIceWhole has it and we are in business.

 

[TheUltimateOiler]

This is what I would start with. Larsson would be managed with load management. Russell being the substitute unless Broberg blows the doors down.

Neal - McDavid - Puljujarvi/kassian
Kahun - Draisaitl - Yamamoto
Nugent Hopkins - Turris - puljujarvi/Chiasson
Ennis - Khaira - Kassian/Chiasson
Patrick Russell

Nurse - Bear
Jones - Barrie
Bouchard - Larsson
Kris Russell

Koskinen
Smith

 

[Delicious Pancakes]

RNH - Drai - Yamo
Kahun - McDavid - Kassian
Ennis - Turris - Pulju
Neal - Khaira - Archibald/Chiasson
Nygard - Haas

Nurse - Bear
Jones - Larsson
K.Russell - Barrie
Lagesson

Koskinen
Smith

Could move the wingers around without too much concern because this is the deepest the wings have been for the Oilers in a long time.

The Oilers had by my count 111 goals from wingers last year, which equals about 128 over an 82 game schedule. The following projection is probably a reasonable approximation for Oiler winger goal production this coming season for an 82 game schedule:

RNH - 25
Yamo - 20
Neal - 20
Kassian - 15
Kahun - 10-15
Pulju - 10-15
Ennis - 10-15
Chiasson - 7-10
Archibald - 7-10
Nygard - 2-5

That adds up to about 140 goals which would be a decent bump from last year. Now obviously you can only play 8 wingers per night but there will be injuries and missed games like every year so you need depth and the Oilers finally have some on both wings where even if a couple of the top goal scorers were injured there are other guys who can reasonably be expected to step up. Adding Kahun and Pulju, and full years from Yamo and Ennis should also help with increased puck possession and ability to create offense in the offensive zone which will hopefully translate to less time spent by the opposition in the the Oilers' zone.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

What I’d like to see:

Neal McDavid Kassian
RNH Draisatl Yamamoto
Kahun Turris Puljujarvi
Archibald Haas Chaisson

Ennis Khaira black aces w/Nygard Russell in AHL.

What I think Tippett does:

RNH McDavid Kassian
Kahun Draisatl Yamamoto
Ennis Turris Puljujarvi
Neal Khaira Archibald

Chaisson Haas black aces w/Nygard Russell in AHL.

 

[ujju2]

This is probably what Tippett will start with:
RNH-McDavid-Kassian
Kahun-Draisaitl-Yamamoto
Ennis-Turris-Puljujarvi
Neal-Khaira-Archibald

I'd personally like to see RNH and Kahun switched in that lineup. But either way, later in the season I'd like to end up with:
Kahun-McDavid-Puljujarvi
RNH-Draisaitl-Yamamoto
Benson-Turris-Neal
Ennis-Khaira-Archibald
Kassian

 

[ConnorMcNugesaitl]

Its time to fully put Neal in a perfect situation

Nuge McDavid Neal
Kahun Draisaitl Tamamoto
Archibald Turris Puljujärvi
Nygård Haas Ennis

Switch Ennis and Archie since Archie isn't a lw.

How are you getting rid of Kassian? I'm not opposed just curious.

 

[AddyTheWrath]

The way I see our forward depth chart is as follows (used CapFriendly positions):

Center

1. Connor McDavid (Generational) - Should be no argument here. Connor is the best player on the planet when he's healthy (which is expected after a lot of time off to heal his leg), and he will hopefully be motivated by that tough loss against Chicago.
2. Leon Draisaitl (Franchise) - The reigning league MVP, Art Ross winner, and most outstanding player, Leon has come into his own and proved that he is one of the best in the league. Really solidified himself last year as someone who is not a product of McDavid, centering one of the best lines in 2020.
3. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Great to Elite) - Fan-favorite and someone who has stuck around for far too much losing. Nuge started the year slowly last year, but his second half with Leon and Kailer was extraordinary, so much so in fact that he would have finally eclipsed the 70 point mark had the season not ended early. Nuge is a Swiss Army Knife on our team, and will likely split time on the wing with both Connor and Leon. I wish we could clone this guy.
4. Kyle Turris (Good to Great) - Even in his worst seasons (2018-2020), Turris has produced at a half-ppg clip. Since moving to Nashville in a 3-way trade between the Preds, Avalanche and Senators, Turris has struggled to live up to his $36 million dollar contract. After being bought out by the Predators, I expect Turris to come motivated and ready to prove that people shouldn't be writing him off
5. Jujhar Khaira (Below Average to Average) - Plagued with inconsistency, Khaira has shown flashes of brilliance (anyone remember that shorthanded goal against the Canucks?) but often looks demotivated and disengaged. Tippett has spoken about how he likes JJ at center, a role which gets him more involved in the game. I'd expect JJ to be one of the staples on our PK unit next year.
6. Gaetan Haas (Below Average to Average) - Holland signed the Swiss veteran to a one-year ELC last summer, and extended him in April this year. Haas adds some skill to the bottom 6, but was in Tippett's doghouse a bit last year. Hopefully he can help create some healthy competition or rotate in for injuries.

