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

[McJadeddog]

The Oilers have gotten significantly worse on the bottom 6 and have added a player in the top 6 that's a slight upgrade on Yamamoto.

They have still yet to fix defensive issues and goaltending is something no one will be able to help the Oilers with.

Not a cup contender

We are up againt the cap too. Too many holes and too good of a Conference. Might be another wasted year until Holland pulls a rabbit out of a hat.

Pesce

I don't know how we've gotten significantly worse on the bottom 6? The only somewhat significant piece was Kostin. Unless you consider Bujd a big piece, but he wasn't, like at all. Kostin might be replaced by Holloway, or Lavoie, or McLeod continuing to improve. Is it a slight step back? Maybe, but I'm not sure one way or the other right now.

I would argue that Brown is a fairly significant improvement on Yams in the top 6 as well. By quite a bit in fact.

Overall, I would say our forwards are about the same as last year all in all. Not much difference one way or the other, and that is fine, as our forwards weren't the problem.

Goaltending is the same.

D is 100% improved over the regular season for certain, no doubt about it. A full season of Ekholm, and more continued progress from Bouchard and Broberg. So D will be better for the regular season by quite a lot I would argue. Is it enough as is to be a true contender? Probably not actually. But I wouldn't expect us to go into the playoffs with our current D-corps either. I think its pretty obvious that Holland will add something to the D unit at the TDL. Again, this should be pretty obvious.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Yes, his shot is bad and he can barely skate. Budget budget budget Hyman.

His shot is not bad. He at least can place the puck when shooting which is more than could be said of Jesse or Yamamoto consistently. You can hate the contract without needing to manufacture stuff about the guy.

 

[Mcnotloilersfan]

People talking about Connor Brown like he is the second coming of Hyman. The guy can barely move out there. Slow as molasses with a poor shot. His two way game is lauded because he moves his arms a lot and whacks his stick around.

The guy is no Hyman. He is no Marchessault. He isn't a Barbashev or Stephenson. He's a middling guy who has never broken out because he is not the type of player who can break out. There's some effort there, you can tell he is putting in work. Reminds me of Josh Archibald energy.

You must be a treat at dinner parties.

You're negative about everything without legitimate fact to back it up. He doesn't have a poor shot. He isn't slow. He's a big upgrade on what we had in that spot.

Why do you think Washington traded for him? Why do you think Connor tried so hard to get him here. Why do you think so many other teams pushed to sign him?

I guess Duul knows better than most GM's and the greatest player in a genaration.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

I don't know how we've gotten significantly worse on the bottom 6? The only somewhat significant piece was Kostin. Unless you consider Bujd a big piece, but he wasn't, like at all. Kostin might be replaced by Holloway, or Lavoie, or McLeod continuing to improve. Is it a slight step back? Maybe, but I'm not sure one way or the other right now.

I would argue that Brown is a fairly significant improvement on Yams in the top 6 as well. By quite a bit in fact.

Overall, I would say our forwards are about the same as last year all in all. Not much difference one way or the other, and that is fine, as our forwards weren't the problem.

Goaltending is the same.

D is 100% improved over the regular season for certain, no doubt about it. A full season of Ekholm, and more continued progress from Bouchard and Broberg. So D will be better for the regular season by quite a lot I would argue. Is it enough as is to be a true contender? Probably not actually. But I wouldn't expect us to go into the playoffs with our current D-corps either. I think its pretty obvious that Holland will add something to the D unit at the TDL. Again, this should be pretty obvious.

Kostin was a significant loss in toughness and in terms of an ES goal scoring threat. A lot of people are sleeping on Bjugstad just because he didn't fare well against Eichel. He had 4 goals in 19 regular season games for us or basically a 16ish goal pace for an entire season and 3 more in the playoffs. On top of this he brought a RH faceoff option and some surprising physicality. I wouldn't hesitate to try and bring him back at the deadline if Arizona would retain salary.

 

[McJadeddog]

We aren't a contender because almost for sure we meet Vegas again and we have done very little to overcome the strategy they used. They do it again except even more effectively.

