KeithIsActuallyBad
SPEEN!
It's not the loss I'm lamenting, it's the lack of replacement.
The Oilers' defense right now is iffy at best when healthy.
Confirmed with Link: Oilers Do Not Match Broberg ($4.58M X2) & Holloway ($2.29M x 2) Offer Sheets | Oilers acquire STL 3rd '28 & Paul Fischer for Futures
- Thread starter Myride
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The Oilers' defense right now is iffy at best when healthy.
McDNicks17
Moderator
Just to put a bow on this, and I outlined it in my previous post, that I can understand why people were ready to let them go (change their mind on them) because their true value of being cheap contract high upside young players went poof once the OS were signed, the "copium" comment was more in reference to those saying that they weren't good anyway so no big deal that they moved on after this forum being almost universally excited about their future here after the playoff run.
Fourier
Registered User
I have no doubt he is past his prime. But a prime Arvidsson as a UFA at today's cap situation cost you $7-8M . At $4M to earn his contract he does not have to be close to that guy.
Health is always a concern with older players. But at best he has to be a 2nd/3rd line tweener who plays a solid two way game.
KeithIsActuallyBad
SPEEN!
Yes, if only... well, never mind.
My biggest fear for the upcoming season is an injury to any of the defense, leaving us extremely lean in an area that's already a weakness. We also don't exactly have a wealth of assets to outbid other teams.
What are they replacing? A bottom pairing guy who was a disaster alongside Nurse and a guy who was scratched in the last 2 rounds although granted he did play a role in getting them to the Conference Finals more through regular season play as he was poor in the playoffs.
They essentially replaced two bottom pairing guys with.....two bottom pairing guys with one of those bottom pairing guys being 24 so there's at least a possibility of more with him whereas the two departed guys were what they were.
The real loss is Broberg long term. THAT will be tough to replace. In the short term, I'm not worried about it much at all tbh because I know this won't be the defense going into the playoffs. They can win a division with this defense.
McDNicks17
Moderator
Teams deal with injuries all the time. That isn't anything unique to this team.
Florida had Uvis Balinskis(yes, that's a real person) play in their top4 for games last year. Worked out pretty well for them.
Behind Enemy Lines
Registered User
3
When you make the toilet paper and hold the toilet paper in a secured warehouse safeguarding its access and dictating its low cost use to you, it is fair to ask how someone gets in and steals it and then tries to sell it back to you at at a price you can't afford but could if you sell off other stuff.
In real life terms we just came through a global pandemic of fear buying scarcity like toilet paper binging to world wide inflationary reality as all the pent-up, latent money is now being spent. There's psychology in that too. Suddenly everyone can afford toilet paper and choose to steal your hoarded, cherished supply which you wrongly assume was safe and cheap.
Lol. Once upon a time ago was July 1 until August 13 (though truly the whole season leading into it). They let a toilet paper thief come in and swipe not one but both of the team's two NHL ready young counted on cheap contracts. A historic precedent. Sure they could have bought back at a new market price imposed because of their inaction and assumptions no one would dare table an offer sheet with $5 million more infused into the league's cap system and more projected raises to come each subsequent year after.
The cost was presumed cheap, quality players and salaries. That they had control over for a month and a half without any alleged offer off of an initial $1.2 million. The issue is why be passive for that extended time with a relationship that had been strained to point of a trade request months before.
When you make the toilet paper and hold the toilet paper in a secured warehouse safeguarding its access and dictating its low cost use to you, it is fair to ask how someone gets in and steals it and then tries to sell it back to you at at a price you can't afford but could if you sell off other stuff.
In real life terms we just came through a global pandemic of fear buying scarcity like toilet paper binging to world wide inflationary reality as all the pent-up, latent money is now being spent. There's psychology in that too. Suddenly everyone can afford toilet paper and choose to steal your hoarded, cherished supply which you wrongly assume was safe and cheap.
Lol. Once upon a time ago was July 1 until August 13 (though truly the whole season leading into it). They let a toilet paper thief come in and swipe not one but both of the team's two NHL ready young counted on cheap contracts. A historic precedent. Sure they could have bought back at a new market price imposed because of their inaction and assumptions no one would dare table an offer sheet with $5 million more infused into the league's cap system and more projected raises to come each subsequent year after.
