Rumor: Rumors & Proposals Thread | Forwards & Goaltending Under a Microscope, Which Bottom 6 Forwards Do You Keep?

[belair]

We lost good young players to do that this year and we spent it in John Klingberg.

We lost good young players because our interim GM chose to jump at what he viewed as attractive undervalued veteran players instead of prioritizing the young players.

It didn't turn out very well, but it was well received at the time.

 

[MessierII]

Bob Stauffer says there is lots of going on and there have been lots of conversations between the Oilers. The management is going with a different approach with Stan Bowman.

Bob Stauffer also stated that, mark his words, Oilers will have much more cap space before July 1st

Seems pretty obvious Arvidsson is gone at the draft. That’s more cap space but not thaaat much.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

I understand that. I'm more of a spread the wealth kinda guy, and I think Kulaks skating compliments Bouchard well. Like in my mind, we ditch Ekholm and sign 27yo Fabbro, run something like

Kulak-Bouchard
Walman-Fabbro
Nurse-Stecher/Emberson

But really, you could move any of the LHD around and it probably works. I just think Walman and Bouchard can both carry a pairing.

Nurse is still the weak link. Who could we get to try and get the best out of him?

 

[FlameChampion]

Bob Stauffer says there is lots of going on and there have been lots of conversations between the Oilers. The management is going with a different approach with Stan Bowman.

Bob Stauffer also stated that, mark his words, Oilers will have much more cap space before July 1st

Idk. Sure seems quiet. Stauffer probably just trying to push interest on his show.

 

[McTonyBrar]

Hate it when Stauffer does this. He played that Gibson clip and hasn't said anything related to it since. The hell was he trying to do?

 

[aggressive forecheck]

Why trade Ekholm? Let him heal up to 100% and then he comes back as a solid top 4D for 1 more season and then becomes an UFA. If he wants to stay he'd need to take 3rd pairing $ after next season IMO. You try and move heaven and earth to get rid of Nurse if he would be open to a trade. Then run with Ekholm, Walman and Kulak on LD. Maybe we get someone with more physicality than Kulak for 3rd pairing and PK duties.

Ekholm is my favorite. But he's old coming off two serious, separate but interconnected injuries, where he wasn't given time to properly heal. He won't start the season at 100%.

Don't count on Ekholm being more than a #4 next season or beyond. Truth be told Ekholm fills the spot that Kulak, in no way, shape, or form belongs. On the second pairing.

Kulak must be on the bottom pairing, hopefully with someone at least his equal. Can Emberson be that player? I doubt it.

Ekholm needs to be on the second pairing, hopefully with someone at least his equal. I believe we have that player in Walman. Walman is miles beyond Kulak in ability.

So who plays with Bouchard? I think you know the player I envisioned playing there for a long time when this day came. He's gone.

So we are short one first pairing defenceman and one third pairing defenceman in my estimation.

We need goaltending or McDavid could bolt but I believe we must focus on defense before we look to add up front. That's the strategy for success.

Notice I didn't include Nurse. Moving Nurse would open up some options and you might get something in the range that Chicago got for Seth Jones.

 

[Stoneman89]

Nurse is still the weak link. Who could we get to try and get the best out of him?

 

[Jarvi]

Kulak on the first pairing... wtf disaster time, and McDavid will not extend.

When you have 2 10m Dmen, who can't work with eachother, you need to have cheap options who compliment them. Kulak can skate, and with someone who can focus more on the offense, he can focus more on D. I think he could be a sneaky good compliment beside Bouchard, exactly like he was in the playoffs before Ekholm came back.

Nurse is still the weak link. Who could we get to try and get the best out of him?

Idk because at that point, you are pretty capped out at D imo. So anyone coming in would need to make as much as Stecher/Emberson. I personally think if Nurse gets better deployment with one of McDrai's lines more often, he has a much better looking year.

Maybe he works with Fabbro, you move Walman up and Kulak takes the bottom pair. But then you have a weaker bottom pair imo, and I prefer the depth approach. I look at the pairs like this

Kulak-Bouchard- mostly McDavid minutes.

Walman-Fabbro- tough matchup line to go out with 3rd/4th lines. This will probably make Walman have a worse looking year, but that will play in our favour come negotiation time, and I think these would be our best 2 defensive D.

Nurse-Stecher/Emberson- Drai line minutes. Nurse's skating can help Leon's line with zone entries (because mcdavid doesn't need that), and Draisaitl being such a good defensive fwd can hopefully help Nurse in his own end. This is mainly to hopefully pump up Nurse's numbers in anticipation of his nmc opening up.

If Emberson/Stecher dont seem cut for it come tdl, then you add a bottom pair rhd. A ways away, but from what I hear of him, Akey sounds like he could be a potential fit with Nurse in a couple years. Hell, maybe Regula is something by then?

 

[McShogun99]

Bob Stauffer says there is lots of going on and there have been lots of conversations between the Oilers. The management is going with a different approach with Stan Bowman.

Bob Stauffer also stated that, mark his words, Oilers will have much more cap space before July 1st

I think we make our moves on day 2 of the draft.