LV had literally the luckiest cup run in history (at least in the 20 years that these stats have been kept anyhow). They also got a little worst in the offseason as always happens to cup winners due to contracts. Are they still gonna be really good next year? Yeah for sure, I think they either win the division or finish 2nd (unless they have a bunch of injuries or something). But lets not pretend that the Oilers could have VERY easily won that series. A couple calls or bounces, or Nurse not being an idiot at the end of game 4, or goalie play being even slightly more even, and we win that series. Vegas is not KMs better than the Oilers, I'm not even entirely sure they are better at all to be honest.

I say this while being REKNOWN on these boards for being negative over the years. But if you can't tell the current Oilers are very, VERY, close to being in a cup final, I don't know what to tell you.

 

[SupremeTeam16]

Yes, his shot is bad and he can barely skate. Budget budget budget Hyman.

Funny.

In Brown what I see is a reliable two way player who is adaptable and has proven he can provide secondary scoring anywhere in the lineup. He can pk, he works hard, he’s a smart player and he’s going to be extremely motivated to perform, all for as little as .775k this year.

 

[ThePhoenixx]

The Oilers have gotten significantly worse on the bottom 6 and have added a player in the top 6 that's a slight upgrade on Yamamoto.

They have still yet to fix defensive issues and goaltending is something no one will be able to help the Oilers with.

Not a cup contender

We are up againt the cap too. Too many holes and too good of a Conference. Might be another wasted year until Holland pulls a rabbit out of a hat.

Pesce

Slight upgrade on Yamamoto?

OK, then.

 

[McJadeddog]

Kostin was a significant loss in toughness and in terms of an ES goal scoring threat. A lot of people are sleeping on Bjugstad just because he didn't fare well against Eichel. He had 4 goals in 19 regular season games for us or basically a 16ish goal pace for an entire season and 3 more in the playoffs. On top of this he brought a RH faceoff option and some surprising physicality. I wouldn't hesitate to try and bring him back at the deadline if Arizona would retain salary.

Yeah Kostin was a loss. But I'm not sure if the - from Kostin to Holloway is going to be more than the + we will get from Brown over Yams. I think that is almost a saw off to be honest. I wouldn't fall out of my chair if you told me Holloway only scores a few less than Kostin does next year. I don't think its going to be that much of a difference in scoring. It is in the physical department where I expect the bigger difference. Kostin hits more, is a little bigger, and fights. But in offensive ability, Holloway has the edge, and I think that is pretty clear. Holloway had higher AHL scoring stats than Kostin did at the same ages, and very similar first full NHL season stats. Except that Holloway did his first full NHL season at D+3 (9 points in 51 GP) and Kostin was D+5 (9 points in 40 GP), so scored pretty much the same, but 2 years earlier. Holloway isn't going to be a star, but I fully expect him to be a solid middle-6 winger quite soon, maybe even this year.

 

[brentashton]

For cheap I have all kinds of time for him especially since we moved out a better player in Kostin. If you want Kane and Nurse feeling the need to fight all of our battles then year don't sign him on the cheap.

In terms of legit toughness the list is getting pretty small:

Austin Watson (punching bag but not completely useless on the ice)
Nick Ritchie (inconsistent physically but probably the most skill on the list)
Brett Ritchie
Brendan Lemieux
Wayne Simmonds (one foot out of the league)

In terms of guys that can hold their own against non heavies:

Max Comtois
Derek Grant
Zach Kassian (guy is done like dinner)

I like Comtois and grant. Middleweights but players as well. Kassian, Lemieux not my liking neither. Both are washed

 

[commie]

Some people probably complain even if the team was the 1985 Oilers. Lol

 

[Tarus]

I shouldn't have watched this right after watching "Mcdavid's top 25 plays of 22/23"

Brown just looks like a plug now

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Yeah Kostin was a loss. But I'm not sure if the - from Kostin to Holloway is going to be more than the + we will get from Brown over Yams. I think that is almost a saw off to be honest. I wouldn't fall out of my chair if you told me Holloway only scores a few less than Kostin does next year. I don't think its going to be that much of a difference in scoring. It is in the physical department where I expect the bigger difference. Kostin hits more, is a little bigger, and fights. But in offensive ability, Holloway has the edge, and I think that is pretty clear. Holloway had higher AHL scoring stats than Kostin did at the same ages, and very similar first full NHL season stats. Except that Holloway did his first full NHL season at D+3 (9 points in 51 GP) and Kostin was D+5 (9 points in 40 GP), so scored pretty much the same, but 2 years earlier. Holloway isn't going to be a star, but I fully expect him to be a solid middle-6 winger quite soon, maybe even this year.

