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

[WetcoastOrca]

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.

I agree on Seattle. They don’t have the stars but they’re such a well coached team with so much depth everywhere and just come at you in waves with four speedy and physical lines.

 

[HockeyVirus]

Every year, since you started your second account, you’ve had the Oilers missing the playoffs.

Every year, they’ve made the playoffs and have even made it to a conference final.

Your track record is trash. You don’t know jackshit.

Ok let's start with this.

Does the Oilers roster have any flaws in your opinion? Or are they complete top to bottom with no significant worries?

 

[Mobiandi]

You’d think we were talking about Ovi’s Caps running into the prime Penguins here

So far the Oilers have been swept by the Jets, swept by the Avs, lost 3 of 4 to a 12th seed Hawks team, and went out in 6 to a Vegas team playing with their 4th/5th string goalie.

Nothing about them says cup contender now or in the short-term

 

[Tad Mikowsky]

Ok let's start with this.

Does the Oilers roster have any flaws in your opinion? Or are they complete top to bottom with no significant worries?

They don’t have enough flaws for them to miss the playoffs.

Funny, for a team that you’ve claimed since 2021, that have done nothing to fix their flaws, they’ve made the playoffs each time and won series.

In my opinion, saying they’ll miss the playoffs is incredibly stupid. Insanely stupid if you’ve been saying it for three straight years. Like you have.

 

[Osakahaus]

Can they get past Vegas? Thats the real million dollar question for the Oilers. They can handle almost anyone else, but Vegas just completely destroyed them and shut down McDavid. If you want me to be as brutally honest as possible, I just wish that the Oilers stopped depending on Nurse so much defensively, and got themselves someone who was defensively responsible. Mario Ferraro should be on their radars. Get someone to make defense easier on the Oilers.

 

[Leonardo87]

Ok, let's try this again. Please keep it civil or will have to issue thread bans, thank you!

 

[HockeyVirus]

They don’t have enough flaws for them to miss the playoffs.

Funny, for a team that you’ve claimed since 2021, that have done nothing to fix their flaws, they’ve made the playoffs each time and won series.

In my opinion, saying they’ll miss the playoffs is incredibly stupid. Insanely stupid if you’ve been saying it for three straight years. Like you have.

Can we clarify that suggesting they COULD miss the playoffs is not the same as guaranteeing they miss? If we are going to argue about my opinion I think we need to clarify what I am arguing.

As another poster said, the Oilers have had stretches where even Oilers fans have been worried about playoffs. 2 years ago Woodcroft came in and turned around the team that was heading out of the playoffs. Last year, they were saved by the play of Skinner who got weaker as the season went on and the team obviously has no faith in Campbell.

If Skinner plays as he did at the end of the season, Campbell is the same as he has been the vast majority of his career, this is a team once again relying on scoring 140+ points for McDavid and having a historical PP to win games and I just don't think that is a sustainable way of winning.

And with the depth getting older as well, this has been a concern for as long as I remember and IMO can become a big problem at any time. Not to mention the Oilers IMO got a lot softer this offseason.

 

[PaulD]

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.

ha! That's why they play the games . My opinion or early predictions have turned out wrong in the end so many times I've lost count. That's the only "hard truth" here. ha!!
I had Bruins vs Oilers in finals last season.

 

[PaulD]

Can we clarify that suggesting they COULD miss the playoffs is not the same as guaranteeing they miss? If we are going to argue about my opinion I think we need to clarify what I am arguing.

As another poster said, the Oilers have had stretches where even Oilers fans have been worried about playoffs. 2 years ago Woodcroft came in and turned around the team that was heading out of the playoffs. Last year, they were saved by the play of Skinner who got weaker as the season went on and the team obviously has no faith in Campbell.

If Skinner plays as he did at the end of the season, Campbell is the same as he has been the vast majority of his career, this is a team once again relying on scoring 140+ points for McDavid and having a historical PP to win games and I just don't think that is a sustainable way of winning.

And with the depth getting older as well, this has been a concern for as long as I remember and IMO can become a big problem at any time. Not to mention the Oilers IMO got a lot softer this offseason.

So to make the play offs the Oil have to get good to great goaltending
With McDavid leading the way.
Yep.

 

[Mr Kot]

really dpeends on goaltending. thats all i will say

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Can we clarify that suggesting they COULD miss the playoffs is not the same as guaranteeing they miss? If we are going to argue about my opinion I think we need to clarify what I am arguing.

