- Oct 9, 2012
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Oilers hype: Is HF buying in on a 2024 run?
- Thread starter ucanthanzalthetruth
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logan5
Registered User
Oilers fans are just so devastated, I felt like they needed to hear something to take them off the brink.
Bixby Snyder
IBTFAD
If the Oilers don't win the cup this year McDavid just needs to demand a trade the f*** outta Edmonton.
Panthaz89
Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Panthers fan
They made the finals not too long ago but did get swept but that doesn't mean they aren't contenders....Canes were swept last season in the finals doesn't mean they aren't contenders.
- Oct 9, 2012
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They’ve yet to win a game beyond the 2nd round, that’s not a true contender. They are in the same tier as Toronto, pretender status.
Carolina also has a much tougher bracket to contend with in the East, but I wouldn’t consider them true contenders either
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Panthaz89
Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Panthers fan
- Oct 9, 2012
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Hippasus
1,9,45,165,495,1287,
I thought they went to game 7 in '06, when they played the Canes. Or was it a six game series?
Panthaz89
Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Panthers fan
Hippasus
1,9,45,165,495,1287,
Oops wrong thread
I did not and do not believe the hype.
We need at minimum a new defensive coach (Manson is bad) and we need to somehow move Nurse. His contract and crap play are hindering this team so greatly. Damn you Ken holland!!
Goaltending is often a reflection of team defense, it takes an elite goaltender or a goalie with zero pressure (impossible in Edmonton) to make the saves our tenders are expected to save. Those impossible to save goals against eat away at our tenders thinking “why didn’t I catch that one” and then they let in softies because they are overthinking. Our D is missing a #1 (Nurse is paid to be a #1 but IMO he is a good #3 and nothing more..) and we are missing a veteran 7th. Our 7th’s are both AHLers. That is not even close to cup calibre imo
I did not and do not believe the hype.
We need at minimum a new defensive coach (Manson is bad) and we need to somehow move Nurse. His contract and crap play are hindering this team so greatly. Damn you Ken holland!!
Goaltending is often a reflection of team defense, it takes an elite goaltender or a goalie with zero pressure (impossible in Edmonton) to make the saves our tenders are expected to save. Those impossible to save goals against eat away at our tenders thinking “why didn’t I catch that one” and then they let in softies because they are overthinking. Our D is missing a #1 (Nurse is paid to be a #1 but IMO he is a good #3 and nothing more..) and we are missing a veteran 7th. Our 7th’s are both AHLers. That is not even close to cup calibre imo
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- Oct 9, 2012
- 32,543
- 31,482
Hippasus
1,9,45,165,495,1287,
logan5
Registered User
Somebody start another Nurse thread, because I'm still trying to figure out Oiler fans stance on him. Is a a #1 d or obscenely over paid?
I get called a troll on HFOil for presenting my feelings on Nurse.
IMO he is not even close to sniffing “#1 NHL D” status. He is extremely overpaid and his contract has damned the oilers. He is about as smart as Gudas but he tries to play like he is Erik Karlsson.. constantly out of position, screening his tender, getting bad penalties, I could go on..
EdmFlyersfan
Registered User
It's a big deal because McDavid forced players to report to camp early to start the season strong...lol.
The Panther
Registered User
The Oilers definitely have a shot at winning the Cup either this season or next season. (After that, contracts leave it up in the air and age of some players starts to become a factor.) "A shot" doesn't mean that they're the favorite, but it means they have about as good a chance as anybody.
Absolutely key to this chance, however, is the health of Mattias Eckholm. In the small number of games he played last season, Eckholm was the Oilers' best defenceman since Chris Pronger 17 years ago. Forget salaries---Eckholm is undoubtedly the Oilers' top blueliner. He was so good that, if Nurse and Drai hadn't been hobbled (as usual) in the playoffs, the Oilers might have got past Vegas and might very well have won the Cup last spring.
Stuart Skinner was great last year and will be better this year. He's a good enough goalie to win a Cup with already. The forwards are great and can score. No problems there.
