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

[EdmFlyersfan]

Draisaitl has only 1 year left after this one with the Oilers...wonder how he is feeling about re-signing...

 

[zar]

Draisaitl has only 1 year left after this one with the Oilers...wonder how he is feeling about re-signing...

If he does, it will be a 1 year contract expiring the same time as McDavid… then he and McDavid either both stay or both leave. I’m guessing the latter.

If I’m the Oilers I do not let either one of those guys walk for nothing. I try to trade both McDavid and Drai in season next year if you don’t come to an agreement with Leon by mid season. The reason you trade them both is you aren’t extending Connor without Leon being here and I’m not letting either one walk away for nothing.

 

[thaman8765678]

This isn't the NBA, you can't win by having 2 elite players. You still need help from the rest of the team.

And the Oilers have a bottom 5 defense, bottom 5 goaltending and the stars on their team don't commit to team defense. Which you need in the playoffs.

 

[EdmFlyersfan]

If he does, it will be a 1 year contract expiring the same time as McDavid… then he and McDavid either both stay or both leave. I’m guessing the latter.

If I’m the Oilers I do not let either one of those guys walk for nothing. I try to trade both McDavid and Drai in season next year if you don’t come to an agreement with Leon by mid season. The reason you trade them both is you aren’t extending Connor without Leon being here and I’m not letting either one walk away for nothing.

Maybe the Oilers start to field offers for Drai in the offseason if his intentions are to leave when his contract expires and after this season's failure...

 

[zar]

Takes more than a pretty looking roster with lots of points to win a Stanley Cup.

You want to know which teams win in a cap league? The teams that have the roster that has attention to detail. That is focused on winning the 1 on 1 battles. Know why "doing the little things right" is such a well worn hockey cliche? It's because it's f***ing true, it is an absolute truism of winning hockey. You need a coach that inspires that kind of top to bottom to a man play. The Oilers score goals and can score goals and will score many more goals. Unfortunately for them that's only half the game. The other half is keeping goals out.

Agreed.

Also, players playing their own game.

What I mean by that is; we don’t need the 4th line trying to play like McDavid and Draisaitl in the offensive zone… or defensive zone.

Maybe the Oilers start to field offers for Drai in the offseason if his intentions are to leave when his contract expires and after this season's failure...

If he isn’t willing to negotiate a long term contract, then his intentions are clear, and I would agree. Try to trade both of them this off season. You can’t let let those types of assets walk for free. Of course, it’s their choice, they both have NMCs.

 

[puckguy97]

Maybe the Oilers start to field offers for Drai in the offseason if his intentions are to leave when his contract expires and after this season's failure...

It's a shame that Boston couldn't find a way to hang onto Orlov, as I would have been up for a blockbuster trade based around McAvoy. But Carolina is otherwise the only other team who could stand to sacrifice from their D to upgrade at C.

 

[Leaf Fans]

I doubt anyone is jumping to conclusions but this is the same team as last year with no changes in the offseason. So we already saw this exact Oilers team in regular season and playoffs plus this game and know that they have weak D and weak goalie. What makes you think Campbell or Skinner will become prime day Hasek when we have known they were mediocre since last year and for Campbell it's many years lol. Also the mighty Oilers D consisting of Kulak, Nurse, Ceci, Bouchard, Broberg and Elkhom doesn't scream top 3 cup contenders. I will give them Elkhom, he is a good D but the rest aren't that good imo. Canucks D is similar and people here mock them for that being the reason why they won't make the playoffs. Not sure why Oilers get a pass for that terrible D and goaltending tandem just because they have McD and Drai on the team.

Lol

 

[CycloneSweep]

This isn't the NBA, you can't win by having 2 elite players. You still need help from the rest of the team.

And the Oilers have a bottom 5 defense, bottom 5 goaltending and the stars on their team don't commit to team defense. Which you need in the playoffs.

IF the Oilers have awful goaltending and a bottom 5 defense, how were they not a bottom 5 team in goals allowed?

 

[Figgy44]

Campbell is still a tire fire, but I think this roster can scrape by with Skinner if they add a Pesce-type defender on the right side to balance out Nurse's adventures in the d zone plus a REAL third line center (no, Ryan MLleod doesn't count). Even then, they probably still require another bottom six C:

Kane-McDavid-Brown
RNH-Drai-Hyman
McLeod-XXX-Foegele
Janmark-YYY-Ryan

Nurse-ZZZ
Ekholm-Bouchard
AAA-BBB (Kulak and Ceci probably both have to be traded for the cap to add the above skaters)

Skinner
Campbell (or other after he's waived)

The Flames tried this before and it didn't work. Coincidentally, it coincided around the same time a when we had Smith in net.

We shored up the d corps using assets (should have ponied up extra and targeted a young goalie with those assets instead in hindsight), we had defensive systems, we had defensively responsible bottom 6 (Hathaway, Mangiapane, Janko etc.)... if a team doesn't trust a goalie, it won't work. If it was as easy as acquiring Pesce for the Oilers, more power to them. But from a Flames POV, because we tried stuff like that in the past and it didn't work, the same would potentially transpire and I would assume that it wouldn't work for the Oilers either.

Now that being said... Pesce + a goalie upgrade (if it could be swung) IMO would go way further than improving more than half of that bottom 6.

