Post-Game Talk: What should be Hollands priority?

[Messrules11]

Defense. Goalies are too hot/cold and variable from year to year. There are maybe 5-7 guys in the entire league that are consistently good from year to year. A real top-pairing dman needs to be the priority, just like it should have been last year, and the year before, and the year before, and the year before.

Everybody is going to say "but we have Bouchard, Broberg, Lagesson, Bear, Jones, and Samorukov all coming down the pipeline". Yes, and not one of them is going to be a top-pairing dman. If you can trade Broberg + something to get back a top-pairing guy, you do that in a heartbeat. Additionally, other than maybe Bear, all those players are 2-3 years away from moving the needle and not needing sheltering at even strength. Our window to win is the next 5 years until 29's contract is over, full stop. Waiting, and praying, for one of those guys to magically turn into a top-pairing guy in 3 years isn't a plan, its a prayer to the hockey gods.

So the window to win is 5 years, I can agree. So who’s in net?

 

[Snipes45]

Target a legit goalie NOW. D is almost as important. Work on team D with that new goalie. DESPERATELY need one. Stop wasting years of this elite duo. JP looks like he is going to be very good as well. Surprising me.

Put your picks on the table and a prospect depending on who is available to target for a goalie. Stop bargain bin shopping. A good goalie will immensely help this team.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

1st + Broberg + for Ekholm?

 

[GOilers88]

If we want proven legit help now people need to accept the fact that we're losing some of Holloway, Broberg, Samorukov and a first rounder or two. Otherwise we're just suggesting the same patchwork fixes that are being ridiculed currently.

 

[Oilhawks]

Woodguy is out to lunch if he thinks the Ducks would trade Gibson. Never mind that the Ducks have no one to replace him, Gibson is one of the best goaltenders in the league.

The time to trade for him is now, though. Apparently his M-NTC kicks in next year in which case his trade value will be lower (with less possible destinations so unlikely that Anaheim wants to trade him then). Being American I doubt he would go north of the 49th after that.

 

[Soundwave]

If we want proven legit help now people need to accept the fact that we're losing some of Holloway, Broberg, Samorukov and a first rounder or two. Otherwise we're just suggesting the same patchwork fixes that are being ridiculed currently.

It's what's going to have to happen, Oilers management is going to have to accept that. They can't build this in a "normal" way. Shit at this point I would even say the next five 1st rounders are also on the table. What is the value of future picks if McDavid or Draisaitl tune out.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

If we want proven legit help now people need to accept the fact that we're losing some of Holloway, Broberg, Samorukov and a first rounder or two. Otherwise we're just suggesting the same patchwork fixes that are being ridiculed currently.

I’m perfectly okay with that.

 

[Del Preston]

#1 goalie

 

[TB12]

He is almost always out to lunch.

Agreed. That guy is an idiot and so opinionated.

shit, he belongs in here with the rest of us! Haha

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

Agreed. That guy is an idiot and so opinionated.

shit, he belongs in here with the rest of us! Haha

He probably is.

 

[voxel]

Defense. Goalies are too hot/cold and variable from year to year. There are maybe 5-7 guys in the entire league that are consistently good from year to year. A real top-pairing dman needs to be the priority, just like it should have been last year, and the year before, and the year before, and the year before.

Everybody is going to say "but we have Bouchard, Broberg, Lagesson, Bear, Jones, and Samorukov all coming down the pipeline". Yes, and not one of them is going to be a top-pairing dman. If you can trade Broberg + something to get back a top-pairing guy, you do that in a heartbeat. Additionally, other than maybe Bear, all those players are 2-3 years away from moving the needle and not needing sheltering at even strength. Our window to win is the next 5 years until 29's contract is over, full stop. Waiting, and praying, for one of those guys to magically turn into a top-pairing guy in 3 years isn't a plan, its a prayer to the hockey gods.

Samorukov could easily handle NHL minutes this season. Him and Lagesson were the best all round D on the Condors by far. And he’s a better skater than Lagesson who I see topping out as a second pair in his prime.

 

[Cloned]

Get a better coach.

 

[The Nuge]

Team Canada’s defense wouldn’t be enough with how Koskinen is playing. Goaltending is the #1 priority. Anything else is just wasting assets that could be used to address goaltending

 

[TFHockey]

1st + Broberg + for Ekholm?

