Oilers hype: Is HF buying in on a 2024 run?

[BKarchitect]

The field looks pretty wide open this year. Vegas is the team to be out West - but they’ve never been such a demonstrable favorite that you can’t argue for the Oilers (or Avs or Stars).

Goaltending is a such a crapshoot. I don’t trust Skinner or Campbell but if you told me one of them has a top ten season or a red-hot playoff run this year, it’s not like that would be the most shocking thing in the world.

I think a lot rides on what kind of play you get from Nurse. Ekholm really settled that blueline down and was a huge acquisition - but they don’t have a Makar/Hedman/Pietrangelo/Letang superstar blueliner that all the champs seem to have. I’m not saying Nurse has to be that level but if he can cut down on the mistakes that’ll help.

We will see if the Oilers can create some short term flexibility at the deadline as well to add another key piece or two. There’s no reason for them to pearl clutch any pick or prospect. Everything should be on the table to win now. Everything.

It’s a flawed team but there’s no super team this year so the question with McDavid and Drai square in their primes - if not now, then when?

 

[North Cole]

So let me preface this by saying I am totally indifferent to Edmonton and in fact, if Florida can't win the Cup, would love to see McDavid lift it because he's insane. But I'm seeing them as a universal top 3 Cup pick (hell the Athletic has them as the highest odds to win) and I'm just not seeing it? This is a team that has not won a 3rd round game with McDrai and added Connor Brown, who is solid but I don't think anyone is calling him a superstar. Meanwhile you have Vegas running it back with essentially the same team, Dallas who was very close added Duchene for pennies on the dollar, and Colorado who are a legit team if healthy. I would have those 3 teams' Cup odds ahead of the Oilers in the west and would probably still put Carolina, Tampa, NJD over them in the East.

I make this thread only because I see all the buzz about this being the year and I'm just wondering if I've missed anything notable. Will be funny to bump this in June after they win the Cup in 18 games I'm sure.

Colorado are only legit because they won. While that seems obvious, it's kind of the issue with this site. They floundered for years in the second round. One year they got their shit together and won the whole thing. The site only gives respect to anyone in hindsight.

The whole "when healthy" thing might not work if Landy is permanently toast. There's probably 5-10 teams that can win in any given year, i don't see they the Oilers aren't one.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

No you couldn't. Leafs fail to score more than 2 goals a game in the playoffs routinely. They didn't lose due to their goaltending last year like the Oilers.

Sure they did. They lost in 5 games to a team that barely made the playoffs. Poor D and goaltending and their stars scoring zero goals in the series.

 

[The90]

Sure they did. They lost in 5 games to a team that barely made the playoffs. Poor D and goaltending and their stars scoring zero goals in the series.

Literally can’t win without scoring goals lol. They lost because they didn’t score, not because of d or goaltending. That’s an uneducated and dated argument.

 

[PensandCaps]

They have as good a chance as any with 97 and 29.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Literally can’t win without scoring goals lol. They lost because they didn’t score, not because of d or goaltending. That’s an uneducated and dated argument.

All 3 were factors. When you lose in 5 games there’s a number of areas that contribute to the loss, not just one. But I agree that the Leaf star players were missing in action too.

 

[Three On Zero]

Still a team trying to push into contender status, the on paper team is better than the on ice product we’ve seen in the playoffs the last couple seasons. I don’t see they changing this year with a lack of cap space to address their needs and the teams around them being able to stay competitive. They’ll need everything to go right for them this season

 

[The90]

Goaltending just makes no sense. Korpisalo was out of his mind and then suddenly we solved him. I kept thinking the same thing would happen to Hill but he just stayed out his mind and we kept giving up 2-3 goals in one minute. I feel of all the teams we gave Vegas the best run but that isn't really worth anything.

All we can do is see what happens.

Somehow the leafs make a goalie look like a vezina winner again every year and lose despite heavily outshooting them. It’s a crapshoot lol most dominant position in professional sports is a goalie IMO

 

[The90]

All 3 were factors. When you lose in 5 games there’s a number of areas that contribute to the loss.

Yeah. Totally. That’s why Bob had a very sustainable .940.

