When the Oilers Will Make Playoffs

[TheRebuild]

This year?

If you don't go into the year at least thinking you might make the playoffs, what's the point.

If the goal isn't to make the playoffs every year, then seriously gtfo.

 

[Mc5RingsAndABeer]

50% this year, 70% next year

 

[guymez]

Here is something fun to think about:

All other things being equal outside of the goaltending change, the difference between Talbot's save % (.926) and Scrivens (.890) means that out of the roughly 2460 shots we gave up last year, Talbot would have saved 88 more shots. 88. That is 88 goals not going in. Even expecting slight regression from Talbot, let's call it 70...

That is all.

(we're going to be very, very, close this year I predict)

There are some interesting story lines this year...McDavid, Draisaitl Talbot et al.
Even if all these players max out their contribution the only way I see this team being close to the playoffs this season is if they upgrade their defence by the new year.

Its just not good enough as it stands right now to consider playoff possibilities this season.

 

[DavidHasselhoffsFist]

Well I'm going with a philosophy that all 30 teams technically have a chance to make the playoffs as of today so with that said and with no sense of sarcasm I think the oilers will make the playoffs in March
And please don't rip me for this because I truly believe this is the year things change

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

There are some interesting story lines this year...McDavid, Draisaitl Talbot et al.
Even if all these players max out their contribution the only way I see this team being close to the playoffs this season is if they upgrade their defence by the new year.

Its just not good enough as it stands right now to consider playoff possibilities this season.

It probably won't be but I don't think we'll be out of it until well into 2016. The Oilers were just horrendous against the West last year and I don't think that trend continues.

 

[guymez]

It probably won't be but I don't think we'll be out of it until well into 2016. The Oilers were just horrendous against the West last year and I don't think that trend continues.

The West is better this year. In spite of that I still (like yourself) expect the Oilers to have more success but they need to make up 35+ points.
That, IMO, is too much to expect without more upgrades.

 

[488fitter]

The West is better this year. In spite of that I still (like yourself) expect the Oilers to have more success but they need to make up 35+ points.
That, IMO, is too much to expect without more upgrades.

The Oilers were on the losing end of 26 or 27 one goal games last year. That's with a group that had the life sucked out of it by Eakins, plus no McDavid/Sekera/Talbot. If TM can infuse this team with the will to win, gaining tons of ground should be pretty achievable. Maybe not 35+ points, but I wouldn't be surprised if everything clicks with the team as is.

The upgrade behind the bench is being overlooked. We have a wealth of talent. This team can win IMO. They just need to be led.

 

[Aerrol]

The West is better this year. In spite of that I still (like yourself) expect the Oilers to have more success but they need to make up 35+ points.
That, IMO, is too much to expect without more upgrades.

What makes you say that the West is overall better? I'd say it's perhaps more even, but not necessarily better.

Teams that I'd say look stronger in the West:

Edmonton, Calgary, Dallas and sort of Colorado?

Teams that look about the same to me:

Anaheim, Nashville, Minnesota, and Winnipeg.

Teams that look weaker to me:

San Jose, LA (I like the Lucic add for them, but I think the lack of Voynov is going to continue to hurt them. Doughty can't play all 60 minutes.), Chicago, St Louis (not a fan of the Oshie trade and a lot of their core gets a year older. They're really riding on Tarasenko continuing to improve).

And then there's Arizona. They're just bad, but it's not really a drop in strength from already being pretty awful last season.

So in sum - we have many of the former top teams looking worse to some degree this year, and a lot of the bad/mediocre teams improving to varying degrees. I'd say the end result should be a more wide open race, no?

re: thread topic, I'd say that I'm slightly optimistic that we might make it this year, but more realistically next year is when it'll happen.

 

[blupye*]

Can someone help me out?
I have a man cave built dedicated to the Oilers and Packers. Can anyone tell me where I can find some quality Oiler Stanley cup pictures?

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

The West is better this year. In spite of that I still (like yourself) expect the Oilers to have more success but they need to make up 35+ points.
That, IMO, is too much to expect without more upgrades.

Is it really though? Surely we'll be better than Phoenix. Vancouver is trending downwards and one could argue San Jose is as well. Chicago isn't as strong, and I don't really see any substantial improvement in any Central team save maybe Dallas.

Maybe my memory of the off-season is poor but there weren't that many significant additions to Western teams apart from Hamilton.

 

[IV XIV XCI]

it has very much to do with how this group starts the season.

I look at Colorado from the past two seasons as an example.
New coach, hot goaltending and a wicked hot start got them off to the races in 2013. They were front runners the rest of the way.

The following year, well, we all saw that.

This group of Oilers has never had lasting success so none of us really know what long term front-running feels like. If we can get to 8-12 games over 500 any time before the new year then anything is possible.

If it is tougher sledding at the start than I think it will be a tough hill to climb.

 

[DavidHasselhoffsFist]

Can someone help me out?
I have a man cave built dedicated to the Oilers and Packers. Can anyone tell me where I can find some quality Oiler Stanley cup pictures?

