Are the Oilers a top 5 contender next season with Jack Campbell?

[belair]

Jesus. What did I say in your imagination that made you so salty?

I assumed that you were the one who posted the JFresh chart that I critiqued. My bad. I'm not sure what you said. It doesn't make sense and I'm not sure why you quoted me.

 

[NinjaKick]

Absolutely

 

[belair]

Shots allowed: Edm - 2050 Tor - 1993
Scoring chances allowed: Edm - 1854 Tor - 1771
High danger scoring chances allowed: Edm - 729 Tor - 701
xG allowed: Edm - 166 Tor - 155
5v5 defense (@HockeyViz): Edm - 0% Tor - -7%

Now do the stats after Dave Tippett was fired and the Oilers added Kane and Kulak. Because, you know, they were kind of a top team after those three came in.

 

[The Panther]

The best part about delusional Oilers fans (outside of them thinking the WCF was a very close series) is them thinking that Campbell is an upgrade on Smith/Koskinen. Holland paid double for a goalie that is, at best, a lateral move.

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The Maple leafs had the worst goaltending of any playoff team. And Campbell was a huge part of that.

Sorry, this is fairly ridiculous. It's sketchy, to say the least, to trust any one stat to form a conclusion on something as team/context-dependent as goaltending.

(Only in Toronto could fans conclude that a goalie with a .916 the past two seasons, a stellar 48-12-8 record, and a fine 17.9 GSAA was their team's problem.)

I haven't seen enough of Campbell to have any opinion on his quality of play, but as an Oilers' fan I'm very pleased with the (assumed) Campbell - Skinner combo for next season. There are question marks, for sure, but the previous combo (Smith - Koskinen) just did not work and was incredibly deflating at key moments. Also, the two seemed at odds with one another, with the result that the players were confused as to how to respond, depending on who was starting. It was just bizarre.

If Campbell and Skinner can just be friends and get along with one another, it'll be an improvement. And if they can not let in 135-foot flip shots in the playoffs, as Smith did, that'll also be an improvement.

The difference between the most elite goalies and the average goalies today, at the NHL level, is basically nothing. (The Avalanche just won the Cup, rather easily, with their back-up in net.)

 

[Chet Manley]

A shit defence with avergage-ish goaltending has never been a championship formula. Every defenceman will have to be better than last year and that seems like a big ask. Hope I'm wrong.

 

[Soundwave]

Nope. Avs exposed them as the team most of us thought they were. Average

Avs were a juggernaut.

The Oilers aren't an average team at all, maybe if you're counting on Nurse having a torn hip flexor and Draisaitl playing on one leg every year.

Avs are still probably in their own category (though I think that gap is slimming), but the Oilers can play with anyone else.

Under Woodcroft the Oilers had a .724 win percentage in the regular season (a 119 point pace) and then made the conference finals with their no.1 D badly injured the week before the playoffs start and their no.2 forward badly injured 5 games into the playoffs.

If that's average, what exactly defines "above average"?

 

[Soundwave]

A shit defence with avergage-ish goaltending has never been a championship formula. Every defenceman will have to be better than last year and that seems like a big ask. Hope I'm wrong.

The Oilers today would beat the Oilers that were in the Conference Final. Simply by virtue of Nurse not having a torn hip flexor and Draisaitl being healthy. So it's not really that big of an ask actually. On top of that Smith was basically injured in the 3rd game of the regular season and was never really healthy again after that (he admitted that in his post-season presser). So you're probably talking about a team that went to the Conference Final with arguably 3/4 most important players injured (no.2 forward, no.1 D, no.1 G).

 

[PULSATING]

People putting Flames above the Oilers stopped watching after the first round last year eh?

Talk about pretenders

 

[Captain Controversy]

I'm getting some good laughs with some hockey fans reactions to this thread.
Leafs defense better than oilers? Lol
Leafs are more of a contender this year? Lol that's a joke right?
Calgary favored over the oilers ? That's definitely a joke.

