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

[Dazed and Confused]

I see this as part of getting us ready for the playoffs, IMO Ekholm is probably one of it not the best mentors for young D. Just playing with him, getting some advice and tweaking his game a bit will go a long way in ensuring Emberson is playoff ready.

Also just added bits of familiarity is good to have in case of injuries, the playoffs aren't the best place to correct malfunctions so if we can iron out things before hand all the better.

Nothing about these changes scream to me Mike Matheson is the answer, I'm not entirely against him, but he isn't at the top of my wanted list.

That my view.

Honestly I like the direction of the defensive changes, namely Ekholm with Emberson. If you're going to increase Emberson's minutes and give him a trial run in the top 4, then learning the ropes is far easier paired with Ekholm vs. Nurse.

Nurse-Bouchard is also interesting if it can work, but I do prefer Nurse with Kulak and would rather get another smooth skating D would can play solid defence to go with Bouchard.
Honestly a prime-Sekera would be the piece that best rounds out the defence.

Sekera-Bouchard
Nurse-Kulak
Ekholm-Emberson

Who's the top pairing and who's the 3rd? Who knows. All I see is 3 pairings I would have zero issue tossing over the boards in any situation and playing 20+min a night.

 

[Mikey71]

I still think if we want to go a certain direction lower in the lineup, we call Columbus and see what the cost of Olivier is on his own, and with something like Provorov. Olivier is more than a face puncher.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

I like Provorov's game though it's largely through his junior years which I had about a dozen live viewings both regular season and playoff. Though he's often been a top pair NHL guy on poor teams, I think his game would translate very well as a mid pair and mesh with the Oilers systems and personnel.

Oil don't have the assets to burn on a straight UFA potential one and done though imo. They found a way with Henrique to re-sign but Provorov is still at a good age and likely a competitive market for next year's free agency, especially as team's move to lock up their own talent.

I'm not convinced about Ferraro...

I just posted above that a Sekera type would be perfect for this team. Well Provorov is likely the closest thinge to Sekera that's availbe this TDL.

Provorov-Bouchard
Nurse-Kulak
Ekholm-Emberson


That looks very nice.

 

[belair]

I like Provorov's game though it's largely through his junior years which I had about a dozen live viewings both regular season and playoff. Though he's often been a top pair NHL guy on poor teams, I think his game would translate very well as a mid pair and mesh with the Oilers systems and personnel.

Oil don't have the assets to burn on a straight UFA potential one and done though imo. They found a way with Henrique to re-sign but Provorov is still at a good age and likely a competitive market for next year's free agency, especially as team's move to lock up their own talent.

I'm not convinced about Ferraro...

Ferraro is in over his head in San Jose. I think he's playing too many minutes and he is overextending trying to push offense.

His best game was being a compliment to a bigger name partner. I think his defensive game is his strong suit and in Edmonton, I think that Coffey could get his game under control.

His numbers last season with Emberson were also pretty solid and would translate well as a bottom pairing.

Provorov? Yeah, you're going to need at least $6m to get him extended.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

Wasn’t Stauffer talking about Matheson being the guy? I have pretty much watched near zero games other than the Oilers so no idea how he is doing.

 

[belair]

Wasn’t Stauffer talking about Matheson being the guy? I have pretty much watched near zero games other than the Oilers so no idea how he is doing.

Drowning in Montreal. He's been an all the tools, no toolbox defenseman his entire career.

 

[Arpeggio]

If Kane's out until the playoffs they'll have enough cap space to add pretty much whoever they want, likely two guys, if they wait until the deadline. Not worth speculating until more guys shake out closer to the deadline.

Edit: Get me two guys with awesome analytics. Say what you want about eye test, nerds, whatever, the acquisitions who have worked out the best here have all been guys with strong analytics.

 

[SupremeTeam16]

You don't think players think twice about taking liberties against Ovechkin when Wilson is his linemate? Don't be naive.

I think Ovi is a Russian tank himself so nobody is really taking liberties on a guy like that.

Don’t get me wrong, I love big physical guys who’ve got a bit of a screw loose, especially when they can play too, but the days of self policing are gone because you can’t grab a guy and beat him to a pulp any more, and you can’t try and decapitate a guy anymore.

The league has made these deterrents mostly inneffective by removing the kind of violence that truly makes people fearful. When you’ve got a deterrent like Wilson who’s a useful player the opponents are more emboldened to run around on stars in an attempt to provoke Wilson and get him off the ice, which inevitably hurts his team even more. If I’m a 4th liner and I take a run at Ovi and Wilson gets himself suspended for a game in a playoff series because he came after me, I’m thinking that’s probably the best impact for my team I could have as a player in my role. I’m taking one of their best players off his game and possibly out of a game in a short series.

 

[Whoshattenkirkshoes]

If Kane's out until the playoffs they'll have enough cap space to add pretty much whoever they want, likely two guys, if they wait until the deadline. Not worth speculating until more guys shake out closer to the deadline.

