Don't think the Oilers can really use the division excuse, the Pacific is probably the weakest division in hockey.
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Don't think the Oilers can really use the division excuse, the Pacific is probably the weakest division in hockey.
BoldNewLettuce
Esquire
Dont agree but whatevs. Regardless you want to play young if you're doin leafs model.
As opposed to the Oilers model of ...?
Both teams are young and should be young, why would you want an old team around a 21 year old McDavid.
BoldNewLettuce
Esquire
As it relates to next season? Absolutely the Oilers are probably going to have problems scoring when ever McDavid is not on the ice.
That's not really a mind blowing comment, I think any realistic Oiler fan knows that's likely the truth.
On the plus side, if we miss the playoffs again, it's pretty much a lock that Chia is goners and we may have a shot at hiring someone competent. So I guess it's kinda win-win either way if you want to look it as such.
Either they have a good season or we finally get out from under this toxic management and can get serious about building a real team around McDavid.
BoldNewLettuce
Esquire
if they have horrid defense and goaltending, yes.
if the team actually plays as a unit than no. drai is more than enough to get you by........vis a vis Las Vegas
Vegas had multiple good scorers on multiple lines though ... asking Draisaitl to carry a line without much help is not a fair ask really.
He's not Evgeni Malkin.
Without McDavid on the ice we are probably one of the crappier teams in the NHL, that's just a reality. Doesn't mean it will be that way forever, in a couple of years a smart manager could turn this around very quickly once Yamamoto, Puljujarvi, Bouchard get their legs under them and you can maybe get up from under that Lucic contract and add perhaps a high end winger for Leon to create with via draft or trade.
If you can find a manager that doesn't get bent over in trades and negotiates harder on contracts, this can turn fairly quickly, we just need to get that ASAP, hopefully one year from now we have that and can get serious about building a real contender at some point.
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BoldNewLettuce
Esquire
None of them were proven. Maybe neal and perron. Certainly not the same level of players the oilers/or most other teams have.
Honestly I'd caution against any of the "yeah but Vegas did this ...". Vegas is very likely a very singular situation where you had a fair bit of depth upfront mixed with a pissed off coach with a chip on his shoulder coaching a team with zero expectations who all had a chip on their shoulder.
The situation is hard for a regular NHL franchise to replicate. Marchessault was coming off a 30 goal season so I wouldn't say he was totally unproven. Karlsson scored at a rate better than Stamkos and Tavares, that was out from left field, but the odds of that happening for the Oilers ... lets be real here.
If we can get even 45 points from any of Reider, Yamamoto, or Puljujarvi, that's probably a big win for us.
BoldNewLettuce
Esquire
Its not just vegas.
Every team has players you should be wary of.
They figure out how to work within the team and make the best of it.
Honestly if guys like trokchek and slavvin have value then the oilers are a ok. Just need to come together.
29 other teams are looking at Vegas and saying "why can't we do that". It's not easy to replicate, if it was, every team would just do that.
Why bother with high draft picks and development and shrewd trades when you can just "hockey voodoo" your way to a good team. Granted the Oilers also don't have the benefit of a charity draft where they get to choose one player from each team.
This group doesn't have a lot of chemistry either, they're not a fresh group like Vegas starting from scratch. We already know for example Lucic and McDavid is a failed experiment. It's actually remarkable how many players on this team really don't have great chemistry with each other.
If keeping McDavid/Drai/RNH/Pulju/Klefbom/Nurse/Larsson was an option and we had a chance to jettison the rest of the team into outer space, starting from zero and pick one player from each team in a charity draft, I'd glady take that.
BoldNewLettuce
Esquire
The team is honestly McDavid + a roster that would finish in last place if he missed any significant time.
BoldNewLettuce
Esquire
They are picking no.1 over all if McDavid misses any significant time let's be honest.
If Draisaitl is hurt for a chunk of time they are probably back in the 70 point range.
They're not like Toronto or Winnipeg that can miss Matthews or Schiefle for 20 games and still crush 100 points. When the Oilers can do that, then they are legit.
Until then, they are a pretender-bubble team most likely just like Calgary.
BoldNewLettuce
Esquire
If everyone plays as expected they are a playoff team. The key thete is talbot.
Every team can say that. Flames fans will tell you if Smith doesn't get hurt they are a playoff team. Chicago fans will say they only missed because of Crawford's vertigo until then they were on pace for 90+ points. Dallas will say if everything went right for them they make it.
And none of them are wrong really. Making the playoffs is not necessarily about how good you are when everything is 100 percent perfect for you. Teams like Winnipeg that top 100 points even with Schiefle hurt-- that's when you know you got a legit core.
BoldNewLettuce
Esquire
The team with a vezina candidate yes. Winnipeg. Nashville. Tampa. Toronto. Maybe colorado.
WPG has done that exactly once, lets see them repeat it before we start crowning them, and in the last 3 years have the same amount of series wins as the oilers.
IMO the fact that they did it with Schiefle hurt for 20 games shows a lot.
16-17 Oilers don't sniff 103 pts if they had to play 20 games without McDavid or Drai.
I think they are legit, stealing Kyle Connor at 17th in the 2015 draft was huge for them, their forwards corps is elite.
Colorado I'm more curious as to whether they can repeat that.
Trafalgar Sadge Law
Registered User
- Nov 8, 2007
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Man too bad we were never in a position where we could've selected Kyle Connor.
Peter Chiarelli is the best Islanders GM since Bill Torrey.
We weren't, cuz if we had stayed at 16 then Barzal would have been the pick no questions asked.
The two best players at that spot, had they taken either one they would be miles ahead of where they are today and McDavid would potentially have a chance at a Cup window in his first 4-5 seasons.
If they just threw their poop at the wall and put the 4 top ranked players at that 15 spot up on that wall, they would've had a 50% chance of getting either Barzal or Connor. Throwing poop at a wall would've helped the Oilers more than their draft logic.
It doesn't matter which roster I would rather have, the fact is that WPG has won 1 playoff series in their existence, maybe lets wait before crowning them.
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