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

Oilers Biggest Roster Need?

  • 2nd Pairing RD

    Votes: 46 43.4%
  • Starting Goalie

    Votes: 57 53.8%
  • Top 6 LW (RNH, Podkolzin and Jeff Skinner Aren't Getting it Done)

    Votes: 1 0.9%
  • Top 6 RW (Arvidsson and Hyman Aren't Getting it Done)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 3C

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Physical Bottom 6 Wingers

    Votes: 1 0.9%
  • Other (Post Your Opinion)

    Votes: 1 0.9%

  • Total voters
    106

Spawn

Something in the water
Feb 20, 2006
44,472
17,064
Edmonton
Vejmelka might be interesting but i don't think he would be available at a realistic price for us. Utah is not Arizona. Karel's been keeping them in games. They don't have another starter that would be close. Hrabal is probably 3 years away minimum.

I don't buy it with Utah. They won 5 of their first 6 when they were shooting at like 40%. They'll be fully out of it again come the new year imo.
 

Scrapin Ice

Registered User
Oct 25, 2024
93
25
Blackwood Vladar Lyon are the kind of goalies likely available.
Hofer Daccord might be available if you want to pay through the nose.

Also assuming we get someone like Blackwood/Vladar for Pickard and futures we should also strengthen our farm team. And we should take a couple of future risks as well.
 

Scrapin Ice

Registered User
Oct 25, 2024
93
25
I don't buy it with Utah. They won 5 of their first 6 when they were shooting at like 40%. They'll be fully out of it again come the new year imo.
They will likely be out of it or close but even so its highly unlikely that will make Vejmelka available.
 

Spawn

Something in the water
Feb 20, 2006
44,472
17,064
Edmonton
They will likely be out of it or close but even so its highly unlikely that will make Vejmelka available.
Maybe you're right. Although he is a UFA and they've been using him as their backup. It's not like he's been elite this season. Before his last game against the Hurricanes where he made like 50 saves he had a sub .900 sv%. But when you've only played 4 games, making 49 saves in a game is going to have a big impact on your numbers.
 

Scrapin Ice

Registered User
Oct 25, 2024
93
25
Maybe you're right. Although he is a UFA and they've been using him as their backup.
You want to get someone from Utah ....they have likely given up on Victor Soderstrom. You could likely get his rights cheap and buy him out of Brynas and put him on our farm.
Not going to reach his top pair potential but if he could modify the way he plays has the shot and the IQ to play at the NHL level. With the way he plays now his size and lack of strength hurts him.
 

Scrapin Ice

Registered User
Oct 25, 2024
93
25
Maybe you're right. Although he is a UFA and they've been using him as their backup. It's not like he's been elite this season. Before his last game against the Hurricanes where he made like 50 saves he had a sub .900 sv%. But when you've only played 4 games, making 49 saves in a game is going to have a big impact on your numbers.
Maybe Your right. However just pointing out they have no one in their system that is close that could have a real chance to replace him and its unlikely they see Pickard as a replacement. Well unless your willing to substantially overpay for him...and with our limited assets we should part with and at least two other needs that doesn't make sense.
Given that Schwartz is teflon coated we are better off with a veteran. Vladar likely becomes available closer to the deadline. He is better than Pickard and quite consistent and could push Skinner. Not ideal not a longer term solution but if we fix our RD--one now and one from CBJ at the deadline which we will have to pay for substantially but could be that long term solution.
 
Last edited:

Spawn

Something in the water
Feb 20, 2006
44,472
17,064
Edmonton
Maybe Your right. However just pointing out they have no one in their system that is close that could have a real chance to replace him and its unlikely they see Pickard as a replacement. Well unless your willing to substantially overpay for him...and with our limited assets we should part with and at least two other needs that doesn't make sense.
Given that Schwartz is teflon coated we are better off with a veteran. Vladar likely becomes available closer to the deadline. He is better than Pickard and quite consistent and could push Skinner. Not ideal not a longer term solution but if we fix our RD--one now and one from CBJ at the deadline which we will have to pay for substantially but could be that long term solution.
Better off with a veteran? Vladar has half the NHL experience of Vejmelka and is a year younger. Also has worse career numbers.

And you don’t see many teams out of a playoff race unwilling to trade away their UFA backup whether they have a replacement in the system or not.
 

Scrapin Ice

Registered User
Oct 25, 2024
93
25
Better off with a veteran? Vladar has half the NHL experience of Vejmelka and is a year younger. Also has worse career numbers.

