Grade the Oilers FAF

[oobga]

Keep Jackson involved in player negotiations is a big thing we learned. A marks for sure.

Still need a crafty GM to fix the D. Likely going to take some trades. Also need to get under the cap. The fun part is over.

 

[OfCorsiDid]

I liked Haas, lol.

never forget

 

[unicornBLOOD]

The defense and goaltending is good enough to get us into playoffs with another 100+ pt season.
We can make an add or two at the trade deadline and just go with what we have.

Getting under the cap is the next big challenge.

I really feel our top 4 D, when healthy has HUGE potential. They have pedigree, I know draft position doesn't mean everything, but it does show that, at least in one point in time, they were fairly highly regarded.

Nurse (7th overall)
Broberg (8th overall)
Bouchard (10th overall)

add in Ekholm, who is the perfect #2 Dman.

I could see this top 4 being great. I have to believe that Nurse was hurt, because he did not look good in the playoffs, he has looked so much better for the majority of his career. No doubt, he's overpaid, but if he's the Oilers 3rd D, he has the talent to be the best 3rd D in the NHL, I believe that. He needs a puck mover with him, Broberg can move the puck, he just needs NHL reps, to gain experience with the big club.


Bouchard is ELITE, 5th in Norris voting. Ekholm was probably a top 20 D last season, maybe top 15. If Nurse can get healthy and find his old game, and find some chemistry with Broberg. And Broberg can continue to improve and develop. This group could be scary good IMO.

 

[McFlyingV]

It's a significant concern. If we discount 2014-15 where he only played 6 games as a rookie, he's played 540/738 possible games over the last 9 years. Good for an average of 22 games missed per season or 27% of the max possible games missed.

But there's no question he's been consistently effective when he is out there and he did play 77/82 in 22-23.

Your numbers are a bit off. You didn't account for shortened seasons. 540/699 is the actual number, and I think last season is an outlier because he had surgery to his back before the season started so that he could be healthy for the playoffs. If we take out last year he has played 522/617 games meaning he averages 13 games missed on a typical year. Thats not insignificant, but he's still playing in 84% of his teams regular season games and hasn't missed much time at all in the playoffs.

The nice thing is you can easily plan for him missing 13 or 14 games, hell even 20 in the regular season because Perry can slide into the line up, and guys like Kane and Henrique can elevate to the top 6. To me it's a non-issue if he's healthy come playoff time.

 

[Salvaged Ship]

This is truly a cup or bust year and it starts with winning the division and gaining home ice, hopefully throughout the playoffs. My biggest concern in all of this is not addressing the proven vet goalie situation, they are all in it looks like with the Skinner/Pickard combo. I guess it can be addressed at the deadline if need be but it looks to be the biggest concern going forward. Hopefully Skinner can develop consistency and stop letting in softies, if not it comes down to scoring enough to make up for him giving up bad goals at times and we have seen how difficult that can be in the playoffs.

 

[TB12]

never forget

Rockstar shit.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

I'm surprised at the number of people thinking Brown's going to be on the roster.

Imo the 1mil salary makes him less likely to be on the NHL roster full-time, and I'd bet Kemp (and possibly Wanner) will be a mainstay on the main roster before him.


At the pro level, the Oil didn't really have a proper heavyweight. Nurse and Kane can moonlight, but neither of those two should be your main answer for fights (especially as we don't know when/if Kane will be back this season). In Bakersfield, their best answer to rough stuff just retired with Malone calling it quits.

There aren't as many situations where a fighter is needed in 2024, but seeing LA adding Edmundson and Jeannot on top of Englund tells you what direction they're committing to; and the AHL is also a notoriously chippy league. A heavy is still a need you need to fill.

 

[TheNumber4]

never forget

Gettin HAAS in hereee

 

[Oilhawks]

I'm surprised at the number of people thinking Brown's going to be on the roster.

Imo the 1mil salary makes him less likely to be on the NHL roster full-time, and I'd bet Kemp (and possibly Wanner) will be a mainstay on the main roster before him.


At the pro level, the Oil didn't really have a proper heavyweight. Nurse and Kane can moonlight, but neither of those two should be your main answer for fights (especially as we don't know when/if Kane will be back this season). In Bakersfield, their best answer to rough stuff just retired with Malone calling it quits.

There aren't as many situations where a fighter is needed in 2024, but seeing LA adding Edmundson and Jeannot on top of Englund tells you what direction they're committing to; and the AHL is also a notoriously chippy league. A heavy is still a need you need to fill.

Agree with this. I think at most, he will be the 7D rotating in for heavy games. I see Stecher or a prospect like Kemp getting more reps in rotation as the 3rd pairing RD.

Also, people have to start saying J Brown and C Brown, when I first started reading your post I thought you meant C Brown and nearly spit my coffee out

 

[Trafalgar Sadge Law]

K can't change vote but if this McLeod for Savoie thing goes through I'm changing my answer to A+.

 

[Kerberos]

A+ now.

If we upgrade on Ceci, Jackson becomes master of the Universe.

 

[Drivesaitl]

On paper the team looks really talented. For ticket sales the org got a lot of name players. Still, this team is old and slow headed into next season and gave up McLeod and Foegele two of our pace players.

Org has a tendency to get players after their prime. Perry and Brown still don't do anythign for me. Not sure why either was retained. In the case of Brown specifically two weeks in postseason doesn't make up for a year of playing shitty. Even in playoffs Brown was repeatedly healthy scratched and the pk was just as good without him. McLeod was the unsung pk player and Janmark. That said Janmark same boat as Brown. Didn't show his best till late in playoffs and I kind of wonder about that.

Skinner, Henrique, Arviddsson are skill players but of the 3 Henrique is the clear best and important to remember that in terms of what the others will bring to a lineup. Of them only Henrique is solid 200ft player and solid in playoffs. I like Arviddsson but age catching up and didn't get much done past couple playoffs. This last one particularly he was nothing. Arvie is another unknown coming back from serious injury and we just don't know how he will look. Skinner has never been in playoffs and is notably a player that will cheat forward.

As far as Savoie its fine to get a prospect bolster to our roster but he doesn't help us in the lineup next season so evaluated just on the one season window we lose McLeod, his pk ability, his goal suppression, zone exits and entries and one of the best pace players we had. We're not getting that pace back in adding multiple older players and retaining Perry and Brown.