Oilers now 13-12-1: THE THREAD THAT'S FUN FOR EVERYONE

[Lua]

Draisatl is a product of McDavid and I hope people finally wake up to that.

From a Rangers fan perspective, was honestly shocked by his nonchalance/carelessness with the puck last night.

 

[ponder]

Even with their terrible start, I’d be surprised if they miss the playoffs, mostly because the Pacific is terrible, and the West in general is pretty bad. Focusing on the Pacific, Vegas are excellent, but there are so many garbage teams - Sharks and Ducks are terrible, Flames and Kraken off to rough starts and could be pretty bad too. I’ve got Vegas, LA, Edmonton and Vancouver making the playoffs in the Pacific - maybe only 3 teams make it, but the Central is nothing special either, and Pacific teams have more easy wins over bottom feeders, so I think 4/4 per div.

I think they’d miss if they were in the east, though. Like imagine they switched places with Montreal or Buffalo - they’re finishing above 2 of Toronto, Boston, Florida, Tampa, Detroit and Ottawa? I don’t think so. But in the Pacific, they’ll make it IMO.

 

[JoVel]

Draisaitl has a total of 51 points in 51 games played, when McDavid is not playing. That makes him an 80 point player, like I was suggesting, he's in the category of stars like Nylander, Rantanen, Marner, not the top dogs like McDavid, Kucherov, Pastrnak, Matthews.

How many of these games are from McDavid's rookie season? When Draisaitl himself was just a 50 point player.

 

[Suntouchable13]

People dunking on them way too soon. What’s the difference if you go 1-5-1 between games 40 and 47? As opposed to between game 1 and 7? Suppose you are 22-10-8 after 40 games, then you go 1-5-1 in the next 7 games your record is 23-15-9. Still a fine record. This Oiler team can go 22-10-8 in the next 40 games and it wouldn’t surprise me.

 

[Guffman]

Points per game is not what it used to be in this league. Over 40 players were points per game last season so yea it’s not great.

OK, let's pull out $12.5M of salary cap of top end player(s) from any team and see how the remaining stars do on a $70M salary cap team.

Is the honest expectation that teams would have negligible decrease in offensive output? Like, seriously guys.

36 forwards were a point per game last season (50 or more games). He would have been last if we're talking 51 points in 51 games. No, obviously it doesn't quite work like that and you never know what he's going to produce, but there's a enormous difference from being 2nd to 36th, and going from 50 goals to half.

Still, no he doesn't suck. Nobody really thinks he sucks. But everybody knows missing McDavid is a huge hole to everybody on the Oilers roster.

Of those 36 forwards, how many played on a team with a $70M salary cap? That's effectively what the Oilers are doing when you remove a $12.5M superstar.

Let me know and we can continue the discussion.

 

[Guffman]

He sucks defensively, I don't think even the biggest Oilers homer can deny that.

So 51 point in 51 games is great and all, but how much is he giving back to the other team?

If they're cancelling each other out, how great is Draisaitl really?

And this is not to dunk on Draisaitl, he is an incredible talent, but he does not bring it defensively.

I have the same issue with Scheifele of my Jets.

I guess the counterpoint is that these elite offensive talents are needed for a successful power play.

5 v 5 is always an interesting discussion on the merits of high skill/weak defensive players. Are they really contributing to team success 5 v 5? But overall, they are generally net contributors when you factor in power play.

 

[Love]

People dunking on them way too soon. What’s the difference if you go 1-5-1 between games 40 and 47? As opposed to between game 1 and 7? Suppose you are 22-10-8 after 40 games, then you go 1-5-1 in the next 7 games your record is 23-15-9. Still a fine record. This Oiler team can go 22-10-8 in the next 40 games and it wouldn’t surprise me.

I agree but the problem with starting like this is it becomes a very high bar that the team has to sustain for basically a full season just to make the playoffs.

For example let’s say they lose again against the Flames at the heritage classic. What would their record need to be the rest of the season just to make the playoffs? It might require something like playing at a 110 point pace (I don’t know just speculating) for the rest of the season only to just squeak into the playoffs. Basically it makes their margin for error the rest of the season very thin.

Even if they “bounce back” and play .500 hockey over their next 10-15 games that’s not good enough. They’re in a hole now and for whatever reason it’s hard for teams to dig out of it when it starts at the beginning of the year.

 

[Szechwan]

People dunking on them way too soon. What’s the difference if you go 1-5-1 between games 40 and 47? As opposed to between game 1 and 7? Suppose you are 22-10-8 after 40 games, then you go 1-5-1 in the next 7 games your record is 23-15-9. Still a fine record. This Oiler team can go 22-10-8 in the next 40 games and it wouldn’t surprise me.

The difference is that by that point, the team has a 40 game sample size proving it isn't a true 1-5-1 team.

The current Oilers have proven no such thing so far, and actually *look* like a bottom feeder. Usually when cup contenders hit skids like that it's a short term drop in PDO, they aren't getting the bounces, or their starter is in a rough patch or injured. Oil just look straight up bad at every position.

I'm sure they'll get out of it, but it isn't the same as a mid-season cold streak.

 

[centipede2233]

As much as the oilers start is looking dire, I only have to point out to stlouis blues who were dead last in the NHL standings on Jan 1 and went on to win the cup. Add in the fact the western conference depth is loaded with poor teams, making the playoffs shouldn’t be a problem for the oilers.