The Oilers' Achilles Heel, as we all already know, is the defence core. With a healthy Eckholm and a small step-up from Deharnais and/or Broberg, their defence suddenly becomes about average. No better than average at best, but maybe average is good enough to win it all if things fall into place.
For now, we wait and see if they can beat Vancouver in the regular season....
Absolutely key to this chance, however, is the health of Mattias Eckholm. In the small number of games he played last season, Eckholm was the Oilers' best defenceman since Chris Pronger 17 years ago. Forget salaries---Eckholm is undoubtedly the Oilers' top blueliner. He was so good that, if Nurse and Drai hadn't been hobbled (as usual) in the playoffs, the Oilers might have got past Vegas and might very well have won the Cup last spring.
Stuart Skinner was great last year and will be better this year. He's a good enough goalie to win a Cup with already. The forwards are great and can score. No problems there.
The Oilers' Achilles Heel, as we all already know, is the defence core. With a healthy Eckholm and a small step-up from Deharnais and/or Broberg, their defence suddenly becomes about average. No better than average at best, but maybe average is good enough to win it all if things fall into place.
For now, we wait and see if they can beat Vancouver in the regular season....
Nathaniel Skywalker
DIG IN!!! RiGHT NOW!!!
- Oct 18, 2013
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Czechboy
Češi do toho!
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It occurs to me that if the Oil had won the game 8-1 and all us Oil fans were on this thread showing it as proof that we are winning the Cup then all the posters would say 'calm down, you guys suck and it's only 1 game'.
Just a thought. Curious how tonight goes.
They need 2 Ekholms. 1 healthy and back and another D like him on the other side.
Easiest way to fix the goaltending is to improve the D.
Just a thought. Curious how tonight goes.
They need 2 Ekholms. 1 healthy and back and another D like him on the other side.
Easiest way to fix the goaltending is to improve the D.
Sure. But the Oilers beating one of last years bottom feeders with a goalie battling the flu by an 8-1 score would not have been nearly as shocking. Just one game but not a good sign when a team with designs of contending for the Cup comes out that flat.
At the end of the day though it’s just one game as you say.
Czechboy
Češi do toho!
- Apr 15, 2018
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Honestly, most of us cycnical Oiler fans have said that our Top 4 is missing a guy. A game like this might put some urgency on trading for a Top 4D like Ekholm. Have to be creative, have to give up something but it's possible and hopefully Holland saw that. This game may end up being a blessing in disguise. Or Holland does nothing and believes the answer is 'in the room'. Only hope is that Bro becomes a Top 4D by trade deadline. I'm 50-50 on that but that would solve everything as he does project to be something like an Ek on that backend.
As as far as the Nucks... I actually like their team a lot. Great goalie, really nice D core (I like Hughes and I love Hronek as I'm very bias towards my Czech players) and some great forwards. They may not be bottom feeders this year! I think the West is going to be a much tougher conference this season. Last year I'd say the East was insanely good. This year... lots of West teams look really solid to me.. My Oil, LA, Dallas, Colorado healthy, Flames, Nucks and the Knights all looking to be pretty good. But time will tell.
My view before game 1 was that we will easily make playoffs but we aren't built to win a cup unless we improve our G position or improve our D. 1 guy away. Which is as close as the Oil have been in awhile. Ironically, a guy like Adam Larsson is exactly what would make us better.lol
Mr Positive
Cap Crunch Incoming
- Nov 20, 2013
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Sure Oiler fans would have made a lot of that outcome but imo the answer to both situations would have been the same. It would have been making something out of nothing either way
Sometimes teams get blown out. It doesn't mean a lot.
The other pitfall is to make individual critiques, good or bad, in a game like that. We can bash Nurse, Bouchard and Campbell but almost everyone was awful. I'd also hesitate to use this game as proof that Ekholm is the missing piece. The Oilers bought him at the deadline because they were a good team already.
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Raistlin
Registered User
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That's the problem with hype. It's game 2, and it's already high pressure that McDrai &co have to beat a borderline bubble team to be considered legit. Honestly, if they come out flat and lose with Ekholm in lineup, what would the excuse be in that market?
HockeyVirus
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