So.. Edmonton has to be the favorites coming out of the west, right?

[stl76]

I don't hate the Blues but they did fluke their way to a Cup and barely got by Winnipeg ,Dallas and Boston.

Good luck doing that twice.

You're adorable.

 

[Go Wings]

Favorite to get upset in the 1st round sure

 

[Paperbagofglory]

Tarasenko isn't a game breaker? And it sounds like you're lecturing Blues fans as if we don't know what a championship team looks like and you, as an oilers fan, somehow does know...

So a player misses most of the year with a serious injury and he will come back and just casually tear it up against playoff competition? Are you new to hockey perhaps? You can tell when young or new NHL fans hop on a bandwagon when their team wins but have no idea what they are talking about. The Penguins are the only team to repeat the past decade because of the greatness of 2 players carrying them on their back. The Bruins have had a great roster since they won their last cup yet they only have one. Like i said i wouldint get too cocky. You and the other blues goof seem overly aggressive and insulting about someone expressing an opinion based on logical facts that winning isint just a matter of your team doing it last year. The west is more deep this year.

 

[stl76]

So a player misses most of the year with a serious injury and he will come back and just casually tear it up against playoff competition? Are you new to hockey perhaps? You can tell when young or new NHL fans hop on a bandwagon when their team wins but have no idea what they are talking about. The Penguins are the only team to repeat the past decade because of the greatness of 2 players carrying them on their back. The Bruins have had a great roster since they won their last cup yet they only have one. Like i said i wouldint get too cocky. You and the other blues goof seem overly aggressive and insulting about someone expressing an opinion based on logical facts that winning isint just a matter of your team doing it last year. The west is more deep this year.

Elite players do elite things. Worked out pretty well for Kane in 2014-15.

The Blues are a very good team. Obviously I am biased, but I like their chances at a repeat. We shall see.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

If it is so easy to shut them down then how do you explain Draisaitl getting over 100 points already? Also, McDavid is not far behind. I guess since it is not the playoffs teams will just let them score.

What a moronic post.

Presuming that you're not new to hockey, you already know that regular-season hockey and postseason hockey and totally different styles of hockey. It's why there's countless examples of guys having great regular seasons who don't come close to replicating it in the playoffs.

It's why Washington rolled in the regular season for years and couldn't win in the playoffs; they had to learn how to adjust their style for a different season with different intensity, where teams take a style they used to get through 82 games and secure a playoff spot and seeding after that and start tailoring it to an opponent for 4-7 games. Teams who don't make that adjustment get early tee times; teams who do figure it out play into May and June.

The Oilers have Draisaitl and McDavid. I'll even throw in RNH. They have nothing close to the depth behind them that other favorites have, they have a mediocre defense, and their goaltending has been below average. It's why the Oilers are really likely to get bounced early, as Draisaitl and McDavid get slowed to some extent and the rest of the roster lacks the ability to step up and fill the gap, and the team in general struggles to play the kind of defense needed to win one series much less four of them.

 

[Mackiaveli]

The Oilers have Draisaitl and McDavid

As a neutral fan, I think you are grossly misrepresenting how dominant those two players are. An argument can be made that they are this generation's Crosby/Malkin.

The teams that Edmonton should be concerned to play against are Vegas and Dallas who win off of the strength of their depth alone I don't see the Canucks, Flames or Coyotes bouncing Edmonton, and I don't think they should be overly worried about Colorado or Nashville.

St Louis is that team I don't know how I feel about. I wouldn't be shocked if the won the West and I wouldn't be shocked if they got bounced in the 1st round. I think a lot of it comes down to how good ROR/Tank are, and if your goaltending is superb again.

I personally am expecting Dallas/Vegas vs Tampa/WSH for the cup final --- Edmonton and Colorado are my "wildcards" because I could see their stars drag their teams through the West.

 

[President Skroob]

So a player misses most of the year with a serious injury and he will come back and just casually tear it up against playoff competition? Are you new to hockey perhaps? You can tell when young or new NHL fans hop on a bandwagon when their team wins but have no idea what they are talking about. The Penguins are the only team to repeat the past decade because of the greatness of 2 players carrying them on their back. The Bruins have had a great roster since they won their last cup yet they only have one. Like i said i wouldint get too cocky. You and the other blues goof seem overly aggressive and insulting about someone expressing an opinion based on logical facts that winning isint just a matter of your team doing it last year. The west is more deep this year.

Imagine posting some of the worst takes hf has seen in a while and then try to point at other fanbases for being overly aggressive.

 

[President Skroob]

I don't hate the Blues but they did fluke their way to a Cup and barely got by Winnipeg ,Dallas and Boston.

 

[GOilers88]

I don't hate the Blues but they did fluke their way to a Cup and barely got by Winnipeg ,Dallas and Boston.

Good luck doing that twice.

Lolz. Just stop, you're embarassing yourself.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

As a neutral fan, I think you are grossly misrepresenting how dominant those two players are. An argument can be made that they are this generation's Crosby/Malkin.

I recognize how dominant they are. That's where the comparisons to Crosby/Malkin end; the depth behind them is nowhere close to the depth Crosby/Malkin had (and still have). Until they get some of that, talking about them being contenders to come out of the West is fantasy talk.

