The Oilers have no doubt the best forward group in the league

[Filthy Dangles]

Oilers fans are acting like this team is the clear cup favorite, because they signed.... washed up Jeff Skinner and an injury prone Arvidsson.

Like sure they aren't liabilities, but they aren't exactly big difference makers.

I'd still take the Avs, Stars, and Knights rosters over the Oilers in the west.

They were 1 win away from Stanley Cup Championship while being handicapped by a 9.25M AHL defneseman they had to play in important minutes.

If they can find a way to get rid of him, could be a mini dynasty like Tampa/CHI/PIT

McDavid, Draisaitl, Hymen, Bouchard, Ekholm, Skinner....rivals those aforementioned team's cores.

 

[notbias]

Both of their qualifying offers are 874.125k and neither have arbitration rights. They could have both signed for just over 1.7M and send down Josh Brown (1M) and Derek Ryan (900k). This would turn their 2.454M over the cap into 2.254 over the cap with 22 players on the active roster. They could further drop this by sending down Stetcher (787.5k) to put them 1.466M over the cap. Keeping Stetcher up and trading Ceci with no retention would give them 1M in cap space. LTIR for Kane would mean they have to do nothing. Trading Kane and Ceci would give them 6.1M cap space to add one D and one forward.

They have plenty of options. If Kane is injured to start the year for a while they likely don't move anyone. If he's healthy they likely dump Ceci and could have the cap space to add a contract at roughly 4M at the deadline or rather 8-16M worth of contracts with 50/75% retention.

So they need to make a move... there are ways to make it work, it just involves more than sending some players down.

All sound like fine options, just the poster made it sound like there were easy routes... the routes outlined above take some work.

Thanks.

They were 1 win away from Stanley Cup Championship while being handicapped by a 9.25M AHL defneseman they had to play in important minutes.

If they can find a way to get rid of him, could be a mini dynasty like Tampa/CHI/PIT

McDavid, Draisaitl, Hymen, Bouchard, Ekholm, Skinner....rivals those aforementioned team's cores.

Mini dynasty? What?

Bouchard and Drai are about to get raises and Ekholm and Skinner are closer to retirement than going on multiple cup runs.

No guarantees McDavid stays, and if he does, he likely is getting a huge raise.

Despite Skinner playing at an amazing .901 sv%, I am not convinced he is the answer.

 

[Filthy Dangles]

So they need to make a move... there are ways to make it work, it just involves more than sending some players down.

All sound like fine options, just the poster made it sound like there were easy routes... the routes outlined above take some work.

Thanks.



Mini dynasty? What?

Bouchard and Drai are about to get raises and Ekholm and Skinner are closer to retirement than going on multiple cup runs.

No guarantees McDavid stays, and if he does, he likely is getting a huge raise.

Despite Skinner playing at an amazing .901 sv%, I am not convinced he is the answer.

Stu, not Jeff.

Matty Eks is still close to if not elite, has alotta high end hockey left.

Bouchard blossoming into one of the best dmen in the league.

Core is elite. Nurse is the massive anchor that has to go, and they need to replace him with one more impactful top4D and I think they can legitimately win a cup or two.

 

[notbias]

Stu, not Jeff.

That's even worse.

Matty Eks is still close to if not elite, has alotta high end hockey left.

Agree to disagree.

34 with some miles, he might fall off starting next season.

Bouchard blossoming into one of the best dmen in the league.

Don't think he is as good as his point total, he gets a lot of A2s.

I hope he gets paid like his point total though, will be hilarious to have $20 million in Nurse/Bouchard.

Core is elite. Nurse is the massive anchor that has to go, and they need to replace him with one more impactful top4D and I think they can win a cup or two.

Core is meh.

They have a cheat code, after that it is not that impressive.

 

[Dirty Dan]

Stu, not Jeff.

Matty Eks is still close to if not elite, has alotta high end hockey left.

Bouchard blossoming into one of the best dmen in the league.

Core is elite. Nurse is the massive anchor that has to go, and they need to replace him with one more impactful top4D and I think they can legitimately win a cup or two.

That Ekholm trade was massive. Nashville got another solid defender in Skjei but Edmonton wasn't a legit contender until they got Ekholm tbh, him at 9mil wouldn't make me upset. Nurse is a 3mil guy

 

[Sheikyerbouti]

I'd still take the Avs, Stars, and Knights rosters over the Oilers in the west.

