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

[M Ace]

View attachment 932643
Can we add $4.025M?

Need to send salary back!

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Need to send salary back!

Kinda, they can make it work and should.

 

[Jumptheshark]

I love these STATEMENTS! Who are we sending THAT THEY WOULD WANT? Trade more picks to dump contracts? Also he is a SOON to be UFA--so we trade assets for a guy who may not want to be here in 7 months? We need to trade for players who can play and have contract left

Also--if the rumours, talking head and main trade board are correct there is a bidding war for this guy and I do no see the pens taking a bad contract back unless we over pay

Need to send salary back!

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

I love these STATEMENTS! Who are we sending THAT THEY WOULD WANT? Trade more picks to dump contracts?

Then I guess just give up?

 

[Jumptheshark]

We need another Ekholm type deal. Give up the 2027 1st(yes my rant about giving away picks will be mentioned in the first response, a player like Arvedsson, Skinner, Nuge going back for a a player with 2 to 3 years left on his contract like Ekholm--the deal has been great and it did not damage us. HE is our default number 1 d man.

The only way we can trade our 2026 first is if we removed the conditions attached to the 2025 1st. Which flyers get unless it is in the top 10--removing that condition scares me--it would be a jinx(yes I am superstitious on this matter. So much so, that I spells superstitious right on the first go. That is how bad of thing removing that condition could be.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

We need another Ekholm type deal. Give up the 2027 1st(yes my rant about giving away picks will be mentioned in the first response, a player like Arvedsson, Skinner, Nuge going back for a a player with 2 to 3 years left on his contract like Ekholm--the deal has been great and it did not damage us. HE is our default number 1 d man.

The only way we can trade our 2026 first is if we removed the conditions attached to the 2025 1st. Which flyers get unless it is in the top 10--removing that condition scares me--it would be a jinx(yes I am superstitious on this matter. So much so, that I spells superstitious right on the first go. That is how bad of thing removing that condition could be.

Nobody wants our trash.

 

[Jumptheshark]

Then I guess just give up?

Who would the pens take back--players we do not want? Who would the pens take back? and remember there looks to be a bidding war for the guy

We need to trade for players with term on a good contract or controlled contract. We may have one good player in the pipeline and we have already traded our 2025 first. Our pipeline is dry and we are seeing what happens when we cheap out in certain postiions. We lost our 2 best cheap prospects because we thought they would stay here for cheap and didn't.

When the season started and people were hitting the panic button I said I would wait to about game 20 before getting overly concerned. The team is just not built right

We are now an old, slow team that can not score or keep pucks out of our nets on a regular basis.

Like most I was happy with our trades and signings between July 1st and 5th. But even then I asked where the money was for Broberg and Halloway, We did not have it and it cost us. Broberg was leaving anyway and I would love to know why the oilers did not see the offer sheet coming for him. HIs agent made it clear that Broberg and told the team his trade request had not been rescinded. Most team would teams would have made a move either at the draft or after UFA season opened up. Not us--we got caught with our pants down and it cost us your and speed.

Here is my greatest concern. July 1st 2025, we can sign McDavid to a new contract and he announces he is going to play out the season and see where the team is after the 25/26 season. The kid wants to win and we are farther away from it today than we were then 5 months ago.

We have a problem and it needs to be addressed with some common sense.

Maybe Kane coming back will change the dynamic of the team.

But until that happens?

Here is the list of players I am looking at to see if we can move them for a D man that has term and is on between 5 to 6 a year.

Jeff Skinner
Nuge
Hyman
Arvidsson
Bouchard.

Why Bouchard? I am scared of his next contract. We are already adding 3.5mill in Draisaitl's contract next year and reports are Bouchard is reportedly asking for between 10 to 11--that adds either 6 or 7 mill right there. Unless the cap goes up to 120 mill next year--we are going to be in the same situation we are in right now

 

[Jumptheshark]

Nobody wants our trash.

