Rumor: Rumors & Proposals Thread | Where's the Beef?

Soundwave

Registered User
Mar 1, 2007
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Agree with pretty much everything in this post.

I didn't want to match either, but I'm an IT guy, not a GM of an NHL franchise. I'm an idiot in this space, and the people that are paid millions to make decisions very clearly dramatically failed in their assessment. They have dramatically failed in pretty much every off-season move they made truthfully. None of the signings have really worked out, and the Ceci trade hasn't worked out either, on top of the non-match of the offer sheets. Just an absolute DISASTER of an off-season for the Oilers management group as a totality.

If I failed for an entire year in every IT decision I made, I wouldn't be employed anymore.



Most offensive players peak at around 25-27. Maybe McDavid is different, due to being generational and all that, but maybe not either. If I had to bet, I would certainly bet that the best offensive seasons are behind him for certain. Now, if you want to start talking "peak 200 foot game", I think that is a different age, and a different conversation.

Becoming less and less the case. Kucherov just had his career best year at 31. Hyman had his career best year at age 32. MacKinnon at age 29 and he could top those numbers. Marchessault at age 33.

Ovechkin is almost 40 years old and on pace for 50 goals, lol. A few years ago people felt like Ovy would be on his last legs and have to crawl to break Gretzky's record, he's going to easily cruise past it. He may well outperform the season he had at age 25 this year.

Nutrition, training, and longevity has changed sports wide, you see guys like Brady, LeBron, Djokovic, putting up big numbers well into their 30s, hockey was always likely to follow suit.
 

TheNumber4

Registered User
Nov 11, 2011
44,150
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They Keifer Sherwood signing was a good one for VAN

Leading the league in hits and has 3G 3A for 1.5 Million. He hits like an animal lol. Just a hound. I remember the Cucks players told the GM he was a pain to play against
Liked Sherwood everytime I saw him play. Wished we’d have targeted him. He was good on the Preds.
 

TheNumber4

Registered User
Nov 11, 2011
44,150
55,076
Stauffer is Katz's mouthpiece, so this is doubly damaging for Bowman IMO that he has both ownership AND players on him so early based on that comment. He should have known what the team's two biggest weaknesses were but he not only stood pat on goaltending (and goalie coaching) but made the D worse by trading Ceci- a locker room favourite- and not filling the hole right away.

I do though blame Katz and Jackson for hiring someone who had very few active relationships with other GMs coming in. Bowman had been out of the league a long time relative to the pace GMs come and go, and it takes time to build that rapport- time we don't have. If he can't make something happen by US Thanksgiving and the teams stays at 0.500 I really wonder if he lasts until Christmas.
There really wasn’t much options out there with more relationships/experience potential than Bowman though.
 

Fourier

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Dec 29, 2006
26,662
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Waterloo Ontario
For me it’s more the passing and giving up grade A scoring chances and passing the puck when he’s in great position to score. It’s like the killer instinct disappeared. Maybe he just made a conscious decision to score less goals and spread the wealth around. But the team lacks a killer instinct. He scored 60 goals then stopped shooting. There has be a physical reason for that right ?

I’m really just spitballing and stream of conscious thinking here because of course im happy mcdavid is back but I want 2022-23 mcdavid back. That might be unfair. I don’t know.
Any lingering issue with his ankle should not have an impact on his shot. Last year it seemed he had some sort of ongoing core issue that would have such an impact; The problem with such an injury is that unless it is severe enough to require something like surgery only tome would heal it. And there is no way a guy like McDavid takes many weeks off to heal completely when as it was he was still as good as or better than anyone else in the league.
 

Mr Positive

Cap Crunch Incoming
Nov 20, 2013
37,982
18,901
It's time to Crack a few eggs.

Need a top 4 RHD
Need a starting goaltender
Need energy/high intense physical players

Oil need to part with some finesse/skilled players! The makeup is wrong. Too many soft/skilled players thinking it's shinny hockey.

Maybe another annual coach firing as well to get things fired up. Lol
Unfortunately this isn't a time to buy. No sellers. If someone is, it will be high prices for someone we don't really like either. Desperation moves is how we committed to Campbell
 

VeteranPresence

Registered User
Aug 13, 2024
276
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Rather than trying to fix this team, it’s probably easier to retool/rebuild.

Kinda half serious.

I think they need a major shakeup.