KeithIsActuallyBad
SPEEN!
It doesn't get talked about enough around here but the Oilers defense was essentially entirely healthy with the exception of Ekholm during the first month of the season.
That's certainly the hope. The systems masked the deficiencies but that can only go so far.
It's a pipe dream but if Nurse could actually play up to his contract....
TopShelfGloveSide
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CantHaveTkachev
Cap Space > NHL players
and that's a poor strategy IMO
how many "championship caliber" teams are searching for a 2nd pair d-man during the season? maybe the Avs in 2022 with Josh Manson and that defense was deep already with Byram, Girard and Johnson able to play 2nd pair
something the Oilers don't have the luxury of...depth
KeithIsActuallyBad
SPEEN!
McDNicks17
Moderator
Florida added Montour, Tampa added McDonagh and Savard, Vegas added Hanifin, etc. Teams add top line forward all the time at the deadline.
I'm not really sure where the opinion that championship caliber teams don't look to add players at the deadline comes from.
What exactly have they lost that isn’t covered off by the guys they signed or traded for?
Tyler Wright set this team back with his crappy drafting.
1997 - 2000 was bad. So was 1984-1990.
Awful.
TopShelfGloveSide
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Putting that on Ekholm being not 100% is such a stretch. Come on.
How so? Imploding your roster and throwing away any accrued cap in case of injury is dumb.
KeithIsActuallyBad
SPEEN!
It's a variety of factors but it was still one of them. Counting on the entire defense to be healthy for the full season (and beyond) is a little shortsighted.
oXo Cube
Power Play Merchant
McLeod for sure. Arguably Ceci depending on how you view him.
I am not in this weird new camp that thinks these losses are situation critical, though.
CantHaveTkachev
Cap Space > NHL players
I'm talking about the same season
Florida's top 4 d-men were set before the season last year, TB's was too, and same with Vegas...now maybe we get lucky and Emberson turns in Mikkola, but I'm not banking on that
on D? Ceci, Broberg and Desharnais are better than Emberson, Stetcher and J. Brown
clear downgrade
McDNicks17
Moderator
All four were added mid-season in seasons the teams were considered Cup hopefuls.
Contenders add impact players all the time at the deadline/in season. Maybe not top line/top pairing guys but plenty of top 6 forwards/top 4 Dmen get acquired. The Oilers don't need a high impact guy for the 2nd pairing, just somebody to stabilize the pairing so Nurse doesn't have to go all wild horse all the time to compensate for an overplayed D partner.
And who knows, maybe Emberson can grow into that guy. Likely not but you never know and it'll be interesting to see what he's made of compared to the Cecis and Desharnais of the world where we knew what we were getting with them.
Also, I don't know how well Emberson skates but it'll be nice to see some mobility on the right side for a change with he and Stecher, I assume he skates better than Ceci and Desharnais. Watching those two lumber on the ice handling pucks like grenades was a chore to watch and a complete mismatch with the Oilers forwards.
TopShelfGloveSide
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One of them. Yes.
Whole season and beyond? Who is saying that? The whole point is to wait so we can have cap to acquire a D later in the season.
alphahelix
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In today’s NHL you don’t get away with gaping holes in the lineup. If you have a soft 3rd pair it will get decimated, if you have non-NHLers out there you’re in for a bad time. The games are tight. We lost a 1 goal game in game 7 to Florida with a strong roster.
McLeod, Holloway, Broberg all out is a huge loss of team speed and youth.
Broberg Desharnais Ceci being out is a huge loss of elite opposition defenders and SIZE.
If you’re talking about competing for a cup, it’s ALL about the margins. McDrai can’t carry 10000 lbs, you need to lighten the load. We could have used an upgrade to guarantee a cup, now we have a downgrade. The window is closing too, with the team getting way older. The noose is tightening.
KeithIsActuallyBad
SPEEN!
While I don't think it will happen, I remember this being the strategy back in 2018 and we all know how that season ended.
That defense just worries me. Hopefully Skinner and the defense hold.
TopShelfGloveSide
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I agree it’s a downgrade but is it a big enough downgrade to justify throwing away the accrued cap and whatever players needed to clear the cap?