Edit: Get me two guys with awesome analytics. Say what you want about eye test, nerds, whatever, the acquisitions who have worked out the best here have all been guys with strong analytics.

The question is what do we have for assets and how many are we willing to blow

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

If Kane's out until the playoffs they'll have enough cap space to add pretty much whoever they want, likely two guys, if they wait until the deadline. Not worth speculating until more guys shake out closer to the deadline.

Edit: Get me two guys with awesome analytics. Say what you want about eye test, nerds, whatever, the acquisitions who have worked out the best here have all been guys with strong analytics.

Puljujarvi says hi.

 

[BarDownBobo]

IMO the best teams are teams that can win no matter the style of hockey. As it stands IMO we are not equipped for an all out war against big and physical teams in a long series. Last season we saw some of our players injured in the playoffs, McDavid cheap shotted by Zadorov and Soucy with no response. Ideally we add 2 heavy and physical players that also crash the net and make life difficult on other teams down low on the cycle. Who are guys that we could target for such roles? Greenway is on Buffalo and an UFA at season's end but has a huge salary at $3 million. Who are some other guys that we could target from poor teams? Brazzeau was a beast to play against for instance in our last game.

My big question if you’re looking to add a forward who’s coming out? When the team gets healthy you’ve already got 14 forward on the roster, 10 of which are probably locks to be in the lineup game 1 of the playoffs(McDavid Drai RNH Hyman Kane Arvidsson Janmark Henrique Podkolzin Brown). Kapanen is doing a great job of fitting so far carving out a niche and if he continues to do so he’ll earn a spot in that lineup, plus you’ve got the vets Perry and Ryan and the wildcard in Skinner. Ideally they need to bring in a 4C who could very well already be in house with Philp, but outside of that I’m not sure the need to bring in more up front is really there.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

My big question if you’re looking to add a forward who’s coming out? When the team gets healthy you’ve already got 14 forward on the roster, 10 of which are probably locks to be in the lineup game 1 of the playoffs(McDavid Drai RNH Hyman Kane Arvidsson Janmark Henrique Podkolzin Brown). Kapanen is doing a great job of fitting so far carving out a niche and if he continues to do so he’ll earn a spot in that lineup, plus you’ve got the vets Perry and Ryan and the wildcard in Skinner. Ideally they need to bring in a 4C who could very well already be in house with Philp, but outside of that I’m not sure the need to bring in more up front is really there.

My guess is Skinner waives his NMC and gets traded as he can’t be happy getting 10 minutes a night on the 4th line in a contract year, Ryan is depth and Kapanen will also be depth as the Oilers add Kane and probably Philp and a better forward than Kapanen.

 

[belair]

My guess is Skinner waives his NMC and gets traded as he can’t be happy getting 10 minutes a night on the 4th line in a contract year, Ryan is depth and Kapanen will also be depth as the Oilers add Kane and probably Philp and a better forward than Kapanen.

I think Derek Ryan gets moved to offset some salary because he'll eventually be bumped from the roster. Stecher will either be moved or bumped down to 7D. I'm on the fence of whether it's worth it to upgrade on Pickard.

Kapanen seems to have settled in pretty quickly considering he's a decent PK option. He and Brown were good bottom six options for Toronto all those years ago. Seems like that hasn't changed.

 

[Thomas Tatar]

I really feel bringing back Kostin is a no brainer. He really embraced the physical side of the game when he was here under the tutelage of Nurse and Kane. I just remember Kane pouring water on him in the Penalty box after a fight. He was a good fit, loved the fans and the atmosphere, and I think he comes up big when needed.

 

[SupremeTeam16]

I think Derek Ryan gets moved to offset some salary because he'll eventually be bumped from the roster. Stecher will either be moved or bumped down to 7D. I'm on the fence of whether it's worth it to upgrade on Pickard.

Kapanen seems to have settled in pretty quickly considering he's a decent PK option. He and Brown were good bottom six options for Toronto all those years ago. Seems like that hasn't changed.

I don’t think they’ll trade DR and Indont think they’d get much of anything for him so they’d likely try and sneak him through waivers if they absolutely need the cap space and then bring him back as a black ace. I think while he’s not the player he once was, he’s versatile and he’s a good hard working veteran, a good room guy and a guy you can insert in a pinch.

 

[SupremeTeam16]

My guess is Skinner waives his NMC and gets traded as he can’t be happy getting 10 minutes a night on the 4th line in a contract year, Ryan is depth and Kapanen will also be depth as the Oilers add Kane and probably Philp and a better forward than Kapanen.