Pay whatever premium Chicago wants to get Murphy and Soderblom (or SJ for Ferraro/Blackwood) now rather than at the deadline when it will be too late to matter. Those two teams know they aren’t going anywhere, so cough up the extra future or two needed to make it happen FFS.
 
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McTonyBrar

Registered User
Apr 2, 2018
19,485
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Unfortunately this isn't a time to buy. No sellers. If someone is, it will be high prices for someone we don't really like either. Desperation moves is how we committed to Campbell
I wouldn't say thats true. Friedman said yesterday there's been way more talk than usual in the trade market

I agree we need a goalie. It’s easy to say, who is your actual target that fits in our cap situation
We kind of need a Dman too.

And Scoring since its 30th overall right now.

And a goalie coach.

And a penalty killing specialist
 

Scrapin Ice

Registered User
Oct 25, 2024
36
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Unfortunately this isn't a time to buy. No sellers. If someone is, it will be high prices for someone we don't really like either. Desperation moves is how we committed to Campbell
Always there is a way. Each of NJD, Columbus, and Nashville have a player or players we could use and each of them is under the gun in one form or another. Obviously there are other GMs needing change too.
Making larger or sweeping changes this time of year is very hard but cheaper insightful changes more than possible. Need the right guys making decisions and pro scouts worth their keep. Edmonton lacks this but could hire some very smart guys. Staois is not coming back lol.

These changes also must fit into an overall strategy of making the team in a certain way, part of a definition of what we are and how we will play. We are not now with the changes during the summer at point where we are a defined team now. We lost bottom six speed, we gave away a D man, we brought in two wingers for the top six who have reputations and question marks.

Further after seeing this last year and playoffs what horrendous future planning by Jackson. For example this idiot still has molasses Rodrigue and Delia playing in Bakersfield. Talk about foolish. There was plenty of opportunity to upgrade or at least take chances on potential for free this past summer. Mind you having said this The Jarventie move was a quality one. Savoie should be moved to wing and he will like pan out too. At least i hope so.

Stu will be the goaltender has was last year with an improved defense--a good goalie but inconsistent. Needs a quality backup that can play 35 games. Someone that could push him for the starter role. And yes you need a quality babysitter for these guys; someone who is good for them mentally and technically.
 
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Apr 12, 2010
74,786
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Calgary
Because they love him. When has a goalie coach outlived this many head coaches and GMs. It’s just so odd
We had one year of above average goaltending and given that Talbot cratered the next year it's safe to say it was an outlier. The guy's been with the Oilers for a decade now, that's extremely long for any coach to be with an organization, let alone one that's had goaltending issues for as long as we have. But even putting that aside... Here's the maximum number of goals the Oilers could've given up in each game while still winning:
0(they didn't score), 1, 0, 3(won)2 (1 ENG, won), 0, 1, 3(won), 2(won), 0, 4(won), 2(won, 1 ENG), 0(they didn't score), 1.
 

Reasonable Oil Fan

NO KOOL AID PLEASE!!
Oct 7, 2022
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In the Real World
It's time to Crack a few eggs.

Need a top 4 RHD
Need a starting goaltender
Need energy/high intense physical players

Oil need to part with some finesse/skilled players! The makeup is wrong. Too many soft/skilled players thinking it's shinny hockey.

Maybe another annual coach firing as well to get things fired up. Lol
Good points Just wanted to add a couple things

Need to commit to some sort of team defensive structure (might even fix some of our goaltending issues)
Need more annoying pop up ads on this site that make it tougher to read
 

russ99

Registered User
Jun 9, 2011
3,915
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I hate to admit it. But this has been in the back of head since the start of last year but I don’t want to admit it. He’s only turning 28 this year and it’s absurd to think about it. He’s still putting up points but his game changed.

Surely we are just being paranoid. Or maybe just expecting too much. Either way I don’t want to give it much thought.
Even McDavid at 75% is an exceptional player, my beef is if our whole gameplan is based around McDrai going supernova, it’s a flawed plan.

Man I hate myself for writing this but what would the effort look like on the ice if Tortorella was behind the bench. Not advocating that directly but is our coaching staff really challenging the group?

Good points Just wanted to add a couple things

Need to commit to some sort of team defensive structure (might even fix some of our goaltending issues)
Need more annoying pop up ads on this site that make it tougher to read
Use an adblocker. This site is unreadable on a tablet or phone.
 