And Carolina needs to work on all 3 as well after Bob posted a series sweep .962 against them.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Yeah. Totally. That’s why Bob had a very sustainable .940.

And Carolina needs to work on all 3 as well after Bob posted a series sweep .962 against them.

Lol. Toronto seems to run into a hot goalie every year. Or maybe their star players just don’t show up. Hmmm.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

View attachment 750344
Live look at you switching up your argument. Literally read like 5 posts up and I say exactly that.

Reading comprehensions not your strong point. It’s all three factors as I’ve consistently said. When a team loses in 5 games there’s not just one factor at play.

 

[Skolman]

IMHO, it is all about staying healthy. In their division, the Knights and Kraken are going to be tough if they stay healthy. The Oilers will be tough if they stay healthy. Nobody know how those three will shake out. Kings are also a dark horse in the division if they can up their goaltending.

I agree with you.

I don’t agree with "They will be fighting for a Wildcard position".

I'd like to hear an argument as to how anyone but Vegas has the upper hand on them when it comes to that division going into this season.

 

[Czechboy]

Weaker on D and G. Nothing to do with McDrai. Forwards are as good as anyone.

We did see 2 decent goalies win a Cup but their D groups were much better than the Oil.

We are still built to outscore our problems.

Definitely a cup contender though.

 

[Face Of Bear]

Still bad D and goaltending.

 

[Sasha Orlov]

They’re due, McDrai are going to break through eventually

 

[Beukeboom Fan]

It's just fake hype. Publications putting Canadian teams high gets people to buy subscriptions or views or social media engagement. Edmonton is not winning anything with Skinner/Campbell. Edmonton has not shown any ability to get over the hump. It's just like the Leafs, they'll be ranked in top 5 Cup odds every year the next decade even though we all know the Coyotes probably have better odds at winning a Cup than that core.

Difference between Leafs and Oilers is Leafs have probably the best team in the league and just choke year after year, Oilers have McJesus and Drai but honestly the team around them is just bad. They can only do so much. McDavid is turning 27 this year. At 27 Gretzky had won 3 Cups and was traded to LA that off-season. It's criminal he hasn't even won a game past the 2nd round yet. Huge waste.

I don't think this is the case any longer. When healthy - Kane, Hyman, RNH, and Connor Brown are all legit top 6 options. They need Skinner and the blueline to continue to progress, but mostly - they need to be healthy IMO. One of the main reason Vegas beat FLA was that they were healthier, and that's a huge thing in the P/O's.

IMO - there Oilers are a legit team in the top 4 in the West (w/ LV, COL, DAL), and I wouldn't be surprised by any of those 4 teams representing the WC.

 

[Three On Zero]

Weaker on D and G. Nothing to do with McDrai. Forwards are as good as anyone.

We did see 2 decent goalies win a Cup but their D groups were much better than the Oil.

We are still built to outscore our problems.

Definitely a cup contender though.

I think if they can finally have success and actually keep McDavid/Draisaitl separated good things will come, unfortunately if they need to continue to play like a one line team they will struggle with teams who have depth

 

[Thomas Tatar]

As a long serving (sadly) Oilers fan, I never buy hype about favourites for winning the cup before the season starts. Many things have to break a teams way for them to go the distance.

There are plenty of teams that could win and would be deserving.

But the fact that the view about no depth outside McDrai still persists in so many fans is a really lazy and uninformed opinion. The defense is much better now with Ekholm and Bouchard emerging. They had a Calder candidate/All-star goalie as their ‘backup’ and Campbell looks to have regained his form. People seem to forget Nuge had a 100 point season and Kane is back healthy after a severe wrist injury plus Hyman had to be one of the best UFA signings in a while value wise. Brown looks like another Hyman if he can stay healthy. So please watch before you type ‘the team is crap outside McDavid and Draisaitl’.

The Oilers have lost to both eventual cup winners the last two seasons. And the Vegas-Oilers series was much closer than people give it credit for and in my opinion could have gone either way. Marchessault said as much after they won the cup that the Oilers were their hardest out. So that tells me they are definitely worthy of being in the conversation for the cup. But to reiterate, winning a cup is far more than what’s on paper.