And that is the problem--we need to figure out who we can move out that other teams would want and that is where the fun begins


99% of the trade offers I see on this board has the oilers sending out player we do not want on bad contract for a player we want on a good contract. I have always played the devils advocate on this board and ask "why does the other team do this deal"

My guess is any deal we make to address the glaring needs we have will cost us Savoie and O'Reilly and other picks. Unless we are are willing to take the hit and move on from Hyman, Nuge and Bouchard.

What are we willing to sacrifice to win?

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

And that is the problem--we need to figure out who we can move out that other teams would want and that is where the fun begins


99% of the trade offers I see on this board has the oilers sending out player we do not want on bad contract for a player we want on a good contract. I have always played the devils advocate on this board and ask "why does the other team do this deal"

My guess is any deal we make to address the glaring needs we have will cost us Savoie and O'Reilly and other picks. Unless we are are willing to take the hit and move on from Hyman, Nuge and Bouchard.

What are we willing to sacrifice to win?

Part of the problem is that our scouts always seem to target crappy players with very rare instances of them getting it right. For every Ekholm there's 10 Anthnasious. I wouldn't trust them to target anyone of actual value regardless of what we're giving up.

 

[belair]

Gazzola says he's heard its gotten to the point where the Oilers may just have to make a drastic move on their defence quickly

I'm not sure how you watch that game and come to the conclusion that the defense is the problem. The weak link most nights has been Evan Bouchard.

 

[Jumptheshark]

Part of the problem is that our scouts always seem to target crappy players with very rare instances of them getting it right. For every Ekholm there's 10 Anthnasious. I wouldn't trust them to target anyone of actual value regardless of what we're giving up.

This is why I was willing to give this team to game 20 before posting all my concerns. To see how the team gelled and the things we saw in September are painfully obvious now.

We are no longer a fast team and we are getting out hustled almost every night.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

This is why I was willing to give this team to game 20 before posting all my concerns. To see how the team gelled and the things we saw in September are painfully obvious now.

We are no longer a fast team and we are getting out hustled almost every night.

Agreed. They are getting outworked on a consistent basis and crumbling late in games. I just don't trust management to properly address concerns since we're in year 8 of "Scoring depth, defense, and goaltending" being concerns.

 

[McJadeddog]

It's becoming pretty obvious as we are 1/4 of the way through the season, that this team is a very likely playoff team, but not really a great team. It's a good team with 2 superstars, but pathetically bad goaltending, subpar defense, and an aging supporting cast that can't score and doesn't have enough speed.

This is a 6th-10th place team, not a "cup contending" team. Is what it is. The GM is going to have a LOT of retooling to do in the offseason if we want to get back to "cup contender" status.

For people talking about making moves this year to salvage the season, yeah, I guess its possible, but its exceptionally unlikely. We have to get rid of both Skinners, and get rid of Henrique and Arvidsson. We then need to replace those players with other players who can play in the those positions, so a starting goalie, 2 top-6 wingers, and a 3rd line C. Then we have to additionally add a top-4 dman on top of all that. Like, sure, I suppose miracles could occur, but that is a RIDICULOUS lift, even for the off-season. Expecting this to happen during the season is like wishing to marry Ana de Armas, I guess its technically possible that it could happen, but.....

 

[McTonyBrar]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1858708866361426386

Give him or Provorov to us

 

[McTonyBrar]

It's going to be funny when Nurse doesn't mesh well with Petterson and the Oilers resort back to the Kulak-Nurse combo that actually works and Petterson ends up on the 3rd pairing.

The whole "find a partner for Nurse" thing as far as I'm concerned looks pretty well resolved, you had that player all along (Kulak).

Darnell Nurse prior to the Toronto game had 7 points (2G, 5A) and was a +7 in the 8 games prior to getting hurt. How much better do you think Darnell Nurse is gonna be?

Forwards and goaltending need a bigger shake up.