Scrapin Ice

Registered User
Oct 25, 2024
36
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Good points Just wanted to add a couple things

Need to commit to some sort of team defensive structure (might even fix some of our goaltending issues)
Need more annoying pop up ads on this site that make it tougher to read
You need the right personnel for a defensive system change. Two summers ago they decided to go 1-3-1 and they tried to institute with no player changes whatso ever that summer. Dipsy doodle shinny players are NOT for the most part malleable into a tight defensive set up. Woodcroft went back to management to confirm keeping with this plan was the right way forward. Eventually it cost him his job. Knobby came in seen right away what he had and slid the team to a more offensive oriented bunch while keeping some of the lessons Woodcroft had instilled. A hero in the making lol.

Making the Oilers into the Wild is downright laughable.
 
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Reasonable Oil Fan

NO KOOL AID PLEASE!!
Oct 7, 2022
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You need the right personnel for a defensive system change. Two summers ago they decided to go 1-3-1 and they tried to institute with no player changes whatso ever that summer. Dipsy doodle shinny players are NOT for the most part malleable into a tight defensive set up. Woodcroft went back to management to confirm keeping with this plan was the right way forward. Eventually it cost him his job. Knobby came in seen right away what he had and slid the team to a more offensive oriented bunch while keeping some of the lessons Woodcroft had instilled. A hero in the making lol.

Making the Oilers into the Wild is downright laughable.
Who said anything about turning them into the wild? These are professional hockey players, when they out number an opponent 4-1 in their own zone they should be in good shape
 

Scrapin Ice

Registered User
Oct 25, 2024
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Who said anything about turning them into the wild? These are professional hockey players, when they out number an opponent 4-1 in their own zone they should be in good shape
McD and Drais play 42-45 mins at centre every game. Good luck turning them into more defensive centers when right now they are ready to fly the zone(as they should be) at a moments notice.

McD and Drais play 42-45 mins at centre every game. Good luck turning them into more defensive centers when right now they are ready to fly the zone(as they should be) at a moments notice. They are not defensive first centres nor should they be. Whoops sort of screwed up this post. Not sure how to fix it.
 

McDNicks17

Moderator
Jul 1, 2010
42,628
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You need the right personnel for a defensive system change. Two summers ago they decided to go 1-3-1 and they tried to institute with no player changes whatso ever that summer. Dipsy doodle shinny players are NOT for the most part malleable into a tight defensive set up. Woodcroft went back to management to confirm keeping with this plan was the right way forward. Eventually it cost him his job. Knobby came in seen right away what he had and slid the team to a more offensive oriented bunch while keeping some of the lessons Woodcroft had instilled. A hero in the making lol.

Making the Oilers into the Wild is downright laughable.
Knob was hired because he's always ran a 1-3-1. Woodcroft was turfed because he had no idea how to run it.

This personnel ran it last year. They're clearly less sharp at it this year.
 

Scrapin Ice

Registered User
Oct 25, 2024
36
8
Knob was hired because he's always ran a 1-3-1. Woodcroft was turfed because he had no idea how to run it.

This personnel ran it last year. They're clearly less sharp at it this year.
Disagree with this post. Its kinda obvious why they are less sharp lol. Foegele whose best attribute was getting the puck off the half wall and Mcleod whose speed allowed him to get the puck half the time with no battle are gone. Your bull in the china shope(rem murray with skill and potential) is gone ( Yes Broberg should have been traded a year ago but they should have ante'd up to keep Holloway).

Maybe Woodcroft didn't know how to institute a 1-3-1 and we didn't have the players. Maybe Knob knows how BUT he didn't even try to run one here. He changed back to a more offensive system less than 2 - 3 games in.
 
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McDNicks17

Moderator
Jul 1, 2010
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Ontario
Disagree with this post. Its kinda obvious why they are less sharp lol. Foegele whose best attribute was getting the puck off the half wall and Mcleod whose speed allowed him to get the puck half the time with no battle are gone. Your bull in the china shope(rem murray with skill and potential) is gone ( Yes Broberg should have been traded a year ago but they should have ante'd up to keep Holloway).
Foegele and McLeod were two of the worst players on the team last year when not on Drai's wing.

Not having those two farting around on the third line isn't why the whole the team is struggling.
 
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