Who gets the Oilers new A?

[LaGu]

Drai this season is most likely going to be playing with Connor. I dont think it makes sense to have an A and the C on the ice 90% of the time.

This isnt about disrespecting a player for me...its about representation.

No disrespect intended, I just feel like there needs to be a really strong reason, really really strong, not to give a player like Drai an A. Lots of players with C and A play on the same line. Nurse would be my option after Drai, but still he is clearly a level below.

50 goals, 100+ pts. Pts are not everything of course, but still. That is a heavy load he is carrying, on ice leadership. Maybe Larsson gives up his A (or is asked to do so), then I get Nurse, but not before Drai.

Edit: I am trying to think of/find other examples of this situation but it's a bit late in Europe and I am on my phone, I look tomorrow but I doubt very much that a team with such a dominant player as Drai (with respect to the others apart from McD) haven't given an A if available.

Edit 2: for repressntation purposes, McD is on the ice the most with Drai, Nurse, Nuge and Larsson (in that order). Nurse's most common linemate after Russell is McD.

 

[Skolman]

Fun fact Neal wore the A in Vegas and had a letter in Calgary as well.

Also think Gagner is not a bad choice but don't his his play on the ice can justify it.

He was also an assistant captain in Nashville.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Write-in vote, but I'll go with Gagner.

Has been through the highs and lows with this team, and has never shied away giving emotions spark, but has generally always been positive in how he acts towards the game and his teammates.

Would be interesting to see if Tippett leans that way. Gagner played a somewhat different game in Arizona under Tippett and he was getting toi, and getting rewarded with Hanzal or Doan alternately. People forget that the Yotes were so parched for offense that Gagner was ahead of any other Yote in pts one season. Only OEL had 2 pts more.

Don't be surprised if Gagner is flying out of camp this year and in recent years he's been stronger on his skates and on the puck and weighing in at 20olbs with a low Center of gravity.

Sam Gagner has done a lot of things to stay in the league. He's done a lot of physical work and has a pretty substantial gym in his offseason home.

Sams trouble is he played most of his career in a bigger player era. He's done what he's had to do to develop a man body.

 

[Drivesaitl]

No disrespect intended, I just feel like there needs to be a really strong reason, really really strong, not to give a player like Drai an A. Lots of players with C and A play on the same line. Nurse would be my option after Drai, but still he is clearly a level below.

50 goals, 100+ pts. Pts are not everything of course, but still. That is a heavy load he is carrying, on ice leadership. Maybe Larsson gives up his A (or is asked to do so), then I get Nurse, but not before Drai.

Edit: I am trying to think of/find other examples of this situation but it's a bit late in Europe and I am on my phone, I look tomorrow but I doubt very much that a team with such a dominant player as Drai (with respect to the others apart from McD) haven't given an A if available.

Edit 2: for repressntation purposes, McD is on the ice the most with Drai, Nurse, Nuge and Larsson (in that order). Nurse's most common linemate after Russell is McD.

Surprisingly I don't have a horse in this race. If the team senses that Drai wants it officially then they probably give it to him. If he wants to not have it as a distraction then they don't give it to him. Everybody knows (by now) how crucial Draisaitl is to the team and a 50 goal 100pt season guarantees respect league wide but also guarantees that much more pressure on Leon.

We saw a legendary season from Drai, but it could be the best ever, could be his career year, who really knows?

 

[Soliloquy of a Dogge]

McDavid, Draisaitl and Nurse should be wearing the only 3 letters on this team. Obviously the latter two as assistants.

 

[super6646]

Fun fact Neal wore the A in Vegas and had a letter in Calgary as well.

Also think Gagner is not a bad choice but don't his his play on the ice can justify it.

For one or two games I believe at the end of the season. Monahan, Tkachuk, and Backlund held the A's throughout the year though. Hammer also had it a few times when injuries had arisen.

Anyway, this is obviously Mr. German.

 

[guymez]

No disrespect intended, I just feel like there needs to be a really strong reason, really really strong, not to give a player like Drai an A. Lots of players with C and A play on the same line. Nurse would be my option after Drai, but still he is clearly a level below.

50 goals, 100+ pts. Pts are not everything of course, but still. That is a heavy load he is carrying, on ice leadership. Maybe Larsson gives up his A (or is asked to do so), then I get Nurse, but not before Drai.

Edit: I am trying to think of/find other examples of this situation but it's a bit late in Europe and I am on my phone, I look tomorrow but I doubt very much that a team with such a dominant player as Drai (with respect to the others apart from McD) haven't given an A if available.

Edit 2: for repressntation purposes, McD is on the ice the most with Drai, Nurse, Nuge and Larsson (in that order). Nurse's most common linemate after Russell is McD.

As I said...this really has little to do with disrespecting a player. I just prefer Dmen to forwards when it comes to wearing a letter because they are on the ice more than forwards.
IMO Connor (the main forward) already has a C.

I dont think that makes me right...just how I see things.

Ultimately though it doesnt really matter all that much to me.

 

[Porkleaker]

Drai has easily earned it, but if he doesn't want it then I suggest giving it to Puljujärvi to blow up his ego, maybe he'll play with confidence then?

 

[T-Funk]

Drai has easily earned it, but if he doesn't want it then I suggest giving it to Puljujärvi to blow up his ego, maybe he'll play with confidence then?

