Rumor: Rumors & Proposals Thread | The Oilers Biggest Roster Need Is?

[Jimmi McJenkins]

50% of our games the team has scored 2 or less times. This team was built to score.

Yup, so they aren't scoring, but they're playing good defense, and your point is what?

They are literally top-5 in the league for generating chances, they just lack finish.

 

[Yuke]

All you need to do was go to the prospect board and also check that we have 2026 and 2027 1sts and 2nds. We essentially have enough to get 2 Ekholms. I don't even know why I bother to respond. Someone on HFOil should know this by now

And by adding how do we fit them under the cap?

 

[Soundwave]

Really? Did you watch the Vegas game? Do you watch any of the games? Best chance suprression teams in the NHL? In terms of shots maybe but not quality shots. If you are looking strictly at shots than that is your issue. We outshoot teams ALL the time but they are not quality shots,. We make other teams goalis look good by trying to overpass until it just rolls in on them. You didnt address Talbot's save % last playoffs.

We are one of the best defensive supression teams in the league. Vegas game Bouchard had a bad game, so what, it happens to every team once in a while.

We don't allow many high danger chances again.

Talbot had to face the tsunami of playoff McDavid and Draisaitl, those guys go to another level in the playoffs, no shame in getting beat by that, those two would wipe their ass with Stuart Skinner in a playoff series.

 

[Canovin]

Again as I said this was the same song and dance last year saying Skinner cannot take us to the cup. I can guarantee you when Skinner is on another team being one of the top goalies in the league it will be these same people that call Bowman and Jackson for getting rid of him.

The Oilers are a cup caliber team 2 years going 3 years now. Stuart is holding the team back. Get someone better than him and the team can stop paying scared defense

And by adding how do we fit them under the cap?

The Oilers can fit almost any player by deadline if we can get 50% retention

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Yup, so they aren't scoring, but they're playing good defense, and your point is what?

They are literally top-5 in the league for generating chances, they just lack finish.

I always wonder about these stats. Because even last game they had way more shots than the Islanders but their expected goals for were like... .80 higher than them despite the shot discrepancy after two periods. It feels like the Oilers are purposely inflating their advanced stats sometimes with controlled play but no real offensive threats.

The Oilers are a cup caliber team 2 years going 3 years now. Stuart is holding the team back. Get someone better than him and the team can stop paying scared defense

Dustin Schwartz will be happy to scout another Jack Campbell for you.

 

[aspin3]

I mean the team needs to win now, so building for 3 years from now is stupid.

Draisaitl and McDavid are not signing for another 8 years now for a rebuild like Crosby and Malkin are goinig through. It has to be a balance. Note how Colorado doesnt dump all their prospects and they will be a force for years to come because of it.

 

[Soundwave]

50% of our games the team has scored 2 or less times. This team was built to score.

Yes and?

The reason they are still sporting a managable record is because the defense has at least been OK 5 on 5 we don't give up a lot.

If it wasn't for the goalies letting in almost every 2nd shot on the PK, we'd be among the NHL leaders in best GA.

But we have an OK record relative to last year because the D has actually be decent. All the crying over Emberson and Stetcher was dumb. Ceci and Desharnais suck donkey balls, Desharnais is well on his way to being out of the league, Ceci is gonna be rocking a -25 by year end as expected.

 

[Yuke]

Yup, so they aren't scoring, but they're playing good defense, and your point is what?

They are literally top-5 in the league for generating chances, they just lack finish.

Good D? Average at best. Those numbers don't show the stupid mistakes. There is a difference of a guy having a clear shot or shooting while being harassed.

 

[aspin3]

I always wonder about these stats. Because even last game they had way more shots than the Islanders but their expected goals for were like... .80 higher than them despite the shot discrepancy after two periods. It feels like the Oilers are purposely inflating their advanced stats sometimes with controlled play but no real offensive threats.


Dustin Schwartz will be happy to scout another Jack Campbell for you.

Bingo, if any of these fans would actually watch the game and see the quality of shots we had they would see that. Even on the PP. We pass it around pass it around trying to tuck it in the corner instead of high traffic shots....it ends up just rolling into the goalie or a shot at the crest. If anyone things our shooting % is as bad as it is just because of bad luck you have to look again.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

I always wonder about these stats. Because even last game they had way more shots than the Islanders but their expected goals for were like... .80 higher than them despite the shot discrepancy after two periods. It feels like the Oilers are purposely inflating their advanced stats sometimes with controlled play but no real offensive threats.