And you don’t see many teams out of a playoff race unwilling to trade away their UFA backup whether they have a replacement in the system or not.
Your probably right.
 

McJadeddog

Registered User
Sep 25, 2003
20,737
6,011
Regina, Saskatchewan
At this point Skinner might want to worry about getting his starting job taken by Pickard outright.

Pickard has played now almost 40 games here and his numbers are slightly better than Skinner's all the way through and this guy was basically an AHL toss away, which tells you something. Better save percentage last year, better save percentage in the playoffs, better save percentage again this year.

Yeah, I think there is a reasonable argument that Pickard is better. Pickard is a bottom-quartile goalie in the league as well, so think about that. Skinner isn't the answer, never was, never will be. We need a goalie at the trade deadline more than we need a dman, and its not close.
 

aspin3

Registered User
Oct 31, 2017
849
576
So exactly how do they even have 9 wins at this point? You think teams are giving them charity points?

The forwards have been bad this year, McDavid even has only exploded the last 3 games.

The goalies have not been good.

Knoublaugh's tighter D structure at 5 on 5 is the main reason they are above .500 right now, if it wasn't for that they'd be several games below.

The D has done their job.

Also Skinner is probably going to get his job taken by an AHL cast off, is he going to blame the team and yell at them for that too?
You didnt read a thing I wrote did you? When I am talking about defence I am talkig
At this point Skinner might want to worry about getting his starting job taken by Pickard outright.

Pickard has played now almost 40 games here and his numbers are slightly better than Skinner's all the way through and this guy was basically an AHL toss away, which tells you something. Better save percentage last year, better save percentage in the playoffs, better save percentage again this year.
Not saying Pickard is in the top half of the league for back-ups by any means and have no concern getting a better back-up but you have no grip of reality at all saying an AHL toss away.
So exactly how do they even have 9 wins at this point? You think teams are giving them charity points?

The forwards have been bad this year, McDavid even has only exploded the last 3 games.

The goalies have not been good.

Knoublaugh's tighter D structure at 5 on 5 is the main reason they are above .500 right now, if it wasn't for that they'd be several games below.

The D has done their job.

Also Skinner is probably going to get his job taken by an AHL cast off, is he going to blame the team and yell at them for that too?
Not only did Drai, MdDavid and Knobs say how that breakaway was unacceptable in their interviews McDavid said "we are starting to tighten it up" but of course Soundwave knows better and says they have been playing tight defence all year. smh
 

Jimmi McJenkins

Sometimes miracles
Jan 12, 2006
78,645
41,616
Alberta
So the Habs are last in the entire NHL right now. Calling them about Mike Matheson would be a good idea for the Oilers. Jake Evans is another interesting name to add to the depth.
 

Soundwave

Registered User
Mar 1, 2007
74,151
30,298
You didnt read a thing I wrote did you? When I am talking about defence I am talkig

Not saying Pickard is in the top half of the league for back-ups by any means and have no concern getting a better back-up but you have no grip of reality at all saying an AHL toss away.

Not only did Drai, MdDavid and Knobs say how that breakaway was unacceptable in their interviews McDavid said "we are starting to tighten it up" but of course Soundwave knows better and says they have been playing tight defence all year. smh

The D has been fine. The numbers have been posted repeatedly for you, you just want to live in delusion where you don't like what the advanced stats say so you want to spin a narrative of "achsually I know better than the advanced stats". No you don't, you don't know shit.

The 5 on 5 D has been best part of the team's game this year. They have only allowed 4 more goals at 5 on 5 than Winnipeg has. 5 on 5 they have a lower GA than Florida and Vegas (the no.1 team in the division) and Vancouver (the other team ahead of them).

If the offense wasn't shit to start the year or the goalies trash, they should be no.1 or no.2 in the division now.

Even with the horrendous PK where the goalies are awful, the GA is significantly down overall this year versus the last two seasons. 53 GA versus 66GA last year and 61 GA two years ago through 17 games is a significant improvement. That's fact not an opinion.

Just because a 4th line scrub was cheating out of the zone and managed to get a partial breakaway doesn't invalidate all the work the D does. You're not going to stop teams from getting zero chances for entire periods at a time, that's not how hockey works.
 

CanadasTeam99

Registered User
Jul 22, 2024
1,595
1,671
In Pickard's defense ... Skinner probably finds a way to lose that game in regulation, lol. So maybe we should be grateful what should have been a happy night ended up as one, because I totally could see Skinner giving up 2 in the last 10 minutes.
Pickard is only -1.6 GSAE

Meanwhile Skinner is -7.6
 

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