The Oilers are an old team

[strattonius]

Using your analogy

You've also been single and alone for 13 years.

I'm married with 2 kids.

Also, being single and alone are two different things. Sometimes people conflate and confuse the two being synonymous.

 

[WarriorofTime]

This might be the Oilers last best chance. Draisaitl new contract next year, Bouchard new contract next year, McDavid and Skinner new contracts the year after. Old supporting cast. Nothing much in the way of young players or prospects. Nurse still signed to that brutal deal five more years after this one. If they don't get the Cup this year, I'm not sure it's gonna happen.

 

[strattonius]

This might be the Oilers last best chance. Draisaitl new contract next year, Bouchard new contract next year, McDavid and Skinner new contracts the year after. Old supporting cast. Nothing much in the way of young players or prospects. Nurse still signed to that brutal deal five more years after this one. If they don't get the Cup this year, I'm not sure it's gonna happen.

Forget this being their last year. Last year was the last year.

They will need to upgrade their defense with no prospects or 1st rd pick. How exactly will they win a bid on a good defenseman?

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Teams of 25 year olds don’t win cups

Don't tell that to the Pens in 2009 or the Hawks I guess or the Kings.

 

[jackjohnson]

Forget this being their last year. Last year was the last year.

They will need to upgrade their defense with no prospects or 1st rd pick. How exactly will they win a bid on a good defenseman?

They lost a lot of their trade chips too. Like losing Holloway and Broberg. Both would have been good trade chips if they wanted an upgrade but instead lost them for 2nd and 3rd picks. Imagine trading both to Calgary with Lavoie for Weegar and Coleman.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Forget this being their last year. Last year was the last year.

They will need to upgrade their defense with no prospects or 1st rd pick. How exactly will they win a bid on a good defenseman?

They're a threat this year for sure. We'll see of course.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

I don’t think age is a big issue aside from Eckholm. At 34 years old how many years does he have left playing as the best all round D for the team?
That D without Eckholm anchoring it is just awful.

 

[jackjohnson]

This might be the Oilers last best chance. Draisaitl new contract next year, Bouchard new contract next year, McDavid and Skinner new contracts the year after. Old supporting cast. Nothing much in the way of young players or prospects. Nurse still signed to that brutal deal five more years after this one. If they don't get the Cup this year, I'm not sure it's gonna happen.

Dont think they have young enpugh horses to get it done. I really dont know why they wasted money on Skinner and injury prone Arvidsson. What they needed was a better D, a decent goalie and more toughness and grit. Instead they added a wimp in skinner who is a perimeter player, an oft injured Arvidsson and a 4th for Podkolzin and rookie Emberson. Like how does those additions make them better than last year if the goal is to actually become better than last year??

 

[Czechboy]

I'm married with 2 kids.

Also, being single and alone are two different things. Sometimes people conflate and confuse the two being synonymous.

Not asking about your private info.. just using you analogy which says us Oil fans just got dumped.

This one:

Put it this way I was dumped 13 years ago. You just got dumped.

You've won 3 rounds since 2011 Finals. You also got eliminated by the Oilers a few months ago. The Oilers won more rounds in Spring then the Nucks have in over a decade.

I'll take our recent 'dumping' over this.

I'm fiarly certain the Nucks have never eliminated the Oilers from the playoffs????

 

[jackjohnson]

I don’t think age is a big issue aside from Eckholm. At 34 years old how many years does he have left playing as the best all round D for the team?
That D without Eckholm anchoring it is just awful.

Probably 2 more years tops before he declines massively. So Oilers without Ekholm will have only one legit top 4D and no potential prospects that can be part of their top 4 D. Nurse is bottom pairing dman, same with the rest in Emberson, Kulak, Stecher, Brown. They would need 3 top 4 Ds once Ekholm retires.

 

[Czechboy]

This might be the Oilers last best chance. Draisaitl new contract next year, Bouchard new contract next year, McDavid and Skinner new contracts the year after. Old supporting cast. Nothing much in the way of young players or prospects. Nurse still signed to that brutal deal five more years after this one. If they don't get the Cup this year, I'm not sure it's gonna happen.

That's my fear...

Bowman, at best, is a dickhead and I'm not positive he's a good GM

We have no youth

This is our window and we sitll don't have a 2RD

I'm all for going 'all in' and sucking for another decade but first we need to win the damn thing and this roster ain't it.

 

[RandV]

Don't tell that to the Pens in 2009 or the Hawks I guess or the Kings.

Hawks and Kings came out of rebuilds with lots of depth and elite non-generational cores. Pens would be a closer comparable with two of the best players in the game up front, but when they actually won the Cup they also put together a deep team.

The Oilers that made it to the Cup finals last season didn't look nearly as deep as the above teams. And while you can't read too much into a slow start it really looks like they took a step back in the depth pieces for this season. Personally I expect them to do will in the regular season and like win the division, but Oilers management just doesn't instill confidence that they can put together a good team to backup McDavid & Draisaitl.

