Rumor: Rumors & Proposals Thread | What Do Our RFA's Sign For Edition

[Stealth1616]

I think Connor wants to win above all else. He’s not going to play for free but I don’t see him jumping ship for lifestyle. He has time for that later. Leon I’m less certain of, especially since he’s driven and might see the opportunity to “be the guy” on another team.

I think Connor wants to win above all else. He’s not going to play for free but I don’t see him jumping ship for lifestyle. He has time for that later. Leon I’m less certain of, especially since he’s driven and might see the opportunity to “be the guy” on another team.

Ya agreed on those points. I think it also mostly will be determined by what happens in the next 2 years. If we win a cup what motivation do they have to leave for a better winning opportunity

 

[Oilhawks]

That Kopitar extension kinda worries me. Signs 2 year extension that expires the same year Draisaitl contract expires. Not to mention there was talk of drai going to LA. I mean his gf is an actress. Im having flashbacks , this is looking all to familiar

Kopitar is also 35. I don’t think it’s particularly revelatory that he re-signed for 2 seasons.

And like @FlameChampion pointed out, the two expiries don’t actually line up

Ya agreed on those points. I think it also mostly will be determined by what happens in the next 2 years. If we win a cup what motivation do they have to leave for a better winning opportunity

I think it’s mostly about being “close”. If they have a disappointing playoffs again, could be a bit tougher. Honestly if they win a Cup the next two years I could see the opposite and one of them leaving to sign a retirement contract elsewhere lol

 

[McTonyBrar]

The ending of that Kopitar extension doesn’t look great from a signing Drai/McDavid perspective.

LA will have a centre position looking to be filled

Umm Dubois literally just replaced him. They have Danault and Byfield..

 

[McShogun99]

The ending of that Kopitar extension doesn’t look great from a signing Drai/McDavid perspective.

LA will have a centre position looking to be filled

Maybe they can sign Matthews because I'd be willing to bet that McDrai will be extending here for another 8 years.

 

[Stealth1616]

Maybe they can sign Matthews because I'd be willing to bet that McDrai will be extending here for another 8 years.

Ya maybe but as fans we truly have no idea

 

[MoontoScott]

Kopitar is also 35. I don’t think it’s particularly revelatory that he re-signed for 2 seasons.

And like @FlameChampion pointed out, the two expiries don’t actually line up



I think it’s mostly about being “close”. If they have a disappointing playoffs again, could be a bit tougher. Honestly if they win a Cup the next two years I could see the opposite and one of them leaving to sign a retirement contract elsewhere lol

 

[MoontoScott]

Revelatory?? Hawks, you are starting to sound too sophisticated for a hockey thread poster. You need to start drinking a lot of beer and going down to some Elkimo games for blue collar recalibration.

Anyway, I do think that Mc-Drai will sign extensions in Edmonton. It's just a feeling and nothing more.

I doubt that they want to be separated and what other team could sign both of them--Chicago perhaps? Mc-Drai with Beddard would be an interesting lineup. I'm sure that other posters could point out some possible destinations. It won't be the Flames, that's for sure.

I hope that the Oilers are already talking with the Drai camp about an extension.

 

[Broberg Speed]

McDrai will re-sign with the Oilers if the Oilers win the cup. The Oilers will only win the cup if they have the right mix of players and those players play a brand of hockey that is conducive to winning a cup. Neither of which will occur with such fanboyism that would assert players like McLeod are absolute imperatives or categorically indispensable to the club. Fanboyism, in all its insidiousness, must not be tolerated.

 

[Oilhawks]

Revelatory?? Hawks, you are starting to sound too sophisticated for a hockey thread poster. You need to start drinking a lot of beer and going down to some Elkimo games for blue collar recalibration.

Anyway, I do think that Mc-Drai will sign extensions in Edmonton. It's just a feeling and nothing more.

I doubt that they want to be separated and what other team could sign both of them--Chicago perhaps? Mc-Drai with Beddard would be an interesting lineup. I'm sure that other posters could point out some possible destinations. It won't be the Flames, that's for sure.

I hope that the Oilers are already talking with the Drai camp about an extension.

Haha, definitely looks more verbose than I intended. I gotta hang around with family on my father’s side more, that’ll help too lol

My gut is that unless the wheels fall off entirely they will as well. This is their team (Connor even having a clear hand in some roster construction), and they take ownership in the results, particularly the last couple of seasons.

I don’t see them wanting to split as well, and even with the rising cap it will be tough for any competitive team to fit them in, even just one of them

 

[belair]

You don't have to sell me on the player or the prospective team reclamation buy-low on a high pedigree draft pick. I get it and I've said I love reclamation projects ... especially first round do-overs.

