What are the expectations for the Oilers this year?

[DancesWithWookies]

Just wondering. How do people feel they should be doing this year?

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[Madap]

I just want them to have fun

 

[Coffey]

 

[DancesWithWookies]

heh, memes.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

Unless they have multiple young players break out i expect more pain. Just have a long way to go in terms of rounding out the roster. They missed the playoffs with two 100 point players.

 

[joe dirte]

Most likely bottom 5 again.

No goaltending.
Atrocious defense.
1 elite forward. 2 complementary forwards, and a whole lot of garbage other than that.

 

[Filthy Dangles]

Somewhere between middling and lottery

 

[djpatm]

laughs and laughs.

 

[Barrie22]

Bottom 10 in the league. Nothing changed with them.

Goaltenders swapped were bad for bad.

Forwards that were swapped was bad for bad.

And grandlund alone isn't enough to help that trainwreck out enough.

 

[Mr Tadakichi]

I am expecting lots of threads about them from people like OP so we can trash them whenever we feel like it.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

1st overall baby

 

[Bandit]

I am expecting lots of threads about them from people like OP so we can trash them whenever we feel like it.

Aren't the Oilers just trashing themselves at this point?

 

[rubikscube]

Mcdavid 120 points
Drai 95-100 points.

Everyone else: 200 points combined

Koskinen 4.5 GAA

Miss playoffs by 5-10 points

 

[TheBeastCoast]

They are going to suck again.

 

[Mez]

I honestly have no expectations for them...last year there were signs of getting out of the basement, followed by injuries and bad goal tending. Will McDavid start the season or will he need more recovery? Will their goal tending improve? will the bottom 6 produce this year? There are so many question marks that its hard to expect anything.

 

[Uncle Scrooge]

I expect the Oilers to be surprisingly decent. Sort of like the Habs last year.

Earlier in the summer i didn't think much of them, but i've come around.

Im almost positive Neal will bounce back, reasons which has been talked to death. I think Sheahan was a nice add, and the Oilers will look pretty good down the middle regardless of who ends playing 3-4C (they have bunch of options). The D will suddenly look better if Bouchard is ready dropping Russell to the 3rd pair.

I think mentally the team will be in a healthier situation than the last couple years. It feels like pressure is off, no 1 player is getting dumped on (Lucic saga is over), and they have a new GM, coach who seems to have quite a few good ideas from what i've heard as well as bunch of new faces trying to impress. Overall i think they'll feel like true underdogs this year and with the influx of new guys, you'd think a couple step up.

I see potential for even a playoff spot if everything goes well - now unfortunately for the Oilers they don't have a lot of room for error though, so it could just go sideways based a couple things going bad.

But yeah, can't sleep on them. I think the team will resemble the 16/17 team a lot more than the past couple years, both on paper and mentally. But even if so, it's hard to replicate the year Talbot had then.

Regardless, i expect them to be raising some eyebrows. Don't know where it'll take them, but yeah.

 

[WarriorOfGandhi]

expectations? The expectation is that the haters on HF who are jealous of the Oilers young talent will take any excuse to trash their good name.

Guess what, haters? The Oilers have five Stanley Cups. Hate on that.

 

[Cyclones Rock]

They may still suck but the fans still get to watch the greatest player in the world hopefully 82 times.

Connor McDavid is worth attending/watching a hockey game all by himself.

 

[Coffey]

laughs and laughs.

 

[The Pale King]

Somewhere between 9-12 in the conference. I like the depth signings Holland made, turning that bottom six into a strength (potentially), but the defense is still pretty ugly on paper outside of Nurse. But I won't be shocked if they manage to snag a wildcard berth.

Jury is still out on Koskinen. At least their season won't be over by December.

 

[Habby4Life]

To waste another good year from Connor Mcdavid.

Thier goalie situation looks really bad.

 

[Lt Dan]

The oilers goals for 19-20
1) No #metoo claims
2) Reverse global warming. Make everyone's summers as cool as Edmonton's Winters
3) Bring back Doge memes
4) Pretend the last season of Game of Thrones didn't happen
5) Reach Ace in PUBG

 

[Apotheosis]

The middle ground between bubble and bottom.

 

[McFlash97]

Last wildcard spot is theirs.

If Neal,97,29 and 93 stay healthy.

 

[Sgt Schultz]

I don't have high hopes for them. If they overachieve, they could be about like the Coyotes were last year: chasing a playoff spot, having it within their grasp, but not able to hang onto it. The other end could be bad. I'd like to see better out of them, but I just don't see the basis for it this coming year.

As far as the Oilers having five Cups to their credit, a number of people on this board were not even alive for the most recent title. The average age in the NHL is something just over 27, so most of the players weren't around for it, either. Not hating, but history, particularly ancient history, does not foretell success for the coming season. The Leafs have 13 Cups, the Wings 11, and the Canadiens 24 to their names, but that and $5 will buy somebody a cup of coffee and day-old muffin tomorrow morning......maybe.