 

[SeanMoneyHands]

This thread needs to be updated as time goes on. Oilers are now 1-5-1. If they get to 1-10-1, or even 2-10-1, it will be a tough hole to climb out of from here on in.

 

[Salsa Shark]

OK, let's pull out $12.5M of salary cap of top end player(s) from any team and see how the remaining stars do on a $70M salary cap team.

Is the honest expectation that teams would have negligible decrease in offensive output? Like, seriously guys.


Of those 36 forwards, how many played on a team with a $70M salary cap? That's effectively what the Oilers are doing when you remove a $12.5M superstar.

Let me know and we can continue the discussion.

3 options to choose from on last years Sabres, Keller on the Yotes

 

[Frank Drebin]

Good news is, goaltending is no longer costing them games

 

[TGWL]

OK, let's pull out $12.5M of salary cap of top end player(s) from any team and see how the remaining stars do on a $70M salary cap team.

Is the honest expectation that teams would have negligible decrease in offensive output? Like, seriously guys.


Of those 36 forwards, how many played on a team with a $70M salary cap? That's effectively what the Oilers are doing when you remove a $12.5M superstar.

Let me know and we can continue the discussion.

Sure, let me pull up my spreadsheet with man games missed, cap %, non-tier McDavid player, and whatever other information you want to remove the halt on the conversation. Like I'm not calling him a bad player by any stretch, but there's a big difference in him being your guy and him being 2nd leading scorer.

 

[DingerMcSlapshot]

From a Rangers fan perspective, was honestly shocked by his nonchalance/carelessness with the puck last night.

That's him. Stupid drop and across the ice passes. Still trying and skating like his ankle is broken. Such a bad example to his teammates.

 

[Fraser28]

This thread needs to be updated as time goes on. Oilers are now 1-5-1. If they get to 1-10-1, or even 2-10-1, it will be a tough hole to climb out of from here on in.

I think they’ll be 2-5-1 after Sunday.

 

[VivaLasVegas]

Good news is, goaltending is no longer costing them games

Yep, doesn't matter if the goalie is letting in 1 or 17 if the offense is putting up that big 'ol goose egg.

 

[HugginThePost]

I think they’ll be 2-5-1 after Sunday.

It's odd that one of Calgary or Edmonton will win a game this weekend!!

I can see it now.....0-1 after the skills competition.

 

[Aphid]

Not ripping on Draisaitl, it's just Oilers fans get extremely defensive if the team outside of McDavid is critiqued and the usual argument is "Draisaitl is the 2nd best player in the world" and that's where the debate of how much of a factor McDavid really is, starts.

You're clearly correct here but it's not only Oilers fans. It's like a personal insult to some people when Draisaitl isn't looked at as some mega superstar.

There is no McDrai on the Oilers or whatever people say. It is McDavid. He is the guy the other team focuses on when he's on the ice or they'll pay the price if they don't. That's not a shot at Draisaitl either. He has his place and is a good player. I am sure if he ever leaves the Oilers he'll do good on another team too. Not as much as when he was with McDavid but still good.

The Oilers should be fine when McDavid, you know the player the team is practically built around, returns.

 

[Love]

This thread needs to be updated as time goes on. Oilers are now 1-5-1. If they get to 1-10-1, or even 2-10-1, it will be a tough hole to climb out of from here on in.

I’ll update the title

 

[Umingmak]

Hopefully this serves as a wakeup call to ownership, and they get rid of Holland. As a Wings fan, I was so relieved when we let him go. He had his glory years, but he has always been terrible at cap management.

 

[DingerMcSlapshot]

Hopefully this serves as a wakeup call to ownership, and they get rid of Holland. As a Wings fan, I was so relieved when we let him go. He had his glory years, but he has always been terrible at cap management.

Ilitch called the shots in Detroit. Holland was just a figurehead. A nobody.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

I used to get frustrated at the opposite where Leafs would step up with Sundin out but then not carry the same once he got back.

Pens loved to do this

 

[Obvious Fabertism]

OK, let's pull out $12.5M of salary cap of top end player(s) from any team and see how the remaining stars do on a $70M salary cap team.

Is the honest expectation that teams would have negligible decrease in offensive output? Like, seriously guys.


Of those 36 forwards, how many played on a team with a $70M salary cap? That's effectively what the Oilers are doing when you remove a $12.5M superstar.

Let me know and we can continue the discussion.

Kirill Kaprizov, Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Fiala all broke PPG and personal scoring records on a team fitting your parameter. That team also set their highest scoring and regular seasons points records under these conditions.

The Wild played the Oilers this week with over $31MM of cap missing from the lineup. Kaprizov had 3 points and the 7-4 final was flattering to the Oilers. The Wild then got trounced in their next game to Philly 6-2, generating very little until the 3rd period. This is just a single benchmark but it is not flattering to the current state of the Oilers.

 

[Oilslick941611]

Yes, unless something changes the oilers playing like this will miss the playoffs.

 

[Szechwan]

OK, let's pull out $12.5M of salary cap of top end player(s) from any team and see how the remaining stars do on a $70M salary cap team.

Is the honest expectation that teams would have negligible decrease in offensive output? Like, seriously guys.


Of those 36 forwards, how many played on a team with a $70M salary cap? That's effectively what the Oilers are doing when you remove a $12.5M superstar.

Let me know and we can continue the discussion.

Bro they were cheeks before McDavid went down too. They lost 8-1 with a full roster to the Canucks after chirping all preseason and showing up early.