Zadina burned $4.6 million of guaranteed dough to choose his next employer. He needs a highly favourable, essentially strong likelihood of top six ice-time and runway to prove himself. Following which, he has to hope to have a path to earn back loss career earnings of $4.6 million on this high risk bet on himself. Former NHL first round picks get more mulligans than most players. But hard reality is that the average NHL career is short.

We can argue endless about the player's prospective landing spots and pros and cons of them. It's now in his hands to choose and Edmonton's prospective onboarding is a camp battle for 3W and extreme value deal. Relative to Chicago or a lot of the field of options that's a fairly risky proposition for a player who needs quality ice-time minutes to showcase the scoring skills that made him a top ten draft pick.

Yamamoto was bought out for contract cost reasons. This guy walked away from a fortune. Can't see him settling for a low opportunity, low pay option when his career future is on the line. We wait and see. Zadina now chooses his destiny.

I'm not really arguing the point. I completely agree with you.

I just find the whole situation kind of interesting. Because I have this theory that wingers are kind of valueless in the cap NHL unless they're true gamebreaking calibre forwards or they're multifaceted role players that are known to contribute to team success.

A guy like Andreas Athanasiou could score 20-20-40 next season and there would be no deadline market for him. If Seattle decided to move on from Jordan Eberle, they'd have to take salary back to even get modest value for a player capable of putting 60 points in a scoring role. Top six production in wingers just seems kind of empty if that player doesn't contribute to other areas of the game.

If a young prospect really wants to solidify a long prosperous career, I'm not sure how riding the coattails of a skill center on a bad team accomplishes that. That production would ultimately earn you the big contract, but the big contract is what hurts your perceived value. How long is it until the next hotshot prospect comes along and steals your role?

 

[Zerotonine]

Kopitar actually expires after Draisaitl.

But right on time for McDavid.

Didn't realize Kopitar 1 had more year left on current deal. Kinda makes this signing even more odd esp timing of it

 

[Tad Mikowsky]

McDrai will re-sign with the Oilers if the Oilers win the cup. The Oilers will only win the cup if they have the right mix of players and those players play a brand of hockey that is conducive to winning a cup. Neither of which will occur with such fanboyism that would assert players like McLeod are absolute imperatives or categorically indispensable to the club. Fanboyism, in all its insidiousness, must not be tolerated.

Good god, if someone has a differing opinion, they aren’t being a fanboy. Who the f*** are you to be the authority on what the team needs or not?

 

[SupremeTeam16]

Not saying it’s reason for alarm but the lower amount of suitors the better. Regardless I would hope the situation would be resolved prior to them hitting free agency (signed or traded)

Like it or not each players wife/girlfriend will have a say in where they play next. They both strike me as the type to enjoy LA lifestyle

I can’t understand why anyone would want to live in LA. There’s way too many people, it’s dirty, it’s got growing issues with homelessness, drug abuse and crime. You get ass rammed tax wise from every direction.

For a lot of wealthy people these days they want to hold property in California but they want to live in Nevada, Texas, Tennessee, Florida.

I get your point about the wives though, my wife loves California. She’d live there for sure but she’d be divorced

 

[foshizzle]

Exactly. Some fans need to be more rational like you


Yet its the furthest they've gone since 2006...

They went to the third round last year, homie. They also have the two best players on the planet scoring at numbers not seen in 30 years…

Revelatory?? Hawks, you are starting to sound too sophisticated for a hockey thread poster. You need to start drinking a lot of beer and going down to some Elkimo games for blue collar recalibration.

Anyway, I do think that Mc-Drai will sign extensions in Edmonton. It's just a feeling and nothing more.

I doubt that they want to be separated and what other team could sign both of them--Chicago perhaps? Mc-Drai with Beddard would be an interesting lineup. I'm sure that other posters could point out some possible destinations. It won't be the Flames, that's for sure.

I hope that the Oilers are already talking with the Drai camp about an extension.

I do t think Nurse signs 8 years without talking to McDrai on their plans first…

 

[oil Leaks]

 

[foshizzle]

Why not?.. He was one of our best players in the Vegas series and he's poised for a breakout year. Nick was brought in for depth and help on faceoffs. Your tweet won't age well lol

I made a comment about Woodcroft and his coaching this playoffs which you didn’t agree with. McLeod matched up really well against Eichel’s line and was winning the match up. For some reason Woodcroft completely abandoned it and Eichel went on to own the Oilers. Like why mess with what’s working? Smartest man in the room syndrome

 

[Broberg Speed]

I made a comment about Woodcroft and his coaching this playoffs which you didn’t agree with. McLeod matched up really well against Eichel’s line and was winning the match up. For some reason Woodcroft completely abandoned it and Eichel went on to own the Oilers. Like why mess with what’s working? Smartest man in the room syndrome

That's called rope-a-dope hockey, and Woodcroft was out of his league in every facet of the game. Of course Cassidy wanted McLeod on the ice against his number one. Who won the series?

