The funny thing is the old and slow guys everyone bitched about are the ones that showed up to play. The vaunted star power thinks it’s the preseason still
meh. Lets see what the same players look a month from now. We're you honestly satisfied with Ryan or Perry last season or the thought of bringing them back? Of course guys on the bubble that must still need the money or something are going to try to do something to stay in lineup. For them its maybe where the urgency comes from. Perry is a gambler from what I've heard. Probably needs every coin that drops in his pocket. Ryan is always gonna be a good honest worker but at some point the legs aren't willing.The funny thing is the old and slow guys everyone bitched about are the ones that showed up to play. The vaunted star power thinks it’s the preseason still
These slow starts.This team.....
Is KK supposed to lace em up. I'm not sure what you're saying here.They are in last June. It's not a preaseason thing. Knob botched this too, he should've seen his top players weren't all there, instead he just sat on his hands.
Cannot LIKE or agree moreHits were like 14-4 Hawks after 1st period. yeah, you know that frustration is gonna bubble up. Been saying this for awhile is that teams can just take liberties against McDrai and what are we gonna do. Gum the opponents to death? Theres basically zero tough in this lineup, in hockey, in the WC. This is the kind of frankenstein nonsense club that only an analytics guy would put together. This roster makes no sense.
I can't believe in Western Canada we'd see a team like this that has absolutely no teeth. Zero grit.
Is KK supposed to lace em up. I'm not sure what you're saying here.
McDavid said that last year he did too much in preseason and hit stride early and was tired at seasons start. (mostly from the captains skates and such he said) This year he laid back more thinking that would help.
The reality is that the Oilers are old, its natural they would have less enthusiasm and that a young stud like bedard would have more in this matchup. Thats how the hockey world works the 60yrs I've been watching. Young upstarts have all the motivation and energy to try to match or look better than their heroes.
years ago it was Gretz and Mess doing it to Guy Lafleur and Steve Shutt.
NHL is a tough league and bad clubs that get top picks don't stay bad forever. This is not last years Hawks club.
There are no hits in this lineup though. No hitters, no fighters, no grit, Teams are gonna take advantage of this and take liberties. How could they not? Maroon kept looking around laughing that there is nobody in our lineup that would do anything no matter what he did. He actually even toned it down, not sure why. he could/ve done anything he liked all night. Same with goons like Foligno.
Watch what happens when a team WANTS to take liberties against this roster. Not sure what Jeff Jackson was thinking. This dog won't fight. Oh but the analytics!
Because Jeff Jackson stresses analytics beyond anything else. Note that the team has had good corsi in these two games. Which means jacksquat to me ever but for analytics guys.Cannot LIKE or agree more
How come we can sign 'experience' to become the oldest team in the league all of a sudden but not sign the right players to fill the roles we need?
meh. Lets see what the same players look a month from now. We're you honestly satisfied with Ryan or Perry last season or the thought of bringing them back? Of course guys on the bubble that must still need the money or something are going to try to do something to stay in lineup. For them its maybe where the urgency comes from. Perry is a gambler from what I've heard. Probably needs every coin that drops in his pocket. Ryan is always gonna be a good honest worker but at some point the legs aren't willing.
I'll maintain all night Drai played hard tonight and was setting up a lot and involved in a lot of offense. he was doing his part and with having to adjust to two new linemates. How does he not get any pass on that?
You gotta have it in the back of your mind that this team has been "close" 3 years in a row in the playoffs... losing to the eventual cup winners... Colorado... Vegas... Florida each time.
Is this the year they are mentally drained just enough that they take a step back and regress because maybe they can't get back to that level yet again.
Not saying they won't turn it around because there are obviously 80 games to go... but I certainly wouldn't bet against an overall regression year where things don't go quite according to plan and this team could certainly struggle to get back to the levels they need to be to challenge for the Cup like they did last year.
They dug deep last year to get to game 7... and every team is gunning for them every game now whether it's a top tier team like Winnipeg of a bottom tier tier like Chicago... no easy games... so this hole isn't likely to be that easy to dig out of.
Didn’t take long for the Knoblauch memes to start lol.
You know, going all the way back to the Oil Kings if Bill Hunter put a team like this together in hockey, in a bloodsport that had so little teeth fans would just stop coming. You can only have so many fancy dancers in a roster. Jeff Jackson figures its all you need at forward.Preach to the choir
Amen!
You gotta have it in the back of your mind that this team has been "close" 3 years in a row in the playoffs... losing to the eventual cup winners... Colorado... Vegas... Florida each time.
Is this the year they are mentally drained just enough that they take a step back and regress because maybe they can't get back to that level yet again.
Not saying they won't turn it around because there are obviously 80 games to go... but I certainly wouldn't bet against an overall regression year where things don't go quite according to plan and this team could certainly struggle to get back to the levels they need to be to challenge for the Cup like they did last year.
They dug deep last year to get to game 7... and every team is gunning for them every game now whether it's a top tier team like Winnipeg of a bottom tier team like Chicago... no easy games... so this hole isn't likely to be that easy to dig out of.
NHL is hard. Harder for teams that were in SC final. Oilers finding out. I kinda worried we were orchestrating for Kane to get surgery just at right time to miss season and be LTIR. Wondering if we could afford the absense of that wrecking ball in the lineup, the only one we have.You gotta have it in the back of your mind that this team has been "close" 3 years in a row in the playoffs... losing to the eventual cup winners... Colorado... Vegas... Florida each time.
Is this the year they are mentally drained just enough that they take a step back and regress because maybe they can't get back to that level yet again.
Not saying they won't turn it around because there are obviously 80 games to go... but I certainly wouldn't bet against an overall regression year where things don't go quite according to plan and this team could certainly struggle to get back to the levels they need to be to challenge for the Cup like they did last year.
They dug deep last year to get to game 7... and every team is gunning for them every game now whether it's a top tier team like Winnipeg of a bottom tier team like Chicago... no easy games... so this hole isn't likely to be that easy to dig out of.
The only player that hit a ton last year for the Oilers was Evander Kane. McDavid was 2nd on the team for forwards in hitting after Kane.
They should try and reaquire Klim Kostin, but it will probably have to wait a few months.