 

[PaulD]

I mean draisaitl and mcdavid might drag them to the finals but I don’t think their team as a whole is good enough

Oil can probably beat anyone in the east in a series
but they likely won't get that chance as the west has too many tough outs in Knights, Stars, Kings, Aves. Anyone of those teams if not all will feast on the lack of depth oil have on bottom six, blue line and very iffy goaltending

 

[WetcoastOrca]

I’m also not sold on their coach. His go to move seems to be to play McDrai together when things start to go south. And his decision to ride Skinner last year in the playoffs despite repeated poor performances by him and solid showings by Campbell shows a guy who defers to the safe move instead of taking a chance to turn things around. Great coaches adapt in the playoffs but this guy hasn’t shown any ability to do that even with two superstars going super nova.

 

[LeafGrief]

I really miss the Canadian division. Getting the ridiculous Canadian fan conflicts just like this thread after every single game were so much fun. Florida Panthers fans try so hard, but nothing comes close to the shit slinging between Leafs and Oilers. This thread is just outrageous ad hominem after ad hominem, peak entertainment value.

As a pot calling the kettle black, the Oilers have no defense or goaltending. They have an outside shot just like every other mid-high end team. Before the puck drops on this season, they’re in a field of contenders with 6 or so other teams. There are more serious contenders like Tampa and Vegas above that. It could be the Oilers year in the same way it could be the Leafs’ year: not f***ing likely!

 

[The90]

Oil can probably beat anyone in the east in a series
but they likely won't get that chance as the west has too many tough outs in Knights, Stars, Kings, Aves. Anyone of those teams if not all will feast on the lack of depth oil have on bottom six, blue line and very iffy goaltending

Paul, you can’t be in here with the hard truths, it’s just not wanted. The folks are going to get a tad upset.

 

[Czechboy]

I think if they can finally have success and actually keep McDavid/Draisaitl separated good things will come, unfortunately if they need to continue to play like a one line team they will struggle with teams who have depth

I love our forward group and Top 6.

It's our Defenders and Goalies that scare the shit out of me. They're not awful by any stretch but I'm not sure if Campbell and Skinner are capable of being good at the same time for instance. Ceci playing 20 minutes a night in Top 4? I don't know. He's a great 4/5 to me but a middling 3/4.

We will score a lot. Our PP will be elite again IMO. Our forwards could even sustain a few injuries and still be good. Our D? Not really... one injury to Nurse or Ek and it falls apart fast.

But defending leads and winning close 2-1 games is something I didn't see much of. 5-4 wins.. oh yeah, we are good at that.lol

Our division is getting very tough too! LA hates us and they're improving. Colorado is healthy this season and could be a real problem. Knight's look great to me. Seattle is deep. I'd argue those teams have better D and G than us.

 

[VivaLasVegas]

I don’t agree with "They will be fighting for a Wildcard position".

Oh, that's just so much HF chirping. Means nothing. Last year's overwhelming HF consensus was that Vegas would be fighting for a wildcard spot. Heck, there have been some posts this season that Vegas will be lucky to get a wildcard because ..... whatever.

If I just had a nickel for every asinine HF conclusion, I'd buy my own NHL team and have enough left over to self-finance the stadium.

 

[Three On Zero]

I love our forward group and Top 6.

It's our Defenders and Goalies that scare the shit out of me. They're not awful by any stretch but I'm not sure if Campbell and Skinner are capable of being good at the same time for instance. Ceci playing 20 minutes a night in Top 4? I don't know. He's a great 4/5 to me but a middling 3/4.

We will score a lot. Our PP will be elite again IMO. Our forwards could even sustain a few injuries and still be good. Our D? Not really... one injury to Nurse or Ek and it falls apart fast.

But defending leads and winning close 2-1 games is something I didn't see much of. 5-4 wins.. oh yeah, we are good at that.lol

Our division is getting very tough too! LA hates us and they're improving. Colorado is healthy this season and could be a real problem. Knight's look great to me. Seattle is deep. I'd argue those teams have better D and G than us.

Campbell seemed to improve as his preseason games went on. He looked really shakey in the game against Calgary and then really good in the game against Seattle. I think we see some regression in Seattle and Calgary takes their position this year.