 

[Erik Alfredsson]

I think the Oilers get underrated because they've disappointed in the playoffs for the past few seasons, until this past year that is. Connor McDavid is the best player on the planet, and Leon Draisaitl is a Beast Mode Cowboy if I ever done seen one. It wouldn't surprise me to see them take it all next year, you gotta think McDavid wills his way to a cup at some point in his career, right?

 

[lionsDen]

As I see it

Colorado, Tampa, Calgary, Carolina, Rangers, Toronto, Edmonton,

In no particular order. I could see them too five definitely top 10

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Off hand the only teams that I'd 100% consider to be better would be Colorado, Tampa, Carolina and maybe the NYR. There are others that are probably in the same kind of tier, but some of them arguably got worse: TO took a hit in goal, Calgary is TBD in terms of how Huberdeau and Kadri fit in, Florida is TBD, Minnesota lost Fiala, LA gained Fiala and should have Doughty back so they are likely improved, etc. I don't see us in that top tier until some of our youth step up and we see what a full season of Woodcroft's coaching can do.

 

[lionsDen]

I'm getting some good laughs with some hockey fans reactions to this thread.
Leafs defense better than oilers? Lol
Leafs are more of a contender this year? Lol that's a joke right?
Calgary favored over the oilers ? That's definitely a joke.

I think Calgary is gonna be better this year the. They were last year. Johnny hockey has been notorious for disappearing in the playoffs as was MT. Kadri was money in Colorado. He can score and turn the other teams focus on him. Hube and weager are gonna thrive. I don’t think it’s a stretch to assume Calgary will be better. (Avs fan)

 

[Soundwave]

I think Calgary is gonna be better this year the. They were last year. Johnny hockey has been notorious for disappearing in the playoffs as was MT. Kadri was money in Colorado. He can score and turn the other teams focus on him. Hube and weager are gonna thrive. I don’t think it’s a stretch to assume Calgary will be better. (Avs fan)

You might want to look at Huberdeau's playoffs last year and his playoff history in general.

He makes Gaudreau look like a playoff superstar.

There's a reason the Panthers have never gone anywhere in the playoffs, now he's going to lead a franchise without Barkov driving the bus? Yeah we'll see on that.

Kadri has never been the "guy" on a team since the AHL, he's a decent player but he's better off when he's like the 3rd or really 4th best player on a team.

 

[Captain Controversy]

I think Calgary is gonna be better this year the. They were last year. Johnny hockey has been notorious for disappearing in the playoffs as was MT. Kadri was money in Colorado. He can score and turn the other teams focus on him. Hube and weager are gonna thrive. I don’t think it’s a stretch to assume Calgary will be better. (Avs fan)

Calgary won't get out of the gate. New players, lack of chemistry.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Except Colorado doesn't have the same depth any more, and really no one can actually stop McDavid or Draisaitl.

If the Oilers add more depth to their forward core they're going to be scoring at what? A 1980s Gretzky era rate? Like it's going to be ridiculous if they score any more than they already do under Woodcroft.

And they're not a "2 man team", Hyman and Kane and RNH can play too, they have a powerhouse of a top 6/7, that's just the reality of the situation.

You give McDavid and Draisaitl even a little help and it's lights out. You give them more depth on top of that? That will be a nightmare for the rest of the league.

McLeod and Holloway are promising players though and Janmark has been a decent bottom 6 player so I think they can improve on the bottom 6 as well with time.

Oh man, this has got to be nominated for one of the biggest homer posts of all time

You do understand "3.8 Goals Per Game" isn't even the best in the league right? 1 team was well ahead of that level last year, multiple others were at that same level.

It's amazing what those Oilers homer glasses can do to a person. Its more likely Edmonton misses the playoffs entirely then it is they are a Top 5 cup contender next year. An awful team outside of two individuals.