Left Wing

1. Dominik Kahun (Good to Great) - Our latest addition, Kahun brings some versatility and complementary skill to the Oilers lackluster top-6. With a long history of playing with Leon, I'd expect them to be attached at the hip to start the season; however, I do see Tippett going back to the DRY line if the pair struggles.
2. James Neal (Good) - Still disgusted that we had to pay a third round pick to Calgary, but James Neal managed to regain his scoring touch on the Oilers. After a down year, Neal got off to a terrific start, scoring 4 goals in a game against the Islanders, and a hat trick against the Rangers on NYE. Unfortunately, he was one of our worst forwards at 5-on-5, so he will likely have to be sheltered or given softer minutes.
3. Tyler Ennis (Average to Good) - The hometown kid Ennis showcased his ability to play up and down the lineup after Holland added him at the trade deadline. Tyler had a bit of a resurgence on the Senators, and can hopefully carry some of that into this year without sacrificing anything on the defensive side of the puck.
4. Joakim Nygard (Below Average to Average) - The speedy winger was another low-key acquisition by Ken Holland last year. Injuries have prevented him from establishing himself as a lock on the Oilers roster, but he will help add some competition to the bottom-6.

Right Wing

1. Kailer Yamamoto (Great) - Kailer's call-up was the saving grace of the Edmonton Oilers 2019-20 season. His emergence as a legitimate top 6 option dramatically transformed the make-up of the Oilers forward group, and gave Edmonton one of the best lines in the league. I don't expect him to continue playing at a PPG pace, but 50-60 points doesn't seem completely unreasonable for someone who thinks the game and battles for the puck the way our honey badger does.
2. Jesse Puljujarvi (Average to Good) - After a disappointing start to Jesse's career, the young player took some time off to play in Europe and re-gain his confidence. Since then, he's excelled, playing at a PPG pace in the FEL and leading his team in scoring. After much discussion, Holland was finally able to convince JP to come back to NA, and I'm sure Tippett will understand that there isn't much room to jerk him up and down the lineup. I'd expect him to get softer minutes with Turris to start, where he can hopefully work on maintaining consistency and growing at both ends of the ice.
3. Zack Kassian (Average to Good) - Kassian's chemistry with Connor and Leon is what allowed our team to get off to a great start last season. Since Tippett separated the dynamic duo, Kassian has spent most of his time with Connor, but has unfortunately struggled with inconsistency, highlighted by an extremely weak showing against Chicago in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers. He will need to work on bringing his A-game even when crowds are absent.
4. Josh Archibald (Average to Good) - Holland was able to steal Archibald from Arizona after they did not qualify him last year. Although Josh started the year slowly (along with the rest of our bottom 6), the 5'10 winger was able to climb to a double digit goal total by the end of the year. It's evident that Archibald is one of those players who gives a strong effort on most nights, and also plays a lot bigger than he is. His penalty killing ability makes him a lock on the Oilers roster when healthy.
5. Alex Chiasson (Average) - A year removed from 22 goals, Chiasson gets a bit underrated due to his slow skating and at times lethargic play. Alex was a great net front presence on a historically strong powerplay, so I do believe he will get some playing time if he is still on the team to start the season. His lack of penalty killing ability will mean that he is in the outside looking in when considering our depth on RW.

 

[BlackDogg]

What I’d like to see:

Neal McDavid Kassian
RNH Draisatl Yamamoto
Kahun Turris Puljujarvi
Archibald Haas Chaisson

Ennis Khaira black aces w/Nygard Russell in AHL.

What I think Tippett does:

RNH McDavid Kassian
Kahun Draisatl Yamamoto
Ennis Turris Puljujarvi
Neal Khaira Archibald

Chaisson Haas black aces w/Nygard Russell in AHL.

That first line still looks gross to me. Neal and Kassian are both semi-plugs - maybe switch Kahuna and Neal?

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

That first line still looks gross to me. Neal and Kassian are both semi-plugs - maybe switch Kahuna and Neal?

Neal is a shooter while Kahun is a playmaker. McDavid needs a shooter. Was our 4th best forward in the play in round and was our 4th best forward until he got injured. It also gives us a nice all around but offensive 3rd line as well that won’t get stomped on 5v5.

My thoughts anyways.

 

[BlackDogg]

Neal is a shooter while Kahun is a playmaker. McDavid needs a shooter. Was our 4th best forward in the play in round and was our 4th best forward until he got injured. It also gives us a nice all around but offensive 3rd line as well that won’t get stomped on 5v5.

My thoughts anyways.

Well we know whatever we think makes sense, won't be what happens lol.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

Well we know whatever we think makes sense, won't be what happens lol.

Hence my Tippett lines!

 

[Aerchon]

What I would start with:

RNH Draisaitl Yamamoto DRY
Kahun McDavid Puljujarvi KMP
Ennis Turris Kassian TEK
Neal Kharia Archiblad KAN
Nygard Haas Chaisson
Benson McLeod Lavoie

That's the deepest group of NHL talented forwards with a good group behind to boot.

What would be fun to try:

RNH McDavid Yamamoto
Kahun Draisaitl Puljujarvi

What Tippett will likely push for:

RNH McDavid Kassian
Kahun Draisaitl Yamamoto
Ennis Turris Puljujarvi
Neal Kharia Archibald

Defense will likely be:

Nurse Bear
Russell Barrie
Jones Larsson
Laggesson Bouchard

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

Hope the Oilers will re-sign Manning and give him a legitimate shot to make the roster.

 

[Hairy Apparatus]

This is an incredibly bad take.

Not sure which past generational players have been able to take low talent players to glory.

Even the best chefs can't turn chicken shit into chicken salad, not sure why you think McDavid should be able to turn trash into top end talent.

crosby lol