As another poster said, the Oilers have had stretches where even Oilers fans have been worried about playoffs. 2 years ago Woodcroft came in and turned around the team that was heading out of the playoffs. Last year, they were saved by the play of Skinner who got weaker as the season went on and the team obviously has no faith in Campbell.

If Skinner plays as he did at the end of the season, Campbell is the same as he has been the vast majority of his career, this is a team once again relying on scoring 140+ points for McDavid and having a historical PP to win games and I just don't think that is a sustainable way of winning.

And with the depth getting older as well, this has been a concern for as long as I remember and IMO can become a big problem at any time. Not to mention the Oilers IMO got a lot softer this offseason.

Well I give you credit for being consistent at least. Consistently wrong that is.
The Oilers odds of missing the playoffs are about the same as the Leafs imo.
But you do you.

 

[HockeyVirus]

So to make the play offs the Oil have to get good to great goaltending
With McDavid leading the way.
Yep.

Exactly. And all I am saying is their goaltending IMO is far from where there is no worries about performance. And if McDavid either has an off year or is injured, I am not convinced of the depth to carry that load.

A few things that can go wrong and they miss is all I am saying.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Exactly. And all I am saying is their goaltending IMO is far from where there is no worries about performance. And if McDavid either has an off year or is injured, I am not convinced of the depth to carry that load.

A few things that can go wrong and they miss is all I am saying.

Yep. Same as every team.
Except maybe Vegas and Colorado, the last two Cup champs.

 

[CycloneSweep]

all this hype makes me almost certain Edmonton will have some major set back and miss the playoffs.
Too much expectations, I hate it.

 

[PaulD]

Exactly. And all I am saying is their goaltending IMO is far from where there is no worries about performance. And if McDavid either has an off year or is injured, I am not convinced of the depth to carry that load.

A few things that can go wrong and they miss is all I am saying.

like this year's Stanley Cup champs a season ago?
I could slice and dice every team out of the play offs in September with "if a few things go wrong"
As it stands now.....Oilers are a Cup contender. Period.

 

[archangel2]

as others have pointed out. Their goaltending and defence is not good. Ekholm is their best D. Nurse is a tire fire on most nights. Bouchard is one dimensional. Ceci and Kukuk are guys on most teams would be bottom 5/6. Oilers are only going to win games 7-6 again and in the playoffs when teams play shutdown D? they will be in trouble again

 

[Osakahaus]

really dpeends on goaltending. thats all i will say

Skinner and Campbell are fine. I just really want the Oilers to not blow a gasket again in net, because that happened all playoffs long

 

[Jumptheshark]

As others have said--oilers go as far as their Goaltending takes them

 

[Dirty Dog]

I had no idea there was oiler hype this year.

 

[ManofSteel55]

McDavid and Draisaitl absolutely dominate in the playoffs. If we can play a tighter checking game to cut down the goals against, I think the Oilers are a favourite. The media hype is just media hype though. The "McDavid is angry, look out" story is an easy one to tell.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

Ok let's start with this.

Does the Oilers roster have any flaws in your opinion? Or are they complete top to bottom with no significant worries?

literally every team has flaws

 

[Breakers]

Not with Nurse playing big minutes

 

[JianYang]

I don't think they are built very well for cup purposes.

They seem to be one of those teams that can beat good teams in the playoffs (assuming mcdrai are not injured) but when it comes to cup caliber teams, thats where their runs stop.

Sometimes, a path opens up regardless due to upsets and whatnot, but it's rare to have such fortunate events happen for 4 rounds in a row.

 

[MCR74]

No.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

as others have pointed out. Their goaltending and defence is not good. Ekholm is their best D. Nurse is a tire fire on most nights. Bouchard is one dimensional. Ceci and Kukuk are guys on most teams would be bottom 5/6. Oilers are only going to win games 7-6 again and in the playoffs when teams play shutdown D? they will be in trouble again

11th in the NHL in ES points for defenseman
3rd best ES goal differential on the team
15th in the league for ES TOI/game

absolutely clueless as usual

EDIT: Skinner was an All-star and Calder trophy nominee...@archangel2 has never watched a hockey game before in his life

all this hype makes me almost certain Edmonton will have some major set back and miss the playoffs.
Too much expectations, I hate it.

shocking coming from you