Do You Think The Oilers Have Done Enough To Help McDrai Win The Cup?

[MakeTheGoalsLarger]

even if they end up winning , my answer is no.
pathetic gm'ing from that franchise.

 

[Tasty Biscuits]

Earlier in their careers, nah. But more recently the rosters looks better. But coaching continues to handicap them. Anytime McD and Drai play together at even strength is a huge disservice to the team.

 

[bambamcam4ever]

Earlier in their careers, nah. But more recently the rosters looks better. But coaching continues to handicap them. Anytime McD and Drai play together at even strength is a huge disservice to the team.

The fact the every coach the Oilers have had puts them together is a strong indicator to who is really running the show in Edmonton.

Look at today's game. Edmonton had won 4 in a row, why would Draisaitl need to play with McDavid? And the answer is because McDavid didn't score in the last 2 games. It's all about the individual numbers for him over the good of the team.

 

[Brookbank]

With this being McDavid's 10th year and the 10th year of McDrai, have the Oilers done enough in your opinion to help arguably the best duo in the league win the cup?

No. Stuart Skinner doesn't have the agility to be a cup contending starter. And that's no offense to him

 

[eojsmada]

I'm not convinced with this roster. They still need to add, but not sure how they can with no real assets other than a late first rounder to throw around. But they will most assuredly have to add. Probably a Dman.

 

[Zarzh]

The last offseason was awful.

 

[JianYang]

The oilers management is the equivalent of a gamer finding the ultimate cheat code but still not competent enough to beat the game.

 

[OilWagon]

The fact the every coach the Oilers have had puts them together is a strong indicator to who is really running the show in Edmonton.

Look at today's game. Edmonton had won 4 in a row, why would Draisaitl need to play with McDavid? And the answer is because McDavid didn't score in the last 2 games. It's all about the individual numbers for him over the good of the team.

They didn't start the game together, did you even watch it? Knoblauch put them together because the Oilers were down 3-0 early, and sure enough their line responded by scoring.

 

[oba]

The oilers management is the equivalent of a gamer finding the ultimate cheat code but still not competent enough to beat the game.

cheat code needs to include all star goaltending.

 

[Lazytrout]

Never seen a franchise fall ass backward this hard into being a contender, from the decade of darkness to present, yet here they are.

 

[Bounces R Way]

cheat code needs to include all star goaltending.

Stuart Skinner, noted one time 2022-23 All Star Goalie. Numbers have done nothing but get worse since. Just like basically every goalie that plays for the Oilers since Roloson. The fact none of these GMs have turfed Dustin Schwartz, the Oilers goalie coach for more than a decade now, should be proof enough they aren't really running the show. That it's likely more of a big fat committee all collecting big fat Darryl Katz signed paycheques.

Teams make goaltending much more than goaltending makes teams. Penguins won 2 cups with Matt Murray who is more or less out of the league. Knights won recently with Adin Hill who was Joe Blow before he got there. Canucks, Bruins, Rangers have all had great tending for years and years why? Because they are just getting lucky? Don't think so.

 

[Crow]

Bowman has had both hits and misses as a GM at the trade deadline. He is almost certainly going to make a pretty substantial move IMO. Will wait to see what it is before I decide. Up until this point they have not done enough.

 

[ozzie]

I personally don't think so, last year was the chance, they just showed up in game 4 instead of game 1. I don't expect them to make the finals again or even come close. It starts with the 2 top players and their contracts. Goaltending is still the same incosistent mess and the defense still has Nurse. Current NHL with cap is really difficult to manage even with the best of GM's.

I really hope they prove me wrong. Now that the Canucks have so quickly imploded from last year, not sure who is Canada's cup hope.

 

[Cup or Bust]

I am not very confident in Skinner as a goalie but he was garbage most of the playoffs last season and is one of the worst starting goalies in the NHL and they still almost won. If they can do anything significant at the deadline, which is expected they will try to do, and are healthy when the playoffs start they should have a good shot this season

 

[Rorschach]

They neither have the defense or the goaltending on ice, they don’t really have the coaching or the front office either. They do have a full cap hit though.

 

[Kuz]

They have struggled with cap space and are giving out some crippling deals to goalies and defencemen. That make the supporting cast just not good enough. If they wanted to go all in they should have traded firsts to acquire targets and get rid of bad deals.

 

[TheGreenTBer]

Clearly not, but they’re going to do it anyway.

I agree.

 

[ijuka]

Haven't done nearly enough, no. Especially Chiarelli set the team back some 5 years.

 

[daver]

Pens had 106 points in a season both Crosby and Malkin missed the entire second half (10-11). Oilers are in the cellar without McDavid and Draisaitl.

After Crosby got injured, the Pens went from #3 in PTS % to #12 the rest of the way and lost in the first round of the playoffs. They were a PLUS 31 before injury and a PLUS 1 afterwards, so they were a bit lucky to be at the point % they were.

As for the OP, it needs to be repeated that the 2009 Pens had an inferior supporting cast to the Oilers in 2022, 2023 and 2024.

 

[McShogun99]

Chiarelli essentially butchered the first 4 years of Mcdavids career that Holland had to practically rebuild the team to get them where they are today. The Oilers had to spend the first few years under shill and learning how to win in the playoffs.

 

[daver]

Absolutely no shot.

Letang>Bouchard
Murray in his first 2 years>>>>>>>>Skinner
Fleury>>Skinner (as a whole)
Kessel>Kane/Hyman/RNH

If Kessel and Murray don't play out of their f***ing minds, we could live in a world where Sid and Geno had just one cup which goes to show you how important help is (the two best players alone can't do it, i.e Edmonton right now).

You know that Letang didn't play a minute of the 2017 playoffs right? And Kessel's production was nothing special in 2017; certainly not better than anything Kane or Hyman did.

The Crosby/Malkin tandem is more proven than the McDavid/Draisaitl tandem. IMO, Draisaitl is the weakest link as he has not shown that he can carry a line like Malkin did in the playoffs regardless of the quality of linemates/teammates.

McDavid is an offensive force; Crosby is an all around force.

 

[TheLegend27]

The fact the every coach the Oilers have had puts them together is a strong indicator to who is really running the show in Edmonton.

Look at today's game. Edmonton had won 4 in a row, why would Draisaitl need to play with McDavid? And the answer is because McDavid didn't score in the last 2 games. It's all about the individual numbers for him over the good of the team.

Yeah, the guy who has 0 empty net points is totally trying to pad his stats, instead of trying to generate offense to secure a higher seed, and thus an easier playoff matchup.

Putting McDrai together after being down 0-3 is different than starting them from the first whistle.

 

[daver]

In terms of legacies, like Jagr and Ovechkin, you would have hoped for more from McDavid but sometimes things are out of your control. Crosby set a high standard for winning in the cap era/30 plus team league that is perhaps unreasonable to expect from other GOAT talents.

Him and Drai have been pretty fortunate with injuries to compile great numbers so hard to feel too bad for them.

 

[JoeSakic13]

needs more Skinners imo

Four should do the trick.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

They didn't start the game together, did you even watch it? Knoblauch put them together because the Oilers were down 3-0 early, and sure enough their line responded by scoring.

It's a process though, who cares if they lose one game. Ultimately you want two dominant lines. Let them work through it. Them knowing they'll be put back together at the slightest hint of trouble is a crutch. Crosby and Malkin didn't play on the same line for like 15 years straight, no matter the score.