 

[Soundwave]

Oh man, this has got to be nominated for one of the biggest homer posts of all time

You do understand "3.8 Goals Per Game" isn't even the best in the league right? 1 team was well ahead of that level last year, multiple others were at that same level.

It's amazing what those Oilers homer glasses can do to a person. Its more likely Edmonton misses the playoffs entirely then it is they are a Top 5 cup contender next year. An awful team outside of two individuals.

Why don't you actually list the teams then that scored at higher than 3.8 GPG then?

In the playoffs the Oilers scored over 4 GPG.

They have a powerhouse offence that can get better. Evan Bouchard is going to be a big time point scorer from the blue line he's just getting started in the league, I don't think McDavid or Draisaitl even are maxed out, McDavid I think has another gear beyond this one. And what's the point of being the two best players on the planet if you don't make an absolute massive impact on the ice? I don't see any need to apologize for them being head and shoulders better than anyone on the team, if you replaced the Avs two top forwards with McDavid and Draisaitl they'd make the 3rd best forward left (Landeskog?) look like shit too. They're supposed to be that good.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Why don't you actually list the teams then that scored at higher than 3.8 GPG then?

In the playoffs the Oilers scored over 4 GPG.

They have a powerhouse offence that can get better. Evan Bouchard is going to be a big time point scorer from the blue line he's just getting started in the league, I don't think McDavid or Draisaitl even are maxed out, McDavid I think has another gear beyond this one. Sorry if that fact offends you, but it is what it is. And what's the point of being the two best players on the planet if you don't make an absolute massive impact on the ice?

Florida, Toronto... Colorado rested guys the final 2 weeks of the season and still finished at a 3.76. St. Louis and Minnesota were all above 3.72.

You're acting like 3.8 Goals is some insane number. Its not. Plenty of teams were in the same ballpark or significantly higher in Florida's case.

You sound like that one Oilers twitter Troll with insane homer takes strictly for clicks and interactions... I bet that's you.


Avs Defense had absolutely no issues containing the Oiler last year, and that defense is even better this year. Another easy sweep incoming(Assuming Edmonton actually makes the playoffs, far from a guarantee when you look at that Defense and goaltending).

 

[Soundwave]

Florida, Toronto... Colorado rested guys the final 2 weeks of the season and still finished at a 3.76. St. Louis and Minnesota were all above 3.72.

You're acting like 3.8 Goals is some insane number. Its not. Plenty of teams were in the same ballpark or significantly higher in Florida's case.

You sound like that one Oilers twitter Troll with insane homer takes strictly for clicks and interactions... I bet that's you.

3.8+ is a high number, as your post there just stated, even Colorado didn't score at 3.8 in the regular season.

4 GPG in the playoffs is borderline insane, Edmonton and Colorado are the only two team to score at that rate (3 rounds played minimum) in a playoffs in a season that didn't start in the 1980s or prior.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

3.8+ is a high number, as your post there just stated, even Colorado didn't score at 3.8 in the regular season.

4 GPG in the playoffs is borderline insane, Edmonton and Colorado are the only two team to score at that rate (3 rounds played minimum) in a playoffs in a season that didn't start in the 1980s or prior.

Nobody cares what you did to an LA Kings team that shouldn't have even been in the playoffs, or a Calgary Flames team that got one of the worst goaltending performances in history.

Edmonton got embarrassed the moment they faced a real contender. They aren't a better team this year, the Defense is still awful, the goaltending isn't any better and the forward depth is still awful.

 

[Soundwave]

Nobody cares what you did to an LA Kings team that shouldn't have even been in the playoffs, or a Calgary Flames team that got one of the worst goaltending performances in history.

Edmonton got embarrassed the moment they faced a real contender. They aren't a better team this year, the Defense is still awful, the goaltending isn't any better and the forward depth is still awful.

lol, Markstrom getting scored on breakaways and 2 on 1s is all his fault now? This board needs to get over their delusion and actually go rewatch that series, the Flames could not handle the Oilers speed or skill, the Oilers forwards ate their defence for lunch, and it wasn't just McDavid or Draisaitl either, Hyman and Kane and RNH were feasting too.