 

[aggressive forecheck]

I'd play the f*** out of Nurse during October, into November. Give him some first unit powerplay time over Bouchard, who will have his contract in pocket.

Play Nurse 25 minutes a night. Let him rack up the pp points. While letting Ekholm recover.

I'm serious. Don't even let Ekholm participate in training camp. Let him heal. Then ease him into the lineup a couple of weeks into the regular season.

When Ekholm can move like his normal self move Nurse in a trade. Katz can buy him a mansion if he waives his no move clause.

 

[aggressive forecheck]

I think we make our moves on day 2 of the draft.

The post above... time to pump and dump Darnell. If he plays some serious 1st untit pp time he would pro-rate for his highest scoring season to date.

 

[McShogun99]

We have to accept that Nurse is untradeable and move one of Walman, Ekholm or Kulak to add a top 4, right shot Dman to create balance in our top 4. Ekholm makes sense if his decline is serious as well as his cap hit but I’d prefer to move Kulak. He’s over paid for being on the bottom pairing and can only play in the top 4 in short spurts.

 

[Jarvi]

The post above... time to pump and dump Darnell. If he plays some serious 1st untit pp time he would pro-rate for his highest scoring season to date.

You don't need to nuke our PP to increase his value. Literally just give him Ekholms deployment, 60% offensive zone starts and more minutes with one of Mcdrai than without.

 

[aggressive forecheck]

We have to accept that Nurse is untradeable and move one of Walman, Ekholm or Kulak to add a top 4, right shot Dman to create balance in our top 4. Ekholm makes sense if his decline is serious as well as his cap hit but I’d prefer to move Kulak. He’s over paid for being on the bottom pairing and can only play in the top 4 in short spurts.

Nonsense. His clone was moved to the Florida Panthers and he just won a Stanley Cup.

 

[FlameChampion]

We have to accept that Nurse is untradeable and move one of Walman, Ekholm or Kulak to add a top 4, right shot Dman to create balance in our top 4. Ekholm makes sense if his decline is serious as well as his cap hit but I’d prefer to move Kulak. He’s over paid for being on the bottom pairing and can only play in the top 4 in short spurts.

The problem becomes who are you going to play with Nurse? Like I don’t know who you could acquire that will work with him.

 

[McShogun99]

The post above... time to pump and dump Darnell. If he plays some serious 1st untit pp time he would pro-rate for his highest scoring season to date.

He’s already a 30 point Dman without PP time. You give him 1st PP minutes and he’s a 50+ point Dman and his contract all of sudden starts looking a lot better.

 

[aggressive forecheck]

You don't need to nuke our PP to increase his value. Literally just give him Ekholms deployment, 60% offensive zone starts and more minutes with one of Mcdrai than without.

You won't nuke the pp. It will still be one of the top units in the league... and you'll save the dream by freeing up the huge amount of cap needed to salvage this franchise into a champion.

 

[McShogun99]

Nonsense. His clone was moved to the Florida Panthers and he just won a Stanley Cup.

The difference is Jones wanted off a losing franchise that he had no ties with. There’s no way Nurse wants to leave a winning team with all his buddies and staff that’s he’s known since he entered the NHL.

 

[aggressive forecheck]

He’s already a 30 point Dman without PP time. You give him 1st PP minutes and he’s a 50+ point Dman and his contract all of sudden starts looking a lot better.

He'll return more in a trade. Katz would likely have to give Nurse a call and ask for Nurse to waive his no trade.

 

[McShogun99]

The problem becomes who are you going to play with Nurse? Like I don’t know who you could acquire that will work with him.

Every time Nurse has looked good he’s been paired with a mobile, puck moving Dman. Fabbro makes the most sense from the available UFA’s.

 

[aggressive forecheck]

Every time Nurse has looked good he’s been paired with a mobile, puck moving Dman. Fabbro makes the most sense from the available UFA’s.

He's run out of strikes. You could say he's missed more oportunities than Skinner. Move on from both.

 

[Jarvi]

You won't nuke the pp. It will still be one of the top units in the league... and you'll save the dream by freeing up the huge amount of cap needed to salvage this franchise into a champion.

It wasn't a top unit in the league last year, and one of Nurse's biggest faults is he doesn't have the brain for the game. That's more exposed in extra man play. Plus, we need another RH shot on the PP, not a lefty who has never been a good with the man advantage.

Plus GM's aren't that dumb. They would see the clear increase in pts due to PP time. Increase his 5v5 output though, with subtle changes to deployment? Yeah, that would work.

 

[FlameChampion]

Every time Nurse has looked good he’s been paired with a mobile, puck moving Dman. Fabbro makes the most sense from the available UFA’s.

He doesn’t look good with Bouchard who’s literally one of the best pucking moving dman.

I know it won’t happen but really wish the Team would address the problem.

It’s probably easier just playing Walman on the right side for a year if we aren’t going to actually fix the problem.

 

[1981 Oilers]

Wonder what Bob has got cooking

 

[FlameChampion]

View attachment 1054855
Wonder what Bob has got cooking

One can dream. But uh I doubt it lol