Value of: Functional Toughness to the Oilers

macbowes

Registered User
Aug 1, 2022
505
781
Victoria
We don't need more grit or toughness, absolutely not something the Oilers are lacking in any meaningful way. The only mildly gritty player we lost off our roster from last year was Holloway. Desharnais wasn't really gritty, nor Foegele, obviously not McLeod, or Broberg, or Ceci. Not sure why you think this is something the Oilers need. It's not.

Oilers are going to be completely fine. They'll get a better pair for Nurse, hopefully in a couple months. We could use some speed on our bottom 6, especially good PKers. Now that's something we actually lost from last season to the current.
 

DJJones

Registered User
Nov 18, 2014
10,666
3,948
Calgary
Imagine getting bullied by the lowly Flames and having to go out to get toughness
I mean we have a big team. We added a bunch of huge guys in the last year and even our smaller guys aren't going to take shit.

Kadri, Backlund, pospisil down the center. Not big but they'll annoy the shit out of you. The lack of any response whatsoever from the Oilers was very apparent in the game
 

Double Dion

Jets fan 28/06/2014
Feb 9, 2011
11,751
4,534
I mean we have a big team. We added a bunch of huge guys in the last year and even our smaller guys aren't going to take shit.

Kadri, Backlund, pospisil down the center. Not big but they'll annoy the shit out of you. The lack of any response whatsoever from the Oilers was very apparent in the game
I don't disagree that the lack of response was very apparent. I just think it wasn't because there was no one who could have. Nurse and Bennett was a pretty close fight a few years back. There isn't anyone on the Flames roster right now who is really tougher than Bennett. Lomberg is probably the best fighter on our roster and he's 5'9" 180 ppunds
 

DJJones

Registered User
Nov 18, 2014
10,666
3,948
Calgary
I don't disagree that the lack of response was very apparent. I just think it wasn't because there was no one who could have. Nurse and Bennett was a pretty close fight a few years back. There isn't anyone on the Flames roster right now who is really tougher than Bennett. Lomberg is probably the best fighter on our roster and he's 5'9" 180 ppunds

Fights are meaningless though. They're rare and are mostly weak if they do happen. Like the Mantha Miller fight... big nothing.

It's the corner battles, its the forecheck, the scrums in front of the net. Even though the slash was nothing and I think Leon dove more than got hit. Finishing a few checks on McDavid. You can't let that shit happen. It's exhausting and demoralizing. Every goal we had a big guy in front of Skinner uncontested. If Hyman is in those spots I want Bahl to wreck him.

Obviously the Oilers are a more skilled team than us right now. Making it ugly can close the gap significantly. We got outclassed by Vancouver and Edmonton in the 1st periods. By the third we looked dominant.
 
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