You believe if Woodcroft double shifted McLeod the Oilers would have won that series? If McLeod was double shifted the Oilers would have been swept in convincing fashion. Every home game in Vegas would have been serenaded with "we want ten".

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

I made a comment about Woodcroft and his coaching this playoffs which you didn’t agree with. McLeod matched up really well against Eichel’s line and was winning the match up. For some reason Woodcroft completely abandoned it and Eichel went on to own the Oilers. Like why mess with what’s working? Smartest man in the room syndrome

Yeah, it's tough because that match up, McLeod v Eichel, is a mismatch on paper. In the end coaches will trust their best players and older players, even if it's to their detriment at times.

 

[ThePhoenixx]

I'm really hoping the Oilers add some 4th line toughness.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Despite all the dead cap, the Oilers should buyout Campbell in this current window and sign Martin Jones, 1yr $1M

 

[brentashton]

S. H. I. T. Show

That Kopitar extension kinda worries me. Signs 2 year extension that expires the same year Draisaitl contract expires. Not to mention there was talk of drai going to LA. I mean his gf is an actress. Im having flashbacks , this is looking all to familiar

Jezebel.

 

[nexttothemoon]

Top 3 reasons Oilers lost in the 2nd round (imo of course)...

#1 Woody's coaching choices/stubbornness
#2 Goaltending
#3 Team D


Not saying they would have gotten past the Knights "for certain" with a different coach... or at least with Woody being a little better with his coaching decisions on players he used and ice time he allocated to players... but I think the series could easily have gone to seven games at a minimum.


Have the Oilers addressed those areas this summer... maybe...

... if Woody has grown and learned from his stubborn mistakes

... if Campbell snaps back to a starter class goalie (he may have actually been that in the playoffs but Woody refused to play him enough to find out). Skinner not being subpar in the playoffs again would be a bonus as well... he simply wasn't good enough vs Vegas.

... if team D can be as good or better than it was last season... this one I'm more skeptical of.

The team has moved out Bjugstad, Yamamoto and Kostin. None of those players were bad defensively... in fact taken together... that was a pretty solid trio imo in terms of defense.

Connor Brown is the only notable brought in (and he's coming off an injury)... so overall I don't think the team D will be better... in fact it could even regress a bit with more minutes piled onto greener players like Holloway and Broberg who'll need to step up in bigger roles.

 

[brentashton]

Top 3 reasons Oilers lost in the 2nd round (imo of course)...

#1 Woody's coaching choices/stubbornness
#2 Goaltending
#3 Team D


Not saying they would have gotten past the Knights "for certain" with a different coach... or at least with Woody being a little better with his coaching decisions on players he used and ice time he allocated to players... but I think the series could easily have gone to seven games at a minimum.


Have the Oilers addressed those areas this summer... maybe...

... if Woody has grown and learned from his stubborn mistakes

... if Campbell snaps back to a starter class goalie (he may have actually been that in the playoffs but Woody refused to play him enough to find out). Skinner not being subpar in the playoffs again would be be a bonus as well... he simply wasn't good enough vs Vegas.

... if team D can be as good or better than it was last season... this one I'm more skeptical of.

The team has moved out Bjugstad, Yamamoto and Kostin. None of those players were bad defensively... in fact taken together... that was a pretty solid trio imo in terms of defense.

Connor Brown is the only notable brought in (and he's coming off an injury)... so overall I don't think the team D will be better... in fact it could even regress a bit with more minutes piled onto greener players like Holloway and Broberg who'll need to step up in bigger roles.

I think your “reasons” are the ones. I’m parsing hairs here but , I’d suggest a different order

#1 - team defence, really it affected them at different times all year and the chickens came to roost against VGK
#2 - shoddy starting goaltending
#3 -Woodshafts indifference or insolence to identifying the issues and adapting

 

[Mr Positive]

Kopitar actually expires after Draisaitl.

But right on time for McDavid.

It was already leaked that the Leafs plan to sign McDavid when the time comes. I see the plan there. The Tavares contract ends at the same time as Drai's. If they only spend that space on one year deals then hold onto your hats.

I think they are wasting their time though. But we will see what happens with Drai. That would affect McDavid's decision

 

[brentashton]

It was already leaked that the Leafs plan to sign McDavid when the time comes. I see the plan there. The Tavares contract ends at the same time as Drai's. If they only spend that space on one year deals then hold onto your hats.

I think they are wasting their time though. But we will see what happens with Drai. That would affect McDavid's decision

They had the same plan for Wayne’s expiring contract. Shit happens that causes plans to fail.