Or it might work? These two goalies got us to the playoffs in our managements eyes. They won’t make any change there

I'm not sure how you watch that game and come to the conclusion that the defense is the problem. The weak link most nights has been Evan Bouchard.

Why does everyone think offence is only from our forwards? You do know how important breakout passes are to offence, specifically rush chances? The only one who can make a decent pass is Bouchard and Ekholm at times. That’s more important than you think. Florida had how many puck moving Dmen?

 

[Canovin]

Or it might work? These two goalies got us to the playoffs in our managements eyes. They won’t make any change there

The goalies didn't carry the Oilers to the playoffs. Everyone know goaltending was our weakest line

 

[Canovin]

I wonder what it would cost for Nemec.

 

[FlameChampion]

It is so crazy that Jeff Jackson looked brilliant on July 1st with all of the signings, and then later with the McLeod trade, and now in the early goings, it appears everyone of those transactions was a huge mistake. I was one of the many that applauded pretty much every move.

I will say that I found the Skinner signing strange though. It never made a ton of sense. I mean, it appeared to be a bargain for a guy who can score like he can, but for a team looking for the final piece of the puzzle to win the cup, prioritizing signing a guy who has never played in the playoffs in 14 seasons seemed like a strange target.

In the end, Skinner was a massive mistake, as it probably cost us Broberg (or at the very least, Holloway).

I also have no idea why we didn’t have Kane get surgery at earliest opportunity. If they wanted him to come back in season to get back into game shape and not gain year long LTIR cap space, then why wait so long to decide.

In hindsight, JJ pretty much butchered the off-season. What a turn of events.

I still like the Arvidsson signing though.

Well I think he looked Brilliant because we all expected Holloway, Broberg and McLeod to be on the roster.

But it was pretty much downhill from there.

He never really addressed the holes proactively or reactively. That being said expecting Arviddson, Skinner and Henrique to outperform McLeod, Foegele and Holloway shouldn’t of been that much of a stretch. None of those guys performed early in the season last year.

I think theres other issues at play. Jackson is probably too arrogant and stubborn to do anything about it. Hes been a diaster.

 

[McJadeddog]

Well I think he looked Brilliant because we all expected Holloway, Broberg and McLeod to be on the roster.

But it was pretty much downhill from there.

He never really addressed the holes proactively or reactively. That being said expecting Arviddson, Skinner and Henrique to outperform McLeod, Foegele and Holloway shouldn’t of been that much of a stretch. None of those guys performed early in the season last year.

I think theres other issues at play. Jackson is probably too arrogant and stubborn to do anything about it. Hes been a diaster.

The first comment is pretty accurate, as we all just kind of assumed these were adds, and not the reasons for removal of players.

It is the GM's job to know what the gives and takes are when you alter the roster. Jackson very clearly didn't know what the gives were going to be, and we are left with a very average team because of it.

Every decision Jasckson/Bowman made appears to be have been the wrong one, outside of re-signing Drai, but its too early to even discuss whether that was a good idea or not. Arvidsson, Henrique, and Skinner have all be been absolutely putrid, while McLeod, Holloway and Broberg have all looked quite good in their new homes. It's managements job to make these assessments, and they have utterly failed.

 

[FlameChampion]

The first comment is pretty accurate, as we all just kind of assumed these were adds, and not the reasons for removal of players.

It is the GM's job to know what the gives and takes are when you alter the roster. Jackson very clearly didn't know what the gives were going to be, and we are left with a very average team because of it.

Every decision Jasckson/Bowman made appears to be have been the wrong one, outside of re-signing Drai, but its too early to even discuss whether that was a good idea or not. Arvidsson, Henrique, and Skinner have all be been absolutely putrid, while McLeod, Holloway and Broberg have all looked quite good in their new homes. It's managements job to make these assessments, and they have utterly failed.