 

[jackjohnson]

Not asking about your private info.. just using you analogy which says us Oil fans just got dumped.

This one:




You've won 3 rounds since 2011 Finals. You also got eliminated by the Oilers a few months ago. The Oilers won more rounds in Spring then the Nucks have in over a decade.

View attachment 916228

I'll take our recent 'dumping' over this.

I'm fiarly certain the Nucks have never eliminated the Oilers from the playoffs????

The Oilers had their best chance last year to win and failed. I dont think it will be easy to go to the finals again especially back to back with a roster weaker than last year's. I would be punching air if I were you because finals appearance are rare events for Canadian teams. Has there been any canadian team to go to finals back to back in the last 30 years?? I dont think so.

 

[jackjohnson]

Hawks and Kings came out of rebuilds with lots of depth and elite non-generational cores. Pens would be a closer comparable with two of the best players in the game up front, but when they actually won the Cup they also put together a deep team.

The Oilers that made it to the Cup finals last season didn't look nearly as deep as the above teams. And while you can't read too much into a slow start it really looks like they took a step back in the depth pieces for this season. Personally I expect them to do will in the regular season and like win the division, but Oilers management just doesn't instill confidence that they can put together a good team to backup McDavid & Draisaitl.

The Oilers will make the playoffs. I dont see them winning the division with their slow starts and dont see them going deep like last year due fatigue on their core players especially Mcdavid and Drai, less depth compared to last year and more teams in west improving. Florida and Tampa went back to back in finals because they are a much deeper team compared to Oilers who keep playing Mcdavid for 30 minutes and has 2 legit top 4Ds.

 

[Zarzh]

It would have been surprising if Skinner and Arvidsson worked out well. They could do something but had a terrible offseason.

 

[FiveTacos]

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.

What would they give up to get that? Teams with younger top 4 dman aren't in the habit of giving them away. Rebuilding teams keep young players or want several high quality young pieces for them, playoff teams would want something significant in the here and now.

If we're talking about guys being moved for salary reasons, can the Oil fit that sort of player under the cap?

If we're talking solid middle of the lineup guy who might be available without giving up more than picks, then lots of teams are gonna be in on that.

Guess they could look for a reclamation project and roll the dice.

 

[WarriorofTime]

That's my fear...

Bowman, at best, is a dickhead and I'm not positive he's a good GM

We have no youth

This is our window and we sitll don't have a 2RD

I'm all for going 'all in' and sucking for another decade but first we need to win the damn thing and this roster ain't it.

Wonder if they'd be interested in Connor Murphy (Bowman traded for and signed him in Chicago)

 

[Czechboy]

The Oilers had their best chance last year to win and failed. I dont think it will be easy to go to the finals again especially back to back with a roster weaker than last year's. I would be punching air if I were you because finals appearance are rare events for Canadian teams. Has there been any canadian team to go to finals back to back in the last 30 years?? I dont think so.

Definitely won't be easy. Definitely not how they are constructed. Totally agree... Oilers did something very unique last year for Canadian clubs.

 

[The Panther]

It would have been surprising if Skinner and Arvidsson worked out well. They could do something but had a terrible offseason.

Bit early to pass judgement on the season, maybe...?

 

[Suntouchable13]

It's tough in this league to be the overwhelming favourite. I do believe they have a great shot to make it all the way again, as do a handful of other teams in the West. That's the reality. McDavid might win a cup this season, or he might not win one at all. Both are very possible. That's the reality. No other team is perfect. Their age doesn't bother me. Some of the supposed contenders are up there in average age, no? Are there any team with an average age around 25 that are contenders? I don't see it right now

 

[Czechboy]

Wonder if they'd be interested in Connor Murphy (Bowman traded for and signed him in Chicago)

Bowman strikes me as the kind of guy that would trade for Seth Jones..

We really don't have a lot of trade chips though. Or cap space (maybe the ltir Kane thing)

But what do we have to offer.. roster is old and I don't see any tremendous bargains right now. Most promising guys in the A are Savoie and Philp?

 

[Conspiracy Theorist]

The pressure they have to win is ridiculous. Not saying they won't but odds are against them. A lot of things have to go right again.

 

[jackjohnson]

Definitely won't be easy. Definitely not how they are constructed. Totally agree... Oilers did something very unique last year for Canadian clubs.

True, Canadian teams rarely go to finals. Dont remember any canadian team going to finals from 2011 Canucks to 2024 Oilers. Thats a 13 year gap so if you make the finals, you better make it count.

 

[SladeWilson23]

Right f***ing now! Right f***ing now!

 

[Czechboy]

True, Canadian teams rarely go to finals. Dont remember any canadian team going to finals from 2011 Canucks to 2024 Oilers. Thats a 13 year gap so if you make the finals, you better make it count.

Habs!