 

[Lemonlimey]

So a player misses most of the year with a serious injury and he will come back and just casually tear it up against playoff competition? Are you new to hockey perhaps? You can tell when young or new NHL fans hop on a bandwagon when their team wins but have no idea what they are talking about. The Penguins are the only team to repeat the past decade because of the greatness of 2 players carrying them on their back. The Bruins have had a great roster since they won their last cup yet they only have one. Like i said i wouldint get too cocky. You and the other blues goof seem overly aggressive and insulting about someone expressing an opinion based on logical facts that winning isint just a matter of your team doing it last year. The west is more deep this year.

so much has to go right for nearly two months straight that every cup win is a small miracle really

 

[razor ray]

 

[ShaneinTpa]

Yes and no

Vegas, St. Louis and Dallas are better teams but non have the game breaking talent of McDavid or Drai

that being said, our goaltending is also game breaking talent. It is very inconsistent and clearly the worst by a loooooong mile

Game breaking talent aside, I don't see your team built for the playoffs. Look at my team last year. We had equally game breaking talent in Tampa Bay including when many believe is the best goalie on earth and couldn't win a game. Tampa has restructured its play this season in light of last year's collapse. I don't see the Oil poised for post season success.

 

[Crabapple]

We've been playing like real ass lately but still coming up with points. Hopefully it's just the flu and we get better. We're getting outshot 45-25 every game, that is #unsustainable

 

[GreeningOil]

We've been playing like real ass lately but still coming up with points. Hopefully it's just the flu and we get better. We're getting outshot 45-25 every game, that is #unsustainable

I think it is for sure, the boys look bad. I hope that Koskinen doesn’t also get the flu! Only player worth a damn right now...

 

[SwivelSchwartz]

last year at this time, mentioning the Blues to do anything in the West against any top 8 west team at the time would be considered a joke, but here you are with the tables turned, forgetting where you came from?
come playoff time nothing is a guarantee, so don't think you'll steam roll anybody

By this time last year the Blues already had their winning streak and had beat Tampa in Tampa 1-0. They had already turned the corner by now, and were a sleeping giant already.

 

[NoName]

No.

Reasons:

1) This team hasn’t even made the playoffs the past two season, the odds of suddenly making the leap from lottery team to cup winner are historically very long.

2) Roster still has a bunch of holes and offence is massively top-heavy. After McDavid and Drai, there is a dearth of proven scoring talent.

3) The Pacific indeed is the weakest devision, but at the top of it, there is still have to beat a proven Cup contender in Vegas. Edmonton, may be favourites against Calgary and Vancouver (who wouldn’t even be playoff teams in the East), but there is no getting around the fact that they would be heavy underdogs if they face the Golden Knights.


Bluntly, hockey isn’t basketball: Having the best players in the world doesn’t guarantee contention, or even making the playoffs, since there are 12 players on the ice at any given time and even a 1st line only plays about a third of the ice-time of a game. Depth and having a complete roster is more valuable then having the absolute best of the best player for winning a Cup. St. Louis is a prime example of that.

 

[Halla]

blues and avalanche are significantly better. vegas is also better. oilers are 50/50 to beat calgary/van in rd 1

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

The Blues and Avs were the best teams in the west when the season was suspended.

But, if the season actually resumes anyone could take the west this season. Everybody would be super rusty.

 

[aufheben]

By this time last year the Blues already had their winning streak and had beat Tampa in Tampa 1-0. They had already turned the corner by now, and were a sleeping giant already.

Everyone leaves out the fact that the Blues were contenders going into the 2018-19 season. They weren't supposed to be bad.

 

[viceroy]

Man it would suck for the Oil if the season gets canceled and then they don't make the playoffs next year.

 

[hangman005]

Man it would suck for the Oil if the season gets canceled and then they don't make the playoffs next year.

I mean the Flames fan part of me, would find that absolutely hilarious. But in a way, that'd be worst thing, finally have things working for you to make the playoffs... and boom the season is cancelled.

 

[Llamamoto]

No.

Reasons:

1) This team hasn’t even made the playoffs the past two season, the odds of suddenly making the leap from lottery team to cup winner are historically very long.

2) Roster still has a bunch of holes and offence is massively top-heavy. After McDavid and Drai, there is a dearth of proven scoring talent.

3) The Pacific indeed is the weakest devision, but at the top of it, there is still have to beat a proven Cup contender in Vegas. Edmonton, may be favourites against Calgary and Vancouver (who wouldn’t even be playoff teams in the East), but there is no getting around the fact that they would be heavy underdogs if they face the Golden Knights.


Bluntly, hockey isn’t basketball: Having the best players in the world doesn’t guarantee contention, or even making the playoffs, since there are 12 players on the ice at any given time and even a 1st line only plays about a third of the ice-time of a game. Depth and having a complete roster is more valuable then having the absolute best of the best player for winning a Cup. St. Louis is a prime example of that.

Just wondering, what would you consider to be the holes in our roster?

 

[Sasha Orlov]

I don't hate the Blues but they did fluke their way to a Cup and barely got by Winnipeg ,Dallas and Boston.

Good luck doing that twice.

bruh how you fluke winning 4 playoff rounds smh

 

[Robsker]

If it's a fluke then why is it continuing into this season as well?

I agree. It was no fluke. And, as it were, the Blues are the team I despise most in the entire league. That said, as much as I cannot stand them, they were and are exceedingly good and were legit Cup Champs last year. And again I hate to say this - I think they would have had a solid shot this season too. Now, repeating is really tough - and I am not saying they would have done so - but they would have had a legit shot.