Giving a whining quitter a letter might just destroy any good will they had with every single other player. Hopefully we can get his confidence back through other means.

 

[Porkleaker]

Giving a whining quitter a letter might just destroy any good will they had with every single other player. Hopefully we can get his confidence back through other means.

Was kidding, but he clearly needs some help. Maybe just not playing with Lucic will suffice.

 

[CookiesAndMilk]

Easy choice. Drai ofc.

 

[Niten Ichi Ryu]

Draisaitl, Nuge and Nurse should be the Lieutenants

 

[lakai17]

Klefbom but wouldnt mind Drai with the A as well.

 

[Zenos]

If it were up to me:

name 4 captains like they used to (2 home, 2 road). Nugget-Hopkins, Larsson, Draisaitl, Gagner.
But really, all of this is just projection / conjecture as I have no idea what the dynamic is like in the room.

 

[ijk]

Seeing the list of candidates makes me realize how the Oilers don’t have almost any veterans on the team anymore (like Hendricks or Letestu).

In the old school view of wanting the captaincy to be given to those who exemplify hard work and dedication being rewarded (despite a clear lack of skill), ala. J. Smith and Staios, I voted for Russell, but I can see that I am in the minority here. I just have a soft spot for players who have to sacrifice themselves to be able to contribute positively. That is why I also would give it to a defenceman instead of a forward in a perfect scenario. However, as we all know, there is no perfect scenario at place here. Therefore Draisaitl would likely be the best candidate, although I am not as high on giving letters to young forwards as others are. But this is all kind of pointless for us fans to ponder since we do not have proper knowledge on how individuals in the team work and communicate outside of the rink.

When I played soccer our team had a vote on captaincy after every single season. Despite this vote, or maybe because of it, we had the same person as the captain for over a decade. The alternates changed time to time, as people tended to vote based on different criterion. I voted for those who were quiet devoted leaders (I also didn’t like our permanent captain as I saw him as being more of a bully than a leader), while others wanted outspoken people to be captains.

This doesn’t take into account the fact that many players didn’t want to have anything to do with being given any form of the captaincy, either due to fear of not wanting to be a leader or then just due to the fact that they didn’t want to be responsible for negotiating with the referees if anything funny happened on the field.

With all this being said, as some have stated,
Gagner would be an interesting choice since he has been a long time member of the team. I also own his jersey which has the A sown to it.

During the dark years he was my favourite Oiler, since despite being a hobbit, he actually would take a beating for the team’s sake. This can be best exemplified by the fact that he had a couple of fights against bigger foes, while the perceived big bad boys didn’t fight or retaliate when our young players took a beating.

To me, he was what Eberle, Hall and RNH were not. He was and is a a self sacrificing Oiler to the last bone of his body.

 

[KidLine93]

McDavid, Draisaitl and Nurse should be wearing the only 3 letters on this team. Obviously the latter two as assistants.

What’s your issue with RNH. I see him as next in line to McDavid as far as the leadership group goes. Longest standing oiler. Not a single hint of bad media in his entire time here. Still performs on the ice with some of the toughest minutes/ line mates to deal with. I don’t see a single scenario where nurse would jump past him.

 

[Soliloquy of a Dogge]

What’s your issue with RNH. I see him as next in line to McDavid as far as the leadership group goes. Longest standing oiler. Not a single hint of bad media in his entire time here. Still performs on the ice with some of the toughest minutes/ line mates to deal with. I don’t see a single scenario where nurse would jump past him.

I have nothing against RNH. Stop making things up.

 

[KidLine93]

I have nothing against RNH. Stop making things up.

So you would strip him of his A for nurse and draisaitl? You clearly said they should be the only ones wearing letters.

 

[HockeyGuy1964]

I'm quite shocked at how many are just endorsing Draisaitl for an A like there's no other choice. I kinda remember him being accused here of pouting when he was taken off McDavid's wing.

 

[BudBundy]

Klefbom would be my choice. Draisaitl deservedly will get a lot of support but since he’s almost always on the ice with the Captain, I think logistically that is a negative.

We mere mortal fans obviously cant know the personalities of these guys in the room so it’ll rightly be up to the players and coaches as per usual.

 

[ElysiumAB]

Let Connor wear both.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

I voted for Drai

But in terms of practicality, having a letter means you have the ears and the respect of the officials, so I always found that 2 players with letters playing on a line to be redundant.

In a perfect world, I'd usually balance it as:
Top 6 / PP
Bottom 6 / PK / Veteran / 'Character' guy.
Dman

 

[nabob]

Going with Nurse.

He’s a natural leader on the ice and off of it.

Drai has yet to show much leadership in his game. I could see them waiting another year for him to improve his two way game and ability to work away from McDavid.

Don’t get me wrong, Drai is an absolute stud and when he’s giving it 100% he’s one of the ten best forwards in the world IMO.

 

[Magnum23]

I'm quite shocked at how many are just endorsing Draisaitl for an A like there's no other choice. I kinda remember him being accused here of pouting when he was taken off McDavid's wing.

Thats true can see him being the Kane of Edmonton. Great player and huge part of the team’s success but never wore an A during the 3 Stanley cup runs!

 

[Del Preston]

Let Connor wear both.