Yeah that's not how it works, they just aren't finishing.

Dustin Schwartz will be happy to scout another Jack Campbell for you.

Again, it is well over time to move on from him.

 

[Canovin]

We are one of the best defensive supression teams in the league. Vegas game Bouchard had a bad game, so what, it happens to every team once in a while.

We don't allow many high danger chances again.

Talbot had to face the tsunami of playoff McDavid and Draisaitl, those guys go to another level in the playoffs, no shame in getting beat by that, those two would wipe their ass with Stuart Skinner in a playoff series.

I agree. McDrai wish they were facing Stuart Skinner going into the playoffs. Stuart would pull a groin and out on LTIR on the first cross ice pass from McDavid to Drai on the PP

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Good D? Average at best. Those numbers don't show the stupid mistakes. There is a difference of a guy having a clear shot or shooting while being harassed.

Yeah the problem with advanced stats is that not only are they subjective, they tend to lump things together. Like what constitutes a HD scoring chance? Is a breakaway counted the same as a screened shot from the point?

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Good D? Average at best. Those numbers don't show the stupid mistakes. There is a difference of a guy having a clear shot or shooting while being harassed.

So you literally don't watch then, fair enough.

Or you're on the list where you don't know what defense is, either way, this team is strong defensively. The stats all bear this out.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Yeah that's not how it works, they just aren't finishing.

Again, it is well over time to move on from him.

Obviously the Oilers aren't doing it on purpose but they definitely spend a lot of time in the offensive zone just sorta passing and waiting for the perfect opportunity to score. Generally they end up with a Nurse shot from the point that wouldn't result in a goal even if there was no opposing team in the way.

 

[Soundwave]

So you literally don't watch then, fair enough.

Or you're on the list where you don't know what defense is, either way, this team is strong defensively. The stats all bear this out.

"Other teamz don't make mistakes" is so stupid, go watch any game, other teams make plenty of mistakes.

60 seconds into the Cup Final, Hyman got gifted basically a free breakaway to the net because Florida's D choked up the puck, Bobrosvsky made the save.

 

[bucks_oil]

Maybe the front-office doesnt deserve it, but the players we have do.

The goalies you listed are making (or will be making) $10M, that's 10% of the entire cap.

The only way for our capped-out roster to "deserve" a goalie like that would be to have collectively taken 10% less on their last contracts... all twenty one of them.

It's a cap world, therefore rosters by nature are imperfect. You have to make choices and set priorities. We have NEVER made goaltending a priority... at least at no time in the last twenty years (since Cujo left as a UFA because we refused to pay him market value) have we invested in that position.

Instead, we've invested in the best assembly of offensive talent (arguably) in decades. We have THREE recent 50 goal scorers, a 40 goal scorer and two recent 30+ goal scorers... those six players make an AVERAGE of $6.6M.

And yet those players have us sitting 23rd in the league in goals scored.

Our goalies may suck, but what do you expect??!? ... we are paying bargain-basement prices... AVERAGE salary of $1.8M.

I just don't get the logic... our elite-level offense that hasn't been producing "deserve" better goaltending? Because why?

You get what you pay for... and right now our offense isn't covering the bet we made.

 

[Yuke]

So you literally don't watch then, fair enough.

Or you're on the list where you don't know what defense is, either way, this team is strong defensively. The stats all bear this out.

Funny, I watch and judge by that. Stats are only as good as the guy recording the data.
Example. Ekholm was on his knees in front of Stu instead of tying up his man on the 3rd goal last game

 

[Louis Cypher]

I wonder if SJ would bite on something like this?

To SJ: Jeff Skinner, Derek Ryan, Calvin Pickard and our 2026 2nd Round Pick $4.9 million out
To Edm: Mackenzie Blackwood and Klim Kostin $4.35 million in

Recalling Noah Philp would mean that we'd be adding $225K in cap after the trade and his recall.

RNH-McDavid-Hyman
Podkolzin-Draisaitl-Arvidsson
Janmark-Henrique-Brown
Kostin-Philp-Perry

Ekholm-Bouchard
Nurse-Stetcher
Kulak-Emberson

Blackwood
Skinner

Maybe without Skinner. Blackwood probably not much better than what we have. Wasn't any better in NJ.

