The Oilers are an old team

[The Macho King]

50 point season for McMediocre incoming.

 

[TheDoldrums]

The age thing is overstated. Anyone just averaging the age of all the players is missing the point. What matters more is the age relative to your most impactful players. The best Oilers are more middle aged on average in hockey terms. Ekholm is probably the only core player at risk for age related decline soon.

Though I will say I saw a crazy stat the other day. In their current lineup their most recently drafted forward playing for them is McDavid lol. So they haven't drafted a forward in their current lineup for about a decade.

 

[Crosby2010]

Two games in and the team who nearly pulled off the greatest comeback in probably sports history is all of the sudden dead in the water? Two games. Two. Winnipeg is a good team by the way. They shouldn't have manhandled the Oilers 6-0 but these things happen. The Hawks shouldn't be beating the Oilers, but Bedard had a great game and again, these things happen. I'd be floored if the Hawks are in the playoffs and everyone knows the Oilers will be there.

Utah is 3-0. Columbus beat Colorado in Colorado. Jonathan Huberdeau has 5 points in 2 games and who knows if he is a 100 point guy again or a 50 point guy. Oh and the Habs look good so far.

Bottom line is nothing is normal in the first week of the season. I'll actually be surprised if the Oilers are not in the Cup final this year to be honest. There have been three players who have led the NHL in points over the last decade and two of them play on the Oilers. They'll be fine.

 

[Czechboy]

Vancouver would have knocked them out early if Demko played

Oilers would have lost to Vancouver last playoffs.

hey would not even be a playoff team in the Atlantic.

Mcdavid is 28. Lets not forget. He will start to exist his peak form soon if not this year

The salty tears are amazing this morning.

 

[The Macho King]

The salty tears are amazing this morning.

Ummm... your team looks like it's behind my team there.

 

[Czechboy]

I do agree with the general sentiment though. We lost 4 very good skaters who weren't that expensive in McLeod, Hollo, Bro and Foeg. We really don't have many promising guys in the pipe at all. Our core is absolutely fine and this will turn around.

BUT

We got older
We got slower
We didn't improve upon Ceci and still have 2RD issues
While Skinner is proven, Pickard is not and Rodrigue had a bad preseason

 

[Czechboy]

Ummm... your team looks like it's behind my team there.

Who's your team?

 

[The Macho King]

Who's your team?

The Lightning and pretty sure my post was clearly a joke.

 

[Czechboy]

The Lightning and pretty sure my post was clearly a joke.

My point being that there are 3 teams I'll eat shit from right now.. 4 as Vegas has won a cup and are tied with us. Lightning fans are one of them!

 

[serp]

I think the Oilers went a bit overboard with signing veteran players. This reminds me of what the Pens did post their last two Cup wins. Win now is cool and all but you kinda need to keep some more fresh legs around. The main core is still in its absolutely prime but around them the team has gotten quite old.

 

[McJedi]

They purposefully got older and slower in the offseason. added some big names from yesteryear. Lots of us thought it was a dubious strategy.

Put a lot of eggs in the Emberson basket. Dubious. Situation in goal is dubious.

 

[AlainVigneaultsGum]

They purposefully got older and slower in the offseason. added some big names from yesteryear. Lots of us thought it was a dubious strategy.

Put a lot of eggs in the Emberson basket. Dubious. Situation in goal is dubious.

Shoulda picked up Dubois.

 

[94 Oil Drops]

They do look older and slower that's for sure. Hopefully they make a trade for a younger top 4 defenseman, preferably before the deadline. I don't like the idea of us making the playoffs but having not much home ice advantage.

 

[Green]

Draisitil is going to be pissed when McDavid doesn't re-sign cuz unless McDavid wants to ensure he has no chance of winning a cup for the next 8 years he ain't re-signing

 

[sensfan4lifee]

They lost too many players and replaced them with Skinner, Arvidson, and Podkolzin none of these additions are quality depth.

The defense is literally 1 pair

Goaltending is suspect

there not going to go deep this year and I do not see how they are the favorites to win the cup, I hope Mcdavid walks and goes some where else cant stand Oilers fans or there team.

 

[jackjohnson]

1. 2001-02 Detroit Red Wings (51-17-10-4, 116 pts.) -
   Average Age: 30 years, 5 months, 1 days
   Notable Player(s): Brett Hull (37), Nicklas Lidstrom (31)
2. 2007-08 Detroit Red Wings (54-21-7, 115 pts.) -
   Average Age: 29 years, 9 months, 23 days
   Notable Player(s): Nicklas Lidstrom (37), Pavel Datsyuk (29)
3. 1997-98 Detroit Red Wings (44-23-15, 103 pts.) -
   Average Age: 29 years, 6 months, 10 days
   Notable Player(s): Steve Yzerman (32), Nicklas Lidstrom (27)
4. 2002-03 New Jersey Devils (46-20-10-6, 108 pts.) -
   Average Age: 29 years, 0 months, 6 days
   Notable Player(s): Martin Broduer (30), Patrik Elias (26)
5. 1966-67 Toronto Maple Leafs (32-27-11, 75 pts.) -
   Average Age: 28 years, 11 months, 26 days
   Notable Player(s): Terry Sawchuk (37), Frank Mahovlich (28)
6. 1998-99 Dallas Stars (51-19-12, 114 pts.) -
   Average Age: 28 years, 10 months, 29 days
   Notable Player(s): Brett Hull (34), Mike Modano (28)
7. 1963-64 Toronto Maple Leafs (33-25-12, 78 pts.) -
   Average Age: 28 years, 10 months, 2 days
   Notable Player(s): Frank Mahovlich (25)
8. 2005-06 Carolina Hurricanes (52-22-8, 112 pts.) -
   Average Age: 28 years, 5 months, 6 days
   Notable Player(s): Rod Brind'Amour (35), Eric Staal (21)
9. 1996-97 Detroit Red Wings (38-26-18, 94 pts.) -
   Average Age: 28 years, 4 months, 20 days
   Notable Player(s): Steve Yzerman (31), Nicklas Lidstrom (26)
10. 1968-69 Montreal Canadians (46-19-11, 103 pts.) -
    Average Age: 28 years, 3 months, 13 days
    Notable Player(s): Jean Beliveau (37)