I think that Holloway can bring the same or better offense and hitting frequency but Kostin adds the fighting ability and can really truck guys when he wants to due to the added size and strength.

I like Comtois and grant. Middleweights but players as well. Kassian, Lemieux not my liking neither. Both are washed

If we are going with middleweights I'd want 2 of them so that neither guy needs to answer the bell every time. Not a huge Lemieux fan but I'd take him over Kassian without thinking twice.

 

[ThePhoenixx]

Lots of Edmonton Oilers talk but not all will be easier for listeners to find: 9 Things

Changes for Edmonton Oilers talk

edmontonjournal.com

"9. Some people have wondered aloud whether a cap-squeezed Edmonton Oilers would contemplate a buyout of Jack Campbell. My information is that there is zero chance of that. None. Period."

"3. Ryan McLeod’s camp has filed for salary arbitration. I do not think you will see a quick resolution to this..."

 

[brentashton]

We aren't a contender because almost for sure we meet Vegas again and we have done very little to overcome the strategy they used. They do it again except even more effectively.

f***. We just started the second decade of doom by the sound of it. 2nd year in a row and more to come.

And we only have McDavid, Draisaitl, Kane, RNH, Hyman, Ekhlolm, Nurse, Bouchard, and a rookie of the year finalist in goal.

f***, I hate being a fan of such a shitty team.

Am I doing this right?

 

[Beerfish]

We cannot go back to being a 1 or 2 line team and bleeding goals from the bottom 6. We need at least a passable bottom 6 to win anything unless our goalie goes prime Hasek on us.

We were not bleeding chances last year, we had a goalie who could not even put up passable save %, that is why we lost. Out goalie did not make a lot of big saves, he let in soft goals and he let in highly stoppable shots.

A huge upgrade in the bottom 6 and bottom d will man nothing at all if we get that kind of tending.

We have cycled the bottom 6 and bottom pair about 3 times in hollands tenure.

We win becasue of our top two lines and pp and we lose due to not stopping the puck.

If our big goal was to have a really solid bottom part of the roster then guys like hyman, nuge, kane and the new connor borwn should never have been brought in.

 

[bobbythebrain]

Yes, his shot is bad and he can barely skate. Budget budget budget Hyman.

But does he GoAl SuCk like Hyman?

 

[belair]

You have 3 teams possibly 4 teams willing to move pieces right now for draft capital and prospects.
2 of those teams can take significant $ back.

Trading Campbell straight across for Gibson would cost likely two, if not three 1st round calibre pieces. And statistically there's not much to suggest that we'd be getting that much of an upgrade looking at the last four seasons of production from both.

Trading Campbell and Ceci up for a retained Karlsson would likely cost significantly more than that. You're likely looking at a trade that doesn't have a comparable. All of your assets. And it'd be for a player that doesn't even address an immediate need.

Pesce? An American born player who is looking at a significant increase in pay a year from now. And likely a lot of American suitors.

Those pieces would all require the Oilers to add salary to their already tight payroll. And they're addressing areas that are proven to be fine in the regular season. The Oilers were a 100+ point team with this very tandem. And their defense last season did not have Mattias Ekholm for two thirds of it.

 

[belair]

We were not bleeding chances last year, we had a goalie who could not even put up passable save %, that is why we lost. Out goalie did not make a lot of big saves, he let in soft goals and he let in highly stoppable shots.

A huge upgrade in the bottom 6 and bottom d will man nothing at all if we get that kind of tending.

We have cycled the bottom 6 and bottom pair about 3 times in hollands tenure.

We win becasue of our top two lines and pp and we lose due to not stopping the puck.

If our big goal was to have a really solid bottom part of the roster then guys like hyman, nuge, kane and the new connor borwn should never have been brought in.

You serious? The Oilers must've given up close to a dozen goals in the playoffs off of mismanaged pucks in the NZ. Missed passes, poor reads or blatant turnovers.

Save percentage is a more complicated stat than you're leading on here. You improve the team in front of your goalie, that number improves regardless of who's between those posts.

 

[McDoused]

So Calgary is penciling in Dube and Pelletier in their top 6 but we cant have Holloway on our 4th line?

What is going on here?