 

[Soundwave]

Funny, I watch and judge by that. Stats are only as good as the guy recording the data.
Example. Ekholm was on his knees in front of Stu instead of tying up his man on the 3rd goal last game

You need glasses then. The only reason the team is not 2-9-1 again this year is because their defensive structure 5-on-5 has been pretty good.

You think the offense and D are the reason they are above .500 right now? What are you watching?

EVERY TEAM makes mistakes, no team can play mistake free hockey. The Oilers defensive structure currently versus what it was under Woodcroft is night and day better.

 

[Louis Cypher]

What we need is a veteran goalie with gas still in the tank to push Skinner. Picard doesn't push Skinner or the coaching staff.

 

[Soundwave]

What we need is a veteran goalie with gas still in the tank to push Skinner. Picard doesn't push Skinner or the coaching staff.

Skinner will become a defacto back up if the Oilers brought in anyone even half decent, this idea that the goaltending world revolves around Skinner is hilarious. The only reason he is the starter here is because he competed against a guy who may have been boozing away from the ice in Campbell and had major mental issues and then his other comp is Calvin Pickard, an AHL goalie.

If you brought in someone half decent, most of the Oilers fandom would forget about Skinner in 1-2 weeks.

 

[Fourier]

What is stupid is that this goes against everything what Jackson and Bowman said they would do when they brought in all these staff to focus on development. What is stupid is being the oldest and one of the slowest teams in the league to continue that trend. Youth is serving every other contender out there and that is the story. At least some youth and speed. Having a 4th line with a 37 year old that gets thrown around and a 40 year old that hopefully makes it to the end of the year sprinkled in with numerous slower older players that renders this team with ZERO forecheck ability and one of the softest teams in the league is what is stupid. If we continue to empt the cupboard and have no ELC contracts in the next couple of years we will have to have the whole 3rd and 4th line as AHL players to stay under the cap with Bouch and McDavid's new contracts.

Rumor: - Rumors & Proposals Thread | The Oilers Biggest Roster Need Is?

I don't disagree at all with what you're saying aside from Skinner underperforming. He is what he is. The playoffs exposed him. The start of this season isn't far off his average. He's a sub-par 900 goaltender. He's by far the weakest link. Could the Oil use an upgrade at 2nd pairing RHD...

forums.hfboards.com

Are they really one of the slowest teams in the league or do they just have a few slow players. Here are the NHL edge numbers for the forwards in percentiles:

Player	Top Speed	Speed Bursts >20mph
Arvidsson	71	85
Brown	83	78
Draisaitl	90	87
Henrique	84	<50
Hyman	95	95
Janmark	80	55
McDavid	92	98
Nuge	<50	<50
Perry	<50	<50
Podkolzin	93	81
Ryan	<50	<50
J. Skinner	<50	<50

In terms of speed bursts over 20mph the team ranks at the 93 percentile which in a 32 team league means they are third overall.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Skinner will become a defacto back up if the Oilers brought in anyone even half decent, this idea that the goaltending world revolves around Skinner is hilarious. The only reason he is the starter here is because he competed against a guy who may have been boozing away from the ice in Campbell and had major mental issues and then his other comp is Calvin Pickard, an AHL goalie.

If you brought in someone half decent, most of the Oilers fandom would forget about Skinner in 1-2 weeks.

Trusting Schwartz to scout a good goalie and supplement them with his teachings is a bold strategy.

 

[CupofOil]

BUt do they have the cap space. That is much trickier to maneuver.

They don't have the cap space or the assets to get BOTH a legit top 4 D and a CLEAR upgrade on Skinner. It's such a wasteful conversation tbh because it's not at all realistic. It's like the conversations about trading Nurse. What's the point of speaking about something so unrealistic.

 

[Soundwave]

Are they really one of the slowest teams in the league or do they just have a few slow players. Here are the NHL edge numbers for the forwards in percentiles:

Player	Top Speed	Speed Bursts >20mph
Arvidsson	71	85
Brown	83	78
Draisaitl	90	87
Henrique	84	<50
Hyman	95	95
Janmark	80	55
McDavid	92	98
Nuge	<50	<50
Perry	<50	<50
Podkolzin	93	81
Ryan	<50	<50
J. Skinner	<50	<50

I haven't noticed they are slow at all to be honest. They lack finish, but even like Derek Ryan has gotten multiple point blank breakaways in transition this year.

Speed isn't the problem. Shooting percentage around the net and for high danger chances has been awful.