You are citing examples from the dead puck era and years where clutching and grabbing was the norm. Nowadays you need a fast team to win a cup.

 

[Rubi]

 

[jackjohnson]

I think the Oilers went a bit overboard with signing veteran players. This reminds me of what the Pens did post their last two Cup wins. Win now is cool and all but you kinda need to keep some more fresh legs around. The main core is still in its absolutely prime but around them the team has gotten quite old.

Their GM is stan bowman and he sucks. Went after injury prone Arvidsson, soft players like skinner and they got smaller in D by adding Stecher and removing guys like Ceci and Deharnais. I would take Broberg over Emberson every day of the week. Broberg has improved Blues transitional game. The Oilers got weaker in the summer especially on D and they never fixed their goaltending. At least going after Stolarz to replace Pickard and to maybe have a 1A and 1B situation with skinner would have been a lot better than spending money on Arvidsson and Skinner.

 

[jackjohnson]

Draisitil is going to be pissed when McDavid doesn't re-sign cuz unless McDavid wants to ensure he has no chance of winning a cup for the next 8 years he ain't re-signing

McDavid will re-sign to be with his bf Draisaitl for the next 8 years. He cant forget how he was getting stroked after the finals by Draisaitl.

They lost too many players and replaced them with Skinner, Arvidson, and Podkolzin none of these additions are quality depth.

The defense is literally 1 pair

Goaltending is suspect

there not going to go deep this year and I do not see how they are the favorites to win the cup, I hope Mcdavid walks and goes some where else cant stand Oilers fans or there team.

Podkolzin is a bust, a waiver wire special which Canucks got a 4th round pick for instead of losing him for nothing. Watch him get waived by the Oilers midseason.

 

[jackjohnson]

I saw a video on TSN where they said their 2nd pair could end up being Nurse-Dermott. That has to be a come to jesus moment that your defense just is not it.

Dermott couldnt even make the Canucks and Canucks have a thin D. How the heck is he a 2nd pairing on the so called stanley cup favorites, Oilers?? Am guessing he will get injured before christmas simce he is always injured.

 

[blankall]

Draisitil is going to be pissed when McDavid doesn't re-sign cuz unless McDavid wants to ensure he has no chance of winning a cup for the next 8 years he ain't re-signing

Draisaitl will cry himself to sleep on his huge piles of money. Besides age, another major issue is that every player on the team bends the Oilers over on contract negotiations. They all want to get paid like they would be putting up those numbers without McDavid.

 

[McFlyingV]

Their GM is stan bowman and he sucks. Went after injury prone Arvidsson, soft players like skinner and they got smaller in D by adding Stecher and removing guys like Ceci and Deharnais. I would take Broberg over Emberson every day of the week. Broberg has improved Blues transitional game. The Oilers got weaker in the summer especially on D and they never fixed their goaltending. At least going after Stolarz to replace Pickard and to maybe have a 1A and 1B situation with skinner would have been a lot better than spending money on Arvidsson and Skinner.

Bowman wasn't even hired when they signed Arvidsson and Skinner lol.

 

[jackjohnson]

Oilers are going no where and all these experts that picked them to win the cup are on meds. Have no D and no goaltending and we’re fortunate last year that their power play was so strong and that saved them. Vancouver would have knocked them out early if Demko played. This year they are not going far.

One thing very consisntent about theae experts is that they are always wrong so all of them picking oilers to win the cup will be like a jinx, guaranteed they arent winning the cup. I just remember the big brains in the hockey news article that had Hughes ranked as a tier 3B defenseman before his norris winning season. Even maggie the monkey probably can predict a more accurate outcome compared to these experts.

 

[KrisLetAngry]

The age thing is overstated. Anyone just averaging the age of all the players is missing the point. What matters more is the age relative to your most impactful players. The best Oilers are more middle aged on average in hockey terms. Ekholm is probably the only core player at risk for age related decline soon.

Though I will say I saw a crazy stat the other day. In their current lineup their most recently drafted forward playing for them is McDavid lol. So they haven't drafted a forward in their current lineup for about a decade.

Agreed.

How old is the core guys who will win or lose you games.

I'd rather have 27 year old McDavid and Draisaitl at 28. Then them both at let's say 21 bringing the average down.

 

[jackjohnson]

Bowman wasn't even hired when they signed Arvidsson and Skinner lol.

I didnt even know that, so the oilers organization is even more messed up than i thought