Around the League Thread | Pre-Season Approaches
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But but Oilers fans think they’re the deepest team in the league with Skinner and Arvidsson!!
VanillaCoke
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- Oct 30, 2013
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wrong again, i was told repeatedly its basically the best top six of all time and scf is guaranteed.
The all offense team added more soft small offense only players = cup favorites ainec.
I had no problem with the moves the Oilers made until they got rid of their speedy options in McLeod and Holloway.
sting101
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- Feb 8, 2012
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Well if Vegas Florida and Tampa has taught us anything it's that when you're as close as the Oilers were the last couple years it's probable they are as good of odds as anyone to win it all this year.
They did make a weird shift in totality away from some fast young play driving players and better defence to older slower forwards (better on paper) that may help come playoffs by not making mistakes but also may fizzle out over the long season and put too much heavy lifting back onto McDrai.
Plenty of time to make some changes but that could backfire big time if guys like Hyman RNH Skinner Henrique and Arvidsson start to hit that age 32/33 wall.
As a rival i would love to see it
They did make a weird shift in totality away from some fast young play driving players and better defence to older slower forwards (better on paper) that may help come playoffs by not making mistakes but also may fizzle out over the long season and put too much heavy lifting back onto McDrai.
Plenty of time to make some changes but that could backfire big time if guys like Hyman RNH Skinner Henrique and Arvidsson start to hit that age 32/33 wall.
As a rival i would love to see it
Peen
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- Oct 6, 2013
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Oilers lose a depth forward who apparently had a decent camp in Lavoie.
This is actually hilarious. Oilers board having a melt down
Edmonton loses more youngish depth who had a good camp in favour of Derek Ryan / Corey Perry. Love to see it.
No question they are a top team. They should be among the favourites but I don't think they are THE favourite. They have some pretty significant holes that will continue to require McDrai to outscore. And they are coming off a long season now and sometimes that doesn't go well.
But in terms of picking the favourites there isn't actually much thought put into it by media. If asked to pick 4 the template would be:
- the defending champ if they haven't had major roster changes
- the runner-up if they weren't a cinderella team
- a conference finalist the previous year
- add in one team that could surprise.
Ernie
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- Aug 3, 2004
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How would you choose a favourite? Who do you think is the favourite this season?
Perhaps I would choose Dallas if they hadn't have handed out $7m to two barely replacement level defenders this offseason.
The Oilers have holes but so does every team.
Oilers have very little organizational depth. But the plan will be to play McDavid and Draisatl 25-30 minutes a game. Not something that usually works well for players that aren't D-men.
Personally I believe the Panthers remain the favourite. Even with Montour leaving I'm not sure I see any real obvious holes on that roster. They are top 6 heavy up front but I think I like their bargain forwards better than most. And they play the right way to go deep in the playoffs.
Edmonton's run was pretty unusual IMO. Not that they weren't a good team but other than LA any team could have taken them out I think. They got outplayed a lot in rounds 2 and 3. Especially against the Stars. I fully believe the Stars were the best team in that series. A PP+PK > 123% where both the PP and PK are at high numbers will be extremely hard to replicate and that was likely the deciding factor in rounds 2 and 3. (The year before it was a similar PP+PK but the PK was dreadful and PP ridiculous in round 1. Round 2 it began to fall apart and they got dominated 5-on-5). We will see what happens of course but I think the Oilers are worse defensively to start the year and they are much slower. They will be good but I don't think they got better.
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Ernie
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So the cup winners from last season? Isn't that basically the same thing you were complaining about?
Peen
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Wonder if they'd be a team interested in making trades for these guys who've already slipped through waivers like Gage Goncalves, Bolduc, etc. whatever.
They're not even close to the 50 contract limit right now.
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I wasn't "complaining" about anything. I was just saying that when the media puts together lists like that they put little thought into things. It's a template. There are often no real reasons behind the selections they make. It's like picking who is going to score the OT goal....it's gut feel. That's all.
When you dig into things I don't think Edmonton should be a distinguished favourite but in a tier with numerous other teams because I don't think they got better this summer. At all. I think they got worse and they caught lightning in a bottle with the PK which likely won't happen again. They went from a team regularly below 80% PK to nearly 95% in the post-season.
Ernie
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Well a lot of people think they got better with their moves. I'm not sure I agree, but again, you haven't really set out any better criteria as to how to pick a favourite.
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