It’s important to remember that a lot of guys joining the team are doing so in different capacities then they’ve played their entire careers. They’re having to adjust to different expectations, roles and deployment and that can take longer than 30 games. No doubt Skinner has been underwhelming so far and they’ve struggled to find a place for him in the lineup but I think if you asked the staff they’d tell you he’s working hard, accepting his assignments and trying to find his place even if it’s not what he’s used to or made for. I’m betting that we see Skinner get one more push up the lineup at some point (especially with news Kane will be out until at least March) to see if he can get it going. If it’s still not happening then they’ll probably talk to him about if they can find a better fit for him somewhere else.

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

My guess is Skinner waives his NMC and gets traded as he can’t be happy getting 10 minutes a night on the 4th line in a contract year, Ryan is depth and Kapanen will also be depth as the Oilers add Kane and probably Philp and a better forward than Kapanen.

I don’t think Skinner wants to go back to meaningless hockey at this point in his career.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

I don’t think Skinner wants to go back to meaningless hockey at this point in his career.

It’s costing him potentially millions in future contract dollars to be barely playing right now. When Kane comes back he will be in the press box.

It’s important to remember that a lot of guys joining the team are doing so in different capacities then they’ve played their entire careers. They’re having to adjust to different expectations, roles and deployment and that can take longer than 30 games. No doubt Skinner has been underwhelming so far and they’ve struggled to find a place for him in the lineup but I think if you asked the staff they’d tell you he’s working hard, accepting his assignments and trying to find his place even if it’s not what he’s used to or made for. I’m betting that we see Skinner get one more push up the lineup at some point (especially with news Kane will be out until at least March) to see if he can get it going. If it’s still not happening then they’ll probably talk to him about if they can find a better fit for him somewhere else.

Brown and Strudwick think his agent will approach the Oilers over the Christmas break about a finding him a better fit.

 

[CanadasTeam99]

It’s costing him potentially millions in future contract dollars to be barely playing right now. When Kane comes back he will be in the press box.



Brown and Strudwick think his agent will approach the Oilers over the Christmas break about a finding him a better fit.

100%

Where does Skinner fit then?

 

[SupremeTeam16]

It’s costing him potentially millions in future contract dollars to be barely playing right now. When Kane comes back he will be in the press box.



Brown and Strudwick think his agent will approach the Oilers over the Christmas break about a finding him a better fit.

Certainly possible and I think that would be a good outcome for all but at the same time, I see a guy who’s made a pile of money, never been in the playoffs and maybe is only focusing on this year where he’s on a team that’s a legit cup contender and he can be along for the ride even if he’s not a big part of it. Regardless of how the rest of this season goes for skinner he’s going to have options in the summer. Whether it’s signing a 1M dollar deal with another contender or signing with a team that might not be a definite playoff team but that’s going to put him in the top 6 and on PP1 and he’ll be able to build some value if he wants to sign one more 10M-20M deal.

 

[brentashton]

It’s costing him potentially millions in future contract dollars to be barely playing right now. When Kane comes back he will be in the press box.



Brown and Strudwick think his agent will approach the Oilers over the Christmas break about a finding him a better fit.

Hopefully it’s quick and beneficial.
Even though that’s his wish and our desire, it’s still gonna cost us to dump that 3M cap hit.

 

[McHelpus]

It’s costing him potentially millions in future contract dollars to be barely playing right now. When Kane comes back he will be in the press box.

I feel like they should trade him, but look at Connor Brown last season. If they didn't move on from that, why would we assume they try to move Skinner (especially with a NMC)?

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

I feel like they should trade him, but look at Connor Brown last season. If they didn't move on from that, why would we assume they try to move Skinner (especially with a NMC)?

Skinner will be the one to initiate it (according to Brown/Strudwick). Apparently he’s probably not happy with his role and what such a poor season will do contract wise moving forward.

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

It’s costing him potentially millions in future contract dollars to be barely playing right now. When Kane comes back he will be in the press box.



Brown and Strudwick think his agent will approach the Oilers over the Christmas break about a finding him a better fit.

I don’t think he is all of the sudden going to get a big contract offer if he gets a couple more points on a garbage hockey team. Figuring it out here and having a strong playoff run also will get him decently paid by an actual good team.

I just don’t see him wanting to finish his career without ever playing meaningful hockey. I also think he’s in the top 6 by the time kane gets back

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

100%

Where does Skinner fit then?

Not with the Oilers that’s for sure.

Certainly possible and I think that would be a good outcome for all but at the same time, I see a guy who’s made a pile of money, never been in the playoffs and maybe is only focusing on this year where he’s on a team that’s a legit cup contender and he can be along for the ride even if he’s not a big part of it. Regardless of how the rest of this season goes for skinner he’s going to have options in the summer. Whether it’s signing a 1M dollar deal with another contender or signing with a team that might not be a definite playoff team but that’s going to put him in the top 6 and on PP1 and he’ll be able to build some value if he wants to sign one more 10M-20M deal.

What you see and what he and his agent sees are probably two different things.