 

[jackjohnson]

IF the Oilers have awful goaltending and a bottom 5 defense, how were they not a bottom 5 team in goals allowed?

The Oilers spend more time in the O zone with McDavid dancing with the puck. Again when a team is dominating in the O zone they spend less time in the D zone thus give up less chances. But if they don't dominate the O zone that's when they would be in trouble.

 

[jackjohnson]

If he does, it will be a 1 year contract expiring the same time as McDavid… then he and McDavid either both stay or both leave. I’m guessing the latter.

If I’m the Oilers I do not let either one of those guys walk for nothing. I try to trade both McDavid and Drai in season next year if you don’t come to an agreement with Leon by mid season. The reason you trade them both is you aren’t extending Connor without Leon being here and I’m not letting either one walk away for nothing.

Drai looks pissy because he has to live in Edmonton. The one guy i see with a high flight risk is Drai. He has all the signs and symptoms of someone that is itching to leave once his contract is done. Kind of reminds me of Pronger. Not sure about McD, seems like a loyal dude but Drai is a different story imo. I also think he will ask for 13 mil or more which Oilers can't afford along with McDavid. A team can have one highest contract in the league player in their roster or maximum of 2 if different positions like F and D. But I don't see why a team should be the highest and 2nd highest salary in the league for same positions. And if Oilers do that, well, they would never win a cup being too top heavy.

 

[TheRumble]

If he does, it will be a 1 year contract expiring the same time as McDavid… then he and McDavid either both stay or both leave. I’m guessing the latter.

If I’m the Oilers I do not let either one of those guys walk for nothing. I try to trade both McDavid and Drai in season next year if you don’t come to an agreement with Leon by mid season. The reason you trade them both is you aren’t extending Connor without Leon being here and I’m not letting either one walk away for nothing.

Ken Holland is not going to be the guy who traded the two best offensive players in the game. They are extending or leaving in free agency. There is no trade happening.

 

[Kimota]

Never bought into current day Oilers or Leafs. Badly built teams with too many holes. Sad that generational talents are wasted like this.

 

[daver]

Never bought into current day Oilers or Leafs. Badly built teams with too many holes. Sad that generational talents are wasted like this.

The whole team is a Gang de Losers!

 

[34]

Bingo. The Oilers re-arranged some deck chairs, but basically same team. Never could understand the optimism that Campbell would miraculously become substantially better.

The Oilers are a 2 player team with one of the worst D in the league.

 

[DingerMcSlapshot]

Too many selfish players. Too many players playing above their role. Two bad goalies. A moron for a coach. A senile GM. Oilers should trade Draisaitl now. Shore up some holes to have any chance to make some noise.

 

[EdmFlyersfan]

I wonder if McDavid next year will be asking the Oilers players to start training in June?

This year his "call-to-arms" and making players come to camp early was a disaster.

 

[VivaLasVegas]

Draisaitl has only 1 year left after this one with the Oilers...wonder how he is feeling about re-signing...

Draisatl feels like ..... $15 million. Re-signing Draisatl will probably eat up all the Oilers' cap increase, and McDavid's re-signing will suck up the rest and much more the following year, i.e., the Oilers' depth beneath their two superstars is likely to get even worse.

So, the 22-23 season may be their last season when their window is fully open as measured by depth issues (which are already pretty bad).

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

So, the 22-23 season may be their last season when their window is fully open as measured by depth issues (which are already pretty bad).

you forgot about the 23-24 season

 

[logan5]

Oilers fans are reading way to much negativity into that 8-1 loss. First off, the Canucks are an improved team, and second, because of the horrid starts the last few seasons, the Canucks treated that first game of the season like it was game 7. The next game will be interesting for both Oilers and Canucks fans. Will the Oilers play better? Most assuredly. Will the Canucks make it a game, even with the Oilers in major revenge mode? It would be a huge positive sign if the Canucks can go toe to toe.

 

[dealwithit]

It'll be difficult bringing them both back now that they've given that anchor contract to Nurse

 

[Three On Zero]

Draisatl feels like ..... $15 million. Re-signing Draisatl will probably eat up all the Oilers' cap increase, and McDavid's re-signing will suck up the rest and much more the following year, i.e., the Oilers' depth beneath their two superstars is likely to get even worse.

So, the 22-23 season may be their last season when their window is fully open as measured by depth issues (which are already pretty bad).

Nurse, McDavid and Draisiatl could cost upwards of 40 million combined

 

[Three On Zero]

Oilers fans are reading way to much negativity into that 8-1 loss. First off, the Canucks are an improved team, and second, because of the horrid starts the last few seasons, the Canucks treated that first game of the season like it was game 7. The next game will be interesting for both Oilers and Canucks fans. Will the Oilers play better? Most assuredly. Will the Canucks make it a game, even with the Oilers in major revenge mode? It would be a huge positive sign if the Canucks can go toe to toe.

Canucks didn’t treat it like a game 7, they still had a depleted roster and completely outclassed Edmonton. Edmonton came in too cocky and paid for it

 

[Nemesis Prime]

Of course all the dorks come outta the woodwork after game one.

Pack it in Oilers, your season is done.

 

[34]

Nurse, McDavid and Draisiatl could cost upwards of 40 million combined

Nurse is the most overpaid player in the league. Worst contract in the NHL.