1st + Holloway?

I saw a huge deal with Anaheim proposed a few days ago for Lindholm + Rakell.

2020 1st + Broberg + Lavoie + Larsson + ?

Gibson + Lindholm would be a dream target for a trade. The cost would be astronomical.

 

[belair]

1) A second pairing left-handed defenseman.

Nurse - Barrie
XXXXX - Bear
Lagesson - Larsson
Jones, KK, Russell - Bouchard

2) An upgrade in goal, if attainable. Smith is going to get a shot at putting some wins together, but his spot is in jeopardy if his health is a concern.

3) A consistent third line contributor. The bottom six just isn't good enough and we can't have McDavid/Draisaitl/RNH double-shifting there all season.

 

[alphahelix]

get rid of 2 veteran d men (not nurse) and turris, and add a top 6 LW so nuge can play 3rd C + special teams.

if anyone wants a D man for a goalie, do that.

 

[Took a pill in Sbisa]

Issue is getting a goalie that's good means looking out of Canada which means, this season, waiting 1-2 weeks before they can even play.

I remember people saying this when Smith went down, 2 weeks later, here we are.

Do people think the season ends in 2 weeks or something?

Trust me, in 2 weeks, we'll still need a goalie.

 

[Took a pill in Sbisa]

Goalies are too hot/cold and variable from year to year. There are maybe 5-7 guys in the entire league that are consistently good from year to year.

Since Holland was hired, both our goaltenders are sitting outside of the top-35 in league save percentage. Which tells us that literally every other teams 'hot/cold' goalie is better than our 'hot/cold' goalie.
We need a better goalie.

 

[McDNicks17]

Goaltending is a need, but it won't magically fix the horrible team defense in front of it.

Gonna need both.

 

[alphahelix]

Goaltending is a need, but it won't magically fix the horrible team defense in front of it.

Gonna need both.

benching veterans actually might magically fix our D. I know it also might NOT, but I have a hunch that it will.

 

[CycloneSweep]

I remember people saying this when Smith went down, 2 weeks later, here we are.

Do people think the season ends in 2 weeks or something?

Trust me, in 2 weeks, we'll still need a goalie.

My point is the longer he waits the much less sensical it will be to trade for a goalie he has to look the 2 weeks out like. If I trade for a goalie and we suck till he gets here, can we bounce back.

 

[Smartguy]

If we want proven legit help now people need to accept the fact that we're losing some of Holloway, Broberg, Samorukov and a first rounder or two. Otherwise we're just suggesting the same patchwork fixes that are being ridiculed currently.

Bingo.

Do people realize, at best, Holloway will be an impact player when Mcdavid is in his late 20s? Are people really ok with not competing till then?

Holloway is probably 2 years off being an NHL player, and I would put another 2 years off being a impact player.

Mcdavid is 24, Draisaitl is 25, the Oilers absolutely need to go for it the next 3-5 years. It’s insane that people think stock piling prospects is the answer. Maybe if Mcdavid was 19-20 again sure.

Not making the playoffs into Mcdavid’s 6 season should be completely unacceptable.

 

[BlackDogg]

Need better brochures showing the mountains and mountain sports so better GMs and goalies will transplant there

 

[SaltNPeca]

Seems pretty obvious seeing as our GM was going after the goalie that just beat us in the previous offseason.
That being said I'm personally happy not to give Markstrom 6 or 7 years.

Tough spot, but pretty clear the priority is in Goal.

 

[space321]

This team is lacking smart defensemen. Get a better d group in front of the goalie and the goalie's stats automatically go up. It's how Dubnyk was in Vezina conversation for years in Minnesota. I'm not saying Dubnyk is bad, nor am I saying Koskinen's excellent, but the problem lies first and foremost in the D. The loss of Klefbom has always been understated. Remember in McDavid's rookie season, once we lost Klefbom everything went to shit. Even on a bum shoulder he was our best Dman and played 24 min/gm of solid hockey.

Nurse is good, but not at the level of a top pairing D yet, and he can't do it all by himself. Barrie is a specialist and he's played as well as I expected so whatever. Players like Larsson and Russell are like a net negative out there, don't bring them back next year. We absolutely need to find more guys like Nurse. If we had two Nurse level players, two Bear level players, and one Barrie + whoever (Koekkoek, Jones, Lagesson, w/e), then we should be good.