LA played their ass off and Todd McLellan threw everything he knew about McDavid and Draisaitl and the kitchen sink out there, but ultimately that series was more about the Oilers getting over their own internal demons and getting over the whole "lets feel sorry for ourselves just because it's playoffs and things aren't going our way". Calgary and Toronto still haven't learned that lesson.

Avs were the better team but they also benefitted from depth of a lot of lower paid contracts that aren't going to repeat, case in point they have had to give up Kadri and Burkaovsky and Kuemper because other guys need to get paid, MacKinnon will need a big raise soon also. So depth is fleeting in this league.

The Oilers have basically lost no one important which is a win in the sense that most of the top end teams lost important players.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

lol, Markstrom getting scored on breakaways and 2 on 1s is all his fault now? This board needs to get over their delusion and actually go rewatch that series, the Flames could not handle the Oilers speed or skill, the Oilers forwards ate their defence for lunch, and it wasn't just McDavid or Draisaitl either, Hyman and Kane and RNH were feasting too.

LA played their ass off and Todd McLellan threw everything he knew about McDavid and Draisaitl and the kitchen sink out there, but ultimately that series was more about the Oilers getting over their own internal demons and getting over the whole "lets feel sorry for ourselves just because it's playoffs and things aren't going our way". Calgary and Toronto still haven't learned that lesson.

Avs were the better team but they also benefitted from depth of a lot of lower paid contracts that aren't going to repeat, case in point they have had to give up Kadri and Burkaovsky and Kuemper because other guys need to get paid, MacKinnon will need a big raise soon also. So depth is fleeting in this league.

The Oilers have basically lost no one important which is a win in the sense that most of the top end teams lost important players.

1/3 literally didn't play a single game in the series(Kuemper), another 1/3 didn't play half the series(Kadri) and Burakovsky literally made the team worse when he played. A complete liability defensively and incapable of producing offense unless paired with a star player, a full season of Lehkonen will certainly erase Burakovsky's "loss"


Colorado got worse in one position, that's it. And they have almost $4M in cap space today as literally the only cup contender with cap space to spare heading into the season. They'll add a 2C at the trade deadline and once again stomp the West on the way to the cup final.

 

[Soundwave]

1/3 literally didn't play a single game in the series(Kuemper), another 1/3 didn't play half the series(Kadri) and Burakovsky literally made the team worse when he played. A complete liability defensively and incapable of producing offense unless paired with a star player, a full season of Lehkonen will certainly erase Burakovsky's "loss"


Colorado got worse in one position, that's it. And they have almost $4M in cap space today as literally the only cup contender with cap space to spare heading into the season. They'll add a 2C at the trade deadline and once again stomp the West on the way to the cup final.

Maybe they will, maybe they won't. If they do, they probably will be gassed for a third run because climbing that mountain a third time gets progressively more exhausting and there's a toll on the body that has to be paid, so the Oilers will have a window open at that point most likely either way.

I still think also everyone is talking about Campbell, but Francouz/Georgiev as a tandem could come back to bite the Avs in the ass.

 

[Devonator]

Very possible indeed though I don't see anyone in the West beating the Avs.....but anything is possible and the Oilers are clearly a team on the rise!

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Maybe they will, maybe they won't. If they do, they probably will be gassed for a third run because climbing that mountain a third time gets progressively more exhausting and there's a toll on the body that has to be paid, so the Oilers will have a window open at that point most likely either way.

I still think also everyone is talking about Campbell, but Francouz/Georgiev as a tandem could come back to bite the Avs in the ass.

Hasn't slowed Tampa Bay down...


Also, the Oilers window will not open. They are not a cup contender. That's the entire point of this thread. Nothing to do with Colorado. Edmonton is a two man team. They are not a contender.