Oh I totally agree on the everyone who left is doing better and everyone who is here is washed. But I don’t know how much of its the players. Arvidsson has had injury problems so that shouldn’t be that much of a surprise but he’s still been productive. Holloway, McLeod and Broberg aren’t exactly injury proof either. JSkinner, I’m not sure it should be a surprise that he hasn’t fit in. He’s not exactly a 200 ft player but he does have hands and scores goals, something this team desperately needs. But it feels like the organization has already given up on him despite 80% of the roster being disappointing.

I guess the question is why have things turned out so badly. I personally find it hard to believe its simply because of the players. Its Jackson/Bowmans job to fix it but I’m not confident that they know how or can.

 

[FlameChampion]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1858708866361426386

Give him or Provorov to us

I’d prefer to go after a younger guy like Jirichek than some middling guy. But its not exactly easy for young players to succeed here for whatever reason so shrug.

 

[GhostfaceWu]

Who would have thought a guy who missed like ,60 plus games yesterday and misses games almost every season he plays would be a bad investment. Management is a bunch of idiots who listen to their players and just go sign their buddies.

 

[FlameChampion]

Who would have thought a guy who missed like ,60 plus games yesterday and misses games almost every season he plays would be a bad investment. Management is a bunch of idiots who listen to their players and just go sign their buddies.

Yeah for a team that supposedly wants to be cutting edge, it does feels like they sign a lot of players who are buddies of others, someone they coached/watched 5 years ago etc. Not really of analyzing going on.

 

[Tarus]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1858708866361426386

Give him or Provorov to us

A big, right shot D with supposedly a lot of talent, seems like the type of guy the Oilers should take a flyer on considering they're running out Brown and Dermott on a nightly basis at this point.

Not making much money either. Sure, not being able to lock down a roster spot in Columbus isn't a great sign, but if he panned out even a fraction of his draft potential with a real shot, it could potentially make everyone forget the Broberg fiasco.

 

[Burnt Biscuits]

It's going to be funny when Nurse doesn't mesh well with Petterson and the Oilers resort back to the Kulak-Nurse combo that actually works and Petterson ends up on the 3rd pairing.

The whole "find a partner for Nurse" thing as far as I'm concerned looks pretty well resolved, you had that player all along (Kulak).

Darnell Nurse prior to the Toronto game had 7 points (2G, 5A) and was a +7 in the 8 games prior to getting hurt. How much better do you think Darnell Nurse is gonna be?

Forwards and goaltending need a bigger shake up.

My assumption is the big D add will come later into the season so we'll have more time to evaluate the Nurse - Kulak pairing and whether or not Kulak reverts to the mean or if he successfully broke through and is playing at a whole new level.

Also even if Nurse - Kulak ends up having better chemistry Pettersson still fills a role on the team, he'd be our 2nd best defensive d-man and with respect to the PK I'd argue he'd be our best PK d-man. PK Defense has always been a weakness of Nurse's and Ekholm isn't as good as you'd expect him to be.

Forward issues in part should self resolve, currently Hyman is on pace for 12 goals, Arvidsson on pace for 10 goals, Henrique for 8 goals, and RNH for 4 goals; I have trouble seeing any of them ending the season with that goal total irrespective of making other fixes. Also we have Evander Kane coming back. I think we need one speedy skilled forward (I see 2 that should be cheap to acquire), E. Kane back, and an upgrade on D. Ryan and our forwards are reasonably solid again (obviously our PP not being shit would help a great deal).

Despite our defensive metrics being much better and denying HDCA at a really solid rate, I still see D-men on our roster who don't belong in the NHL and if you have d you trust more back there, you can hopefully loosen the leash on the forwards a bit who seem overly rigid, predictable, and like some of their creativity has been coached out of them. On top of that we are a bit of a momentum team and I've definitely seen multiple instances where we drop our momentum cause of bad plays by our weaker d-men that lead to us being hemmed in and put on our heels.