 

[Beerfish]

You serious? The Oilers must've given up close to a dozen goals in the playoffs off of mismanaged pucks in the NZ. Missed passes, poor reads or blatant turnovers.

Save percentage is a more complicated stat than you're leading on here. You improve the team in front of your goalie, that number improves regardless of who's between those posts.

No it is not complicated, you combine save % with the eye ball test of watching those goals go in and it = crap tending. We lost becasue the other guy played well our guy was lousy.

If people think upgrading slightly those bottom parts are going to make us over come bad tending they are in a dream world.

As I've said we have recycled the bottom part of the roster about 3 times already.

Want to upgrade in a real meaningful way that part of the roster? Say good bye to top end of the roster players and then we can talk about needing top 6 forwards and top pair dmen.

The real solution is probably to use the cheat code of LTIR and hide a 10 million dollar player in the stands until the playoffs and the be able to add 3 good 3rd liners.

 

[belair]

No it is not complicated, you combine save % with the eye ball test of watching those goals go in and it = crap tending. We lost becasue the other guy played well our guy was lousy.

If people think upgrading slightly those bottom parts are going to make us over come bad tending they are in a dream world.

As I've said we have recycled the bottom part of the roster about 3 times already.

Want to upgrade in a real meaningful way that part of the roster? Say good bye to top end of the roster players and then we can talk about needing top 6 forwards and top pair dmen.

The real solution is probably to use the cheat code of LTIR and hide a 10 million dollar player in the stands until the playoffs and the be able to add 3 good 3rd liners.

I think any improvement you make to your roster has a trickle down effect to the other areas of it. And the bottom six is the part that is by far the easiest and cheapest area to tweak between now and training camp. It requires no additional roster movement.

People are still reacting to a playoff run that's now three months in the past. What happened then doesn't necessarily continue to happen in the future. And has been stated a dozen times already, this exact tandem won 50 games last season.

Stuart Skinner is a 24 year old goalie. And Jack Campbell is a goalie that was trending as a slightly above average starter before last season. More likely than not, you're getting an improved result on last season from them. Especially if the team in front of them makes their job easier.

 

[Lay Z Boy GM]

No it is not complicated, you combine save % with the eye ball test of watching those goals go in and it = crap tending. We lost becasue the other guy played well our guy was lousy.

If people think upgrading slightly those bottom parts are going to make us over come bad tending they are in a dream world.

As I've said we have recycled the bottom part of the roster about 3 times already.

Want to upgrade in a real meaningful way that part of the roster? Say good bye to top end of the roster players and then we can talk about needing top 6 forwards and top pair dmen.

The real solution is probably to use the cheat code of LTIR and hide a 10 million dollar player in the stands until the playoffs and the be able to add 3 good 3rd liners.

I kind of agree. This team absolutely has to change the goaltending, maybe nobody was biting but Campbell HAD to go, too much money and we don’t have time for anyone that can’t get their head on straight. Should have punted JC and literally just signed someone for cheap, less than what Skinner makes.

Also the top 4 D cannot remain the same, no way. We just watched these guys crumble.

This team needed a shakeup, like trade someone who’s getting paid. Campbell, Ceci, Nurse are all guys getting paid double what they earned. Those are bad contracts, I don’t care how many minutes Nurse “munches”, he’s overpaid and he’s not getting it done.

The time to do this was at the draft, before free agency. There were bargain deals being signed for good vets and we couldn’t sign them.

Oilers are still better than most teams for sure but we aren’t true contenders. We’re kind of contenders except we have obvious weaknesses that we never fix. We’ll make the playoffs again if nobody important gets injured, but to win the Cup we’ll need a lot of luck and multiple players will need to overachieve.

Right now everything is banking on young players taking BIG steps and Holland finding the exact right player at the deadline, because that’s the only addition we can make. One shot, one opening all year, it’s a huge risk to rely on that.

 

[Davo Ikinzom]

Damn. Season's already a write off because Holland didn't sign X poster's favourite 4th liner.

 

[Fourier]

I shouldn't have watched this right after watching "Mcdavid's top 25 plays of 22/23"

Brown just looks like a plug now

As would 99.93% of the players that ever played the game. McDavid might have the most dynamic highlight package of all time. In fact, I'd say he does.

 

[duul]

Crazy how guys like Wheeler, JVR, Duchene all go for 800k to 3 mil. Free agency sure is somethin.