Who is the most physical top 9 forward on the Oil?

[Rafters]

My guess would be Yakupov or maybe Gagner... Pretty sad state of affairs to be honest. Totally unacceptable from our management team to expect this team to physically compete with any other NHL team when nobody in the top 9 can even throw a hit. I can not think of a least physical top 9 I have ever seen in the NHL.

Player games played Hits

1 Nail Yakupov EDM 4 4
2 Ben Eager. EDM 1 3
3 Sam Gagner EDM 4 3
4 Teemu Hartikainen. 3 3
5 Eric Belanger EDM 4 2
6 Lennart Petrell EDM 4 2
7 Jordan Eberle EDM 4 1
8 Taylor Hall. EDM 4 1
9 Shawn Horcoff EDM 4 1
10 Darcy Hordichuk EDM 1 1
11 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins 4 1
12 Ryan Smyth EDM 4 1
13 Ales Hemsky EDM 4 0
14 Magnus Paajarvi EDM 3 0

Click to read more...

 

[guymez]

I couldn't agree more. Just a butter soft top 9 to be sure. I couldn't even pick a player for the poll.

Thats why I created a thread a while ago about the lack of toughness (grit) in the top 6...I think its a major issue. The third line doesn't really help that cause at all.

Its not even just about grit...this team desperately needs a quality top 6 veteran player because these kids will get destroyed defensively as the season wears on.

 

[lakai17]

Hall at the moment, Yakupov can hit as well.

Pursue Ryan O'Reily.

 

[Forgot About Drai]

Honestly, probably Yak..

 

[The Nuge]

Yak, but Hall can hit the hardest

 

[GretzkytoKurri9917]

Yakupov.

 

[OF17]

When healthy, I'd pick Jones. Still not a good thing.

 

[Moonlapse Vertigo]

He shouldn't be counted on to do it but I was really impressed with the way Yakupov asserted himself with that one hit near the Flames bench last night. But yeah, the entire team is soft as hell.

 

[BadMedicine*]

Gagner has been our toughest most consistant forward this year by a longshot in every area of the game,and he is the perfect role model for Yakupov,lose Hemsky and add MPS and that line comes to offensive life like nobodys business.When Ryan Jones returns he will be a sparkplug for the top two lines when we need him he may not be top 9 but he can play anywhere in the top 9 with his energy vision and versatility.

The general idea is to execute a system where we negate the players size differential,not to stubbornly play a dumpin game and a fasbreak system that requires medium to small players to provide system support that requires big size.

Gagne and Yakupov are hitting so much because they are being fed to the wolves because of Hemmers weird puck-hogging style and his crappy positioning for his passes from deep in the zone,you need bigger slower power forwards to support hemmers one dimensional moves and passes.Guys who can come into the play after Hemmer is already deep ,and come from the middle and establish a static netfront presence,like Smyth and Horcs can do consistantly.Our first line is playing dump and chase so they are focusing on puck recovery not laying big hits.Remember our 2nd line is tied to hemskys umbilical cord so they are even worse off they are playing a one man possesion game and only getting minimal shots from a limited area on the ice.

Gagner just looks better and better every year,he really looks stronger this year and is winning more puck battles by far than he is losing.

 

[Rafters]

Ryan Callaghan - 5'11 190 lbs- 24 hits
Steve Ott - 6'0 190 lbs - 21 hits
Leo Kamarov - 5'10 190 lbs - 19 hits
Chris Kunitz -6'0 190 - 15 hits

Don't have to be big to play physical.....but it helps

No size in the top 9, and a 5"11 185 lbs , 18 yr Russian rookie is ou most physical player.....well done Tambo, Lowe and MacT....

 

[Supermassive]

I actually thought of making this thread earlier in the season, but it was too depressing, haha.

I'll pick old balls Smytty.
At least the kids are keeping their heads up this year.

 

[Tarus]

It's just a woefully soft team.

People fixate on the top 6, but the bottom six might just be softer. Horcoff, Smyth, Paajarvi, Belanger, Petrell, Hartikanen is just outright soft, slow as molasses, and don't bring a high level of defensive play or leadership to compensate for those deficencies.

Personally I'd like to see the Oilers move Hemsky for a big, physical left winger to help balance out the top 6, and then just outright overhaul the bottom 6. They aren't going anywhere as a team until they start supplying support to the top 6 with well trained and effective defensive players capable of winning puck battles on the other lines.

 

[sepHF]

Hartikainen needs to step up and be that guy

 

[Rafters]

It's just a woefully soft team.

People fixate on the top 6, but the bottom six might just be softer. Horcoff, Smyth, Paajarvi, Belanger, Petrell, Hartikanen is just outright soft, slow as molasses, and don't bring a high level of defensive play or leadership to compensate for those deficencies.

Personally I'd like to see the Oilers move Hemsky for a big, physical left winger to help balance out the top 6, and then just outright overhaul the bottom 6. They aren't going anywhere as a team until they start supplying support to the top 6 with well trained and effective defensive players capable of winning puck battles on the other lines.

The defence is not much better....

Fistric and Smid with 8 hits...Petry with 7 ...Whitney with 3 and then the Schultz with 2 each

 

[Tarus]

The defence is not much better....

Fistric and Smid with 8 hits...Petry with 7 ...Whitney with 3 and then the Schultz with 2 each

And Fistric has only played 2 games.

Whitney won't be here much longer unless he has a major turn around, so there will be some room to possibly add a more physical defensive type who can break the cycle and win puck battles in the defensive end.

But the defense isn't quite as bad as the forward corps with regards to physicality. They are getting killed more in their positioning lately, and focusing on being too aggressive under Kreuger's system so far in this season.

 

[Chef10]

we dont have one i wouldnt say any of them are physical

 

[Njoy Oilers]

Nothing I've seen in 4 games helps me pick a clear fav. I think Gretz was tougher than these guys.

 

[Mc5RingsAndABeer]

There's no point in trying to get tough if we're putting guys who can't play into our top 6/top 9.

Our secondary scoring blows. We need these guys up there.

 

[GretzkytoKurri9917]

Nothing I've seen in 4 games helps me pick a clear fav. I think Gretz was tougher than these guys.

 

[Patch101]

is there a none option?

 

[Njoy Oilers]

Thanks. Just proved my point. Hall didn't fair much better, nor Gagner. Add a krecji type player and everything changes.

 

[BowDangles]

I think Hall is the most physical out of those 9 when he wants to be. The reason I say when he wants to be is because that line is more concerned about puck retrieval than laying a big hit. That being said, if you watch the Gagner goal at the end of the Flames game, Hall comes flying in and hit a flame pretty hard to cause the turnover which lead to Gagner's goal..
I would like to see more of that, Hall seems to play his best when he is physically engaged.

 

[TheBusDriver]

Smyth is definitely the most physical overall.

 

[Psychoil]

I think Hall is the most physical out of those 9 when he wants to be. The reason I say when he wants to be is because that line is more concerned about puck retrieval than laying a big hit. That being said, if you watch the Gagner goal at the end of the Flames game, Hall comes flying in and hit a flame pretty hard to cause the turnover which lead to Gagner's goal..
I would like to see more of that, Hall seems to play his best when he is physically engaged.

THIS! THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WE ARE MISSING IN OUR LINEUP!


we need guys who can go in, forecheck and hit defence hard and cause turnovers, that means more puck possession, which means less time spent in our own end, which means more 5 on 5 goals.


I'll put everything on the fact that this is our main problem. I watch every other team, and they seem to hit, forecheck, and get chances. They don't always score cus their not as skilled as our top forwards

 

[Titsuple]

oh man, the brass need to get on this stat. Time for a big move