Waynes sport cards
Right across from west Ed mall on 170st
Just don't buy in the mall your going to pay out your ass
Waynes is the best in the city by far

 

[Mr Positive]

2017, with a puncher's chance at it happening this season.

 

[KCC]

West is too darn stacked and it sucks.

Is it really though? Surely we'll be better than Phoenix. Vancouver is trending downwards and one could argue San Jose is as well. Chicago isn't as strong, and I don't really see any substantial improvement in any Central team save maybe Dallas.

Maybe my memory of the off-season is poor but there weren't that many significant additions to Western teams apart from Hamilton.

Most teams stayed the same or got better though. There are some teams that didn't like San Jose, but I think they will be right there battling for a spot still. Then of course the top teams like Chicago, LA etc aren't the powerhouses anymore because of all the player losses, but they still have the majority of their core in tact and will continue giving teams fits. My point is they are still very much above average, most teams are in the West. So teams like EDM have a massive hill to climb.

 

[Mr Positive]

West is too darn stacked and it sucks.

meh, if that really mattered then a team like the Flames wouldn't have made it last year.

as far as I'm concerned, the bottom 3 spots are up for grabs. There's competition, but we've got a lot of weapons too. There will be a spot for us if we can grab it. The team has holes, but once those holes are filled we are a contender. There's lots of low seeds that have huge gaps in their depth charts.

 

[McShogun99]

One thing to consider is how atrocious the Oilers were against the West. No games won against the Ducks, Flames, Canucks, Jets, Coyotes, Predators... Have to think that changes this year.

Even if they go .500 against those teams this season that's a 30 point increase right there. Not to mention each of these teams dropping 4 to 6 points as well.

 

[ohheyhemsky]

One thing to consider is how atrocious the Oilers were against the West. No games won against the Ducks, Flames, Canucks, Jets, Coyotes, Predators... Have to think that changes this year.

Can you imagine not just being an NHL player, but being an NHL player last year in the West and your next game was against Edmonton? Long weekends galore.

 

[thadd]

After this season I'm expecting a big off-season trade that puts us over the top. Then we make the playoffs.

 

[ohheyhemsky]

After this season I'm expecting a big off-season trade that puts us over the top. Then we make the playoffs.

We trade for Kessel.

 

[duul]

We improved a tremendous amount this offseason.

Look at our team when Nelson came in. Significantly improved. Now we have a top tier coach in McLellan.

We've improved every facet of our team this offseason. Goaltending was improved with Talbot and Nilsson coming in. Defence was improved with Sekera, Gryba, and Reinhart, all of whom will push Ference out of our lineup. We must consider the improvement with age of Klefbom and Schultz as well. Nurse could force his way into our lineup too. We have a far greater competition to make this team.

As for forwards, we got McDavid. That's the most team changing acquisition of any team all offseason. He completely changed the fate of this franchise. We improve at the #4C position trading Gordon for Letestu, and we have a seemingly-improving Lander at #3C. We have immense depth down the middle now which is the most important factor for winning a cup.

We can make the playoffs this season if we stay healthy.

 

[ohheyhemsky]

We improved a tremendous amount this offseason.

Look at our team when Nelson came in. Significantly improved. Now we have a top tier coach in McLellan.

We've improved every facet of our team this offseason. Goaltending was improved with Talbot and Nilsson coming in. Defence was improved with Sekera, Gryba, and Reinhart, all of whom will push Ference out of our lineup. We must consider the improvement with age of Klefbom and Schultz as well. Nurse could force his way into our lineup too. We have a far greater competition to make this team.

As for forwards, we got McDavid. That's the most team changing acquisition of any team all offseason. He completely changed the fate of this franchise. We improve at the #4C position trading Gordon for Letestu, and we have a seemingly-improving Lander at #3C. We have immense depth down the middle now which is the most important factor for winning a cup.

We can make the playoffs this season if we stay healthy.

The single biggest attribute, IMO, to succeeding is getting out of the "current Oilers funk".

There's a stigma that follows these players that they're loser. I understand that we've added a lot this off-season, but we need to make sure that we create a new identity and progress towards some hopeful success.

I don't think it's any one player.

 

[Evilsports]

I'll be that guy;

We're going to make the playoffs this season.

I'll even predict that the player who makes the single largest contribution to this will be Mr Talbot.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

I'll be that guy;

We're going to make the playoffs this season.

I'll even predict that the player who makes the single largest contribution to this will be Mr Talbot.

I like the positivity, but are you feeling ok?

 

[McJadeddog]

The hill is too steep this year. But I think they'll at least be in contention until March 2016.

pretty much this... i think we might fall out of it in february, rather than march, but that is splitting hairs really

i expect we won't be an embarrassment this year, but will still miss the playoffs by 10-12 points

 

[Evilsports]

I like the positivity, but are you feeling ok?

Honestly, no! I'm just mending up from a wicked cold that my kids picked up at school, had the entire family sicker than seven hospitals for the last week. (That's my excuse if we don't make the playoffs.)

I really have high hopes for Talbot this year though. I feel like he is going to surprise a lot of us.