That's crazy. The oilers just beat the stars, who got worse, while the oilers got better lol. The avs are in tight to just afford a 20 man roster


Oilers have a top ten GA! HF boards thinks it's all offense, and special teams, because it was when the Oilers were losing

Betting the Oilers don't have the D or goaltending needed, is pretty dumb, because they got there last year with the same group. LA allowed 15ish less goals, while playing a trap, and the Oilers are all offense. That scares anyone who gets it.

 

[Bertuzzzi44]

RNH - McDavid - Hyman
Skinner - Draisaitl - Arvidsson
Holloway - Henrique - Kane

That is an excellent top 9, however durability concerns with Arvidsson, Kane, Henrique.

 

[LeftKinger]

RV is the perfect linemate for Drai. They’re going to be a problem, hopefully he can’t stay healthy. Always liked him as a Kings fan.

 

[McFlyingV]

That's crazy. The oilers just beat the stars, who got worse, while the oilers got better lol. The avs are in tight to just afford a 20 man roster


Oilers have a top ten GA! HF boards thinks it's all offense, and special teams, because it was when the Oilers were losing

Betting the Oilers don't have the D or goaltending needed, is pretty dumb, because they got there last year with the same group. LA allowed 15ish less goals, while playing a trap, and the Oilers are all offense. That scares anyone who gets it.

People just really don't understand what "Team Defence" is. You can look at the Oilers blue line all you want and be unimpressed, but the truth is they're a dominant puck possession team that plays a strong neutral zone back check game from their forwards which limits zone time for other teams, and their D group, while unspectacular on paper, actually do a good job of limiting chances in the defensive zone.

So while I agree on paper the Oilers D group might not look that impressive their overall team defensive impact is still among the top 1/3 of the NHL and they've scored the most goals of any team the past 3 seasons. This is the best offensive roster this team has ever had so expect to see that scoring trend continue while continuing to be a top 10 suppression team in every single defensive category.

 

[Bertuzzzi44]

People just really don't understand what "Team Defence" is. You can look at the Oilers blue line all you want and be unimpressed, but the truth is they're a dominant puck possession team that plays a strong neutral zone back check game from their forwards which limits zone time for other teams, and their D group, while unspectacular on paper, actually do a good job of limiting chances in the defensive zone.

So while I agree on paper the Oilers D group might not look that impressive their overall team defensive impact is still among the top 1/3 of the NHL and they've scored the most goals of any team the past 3 seasons. This is the best offensive roster this team has ever had so expect to see that scoring trend continue while continuing to be a top 10 suppression team in every single defensive category.

Oilers team defence and 5-on-5 structured play is really underrated, they barely give up odd man rushes against like in previous years, really tightened up defensively.

 

[thaman8765678]

They were 1 win away from Stanley Cup Championship while being handicapped by a 9.25M AHL defneseman they had to play in important minutes.

If they can find a way to get rid of him, could be a mini dynasty like Tampa/CHI/PIT

McDavid, Draisaitl, Hymen, Bouchard, Ekholm, Skinner....rivals those aforementioned team's cores.

Wait... you aren't seriously suggesting that the Oilers are close to being a dynasty? They have ZERO cup wins.

The Calgary Flames are as much a dynasty as the Oilers are right now. Do you know how insane this statement sounds?

Not to mention Bouch bomb is 1 year out from a raise to 12 million. Draisatl is 1 year away from a raise to 16 million (also equally as likely he just walks). The Oilers are about to be in cap hell.

Oh and BTW, the Oilers had the easiest cup path of maybe all time. Between the easy opponents and injured key players. And they STILL lost.

 

[Satire]

Liked the moves, but there's still a few crucial medium risk high reward contracts there.

Can J Skinner's game translate to playoff hockey? Will he continue to regress or rebound?

Can Arvidsson stay healthy?

I'd still say it's a really good offseason for our team so far, but I think there are a few things that we'll just have to wait and see on.

 

[McFlyingV]

Oilers team defence and 5-on-5 structured play is really underrated, they barely give up odd man rushes against like in previous years, really tightened up defensively.

Agreed. It will take time for the old narrative to die, but since Knoblauch/Coffey took over and implemented a zone defence and a "make a play" approach over "off the boards and out" from the Dmen, they give up way less off the rush, and they spend way less time hemmed in their own end defending. They generally defend the middle of the ice quite well and the forwards are bought in on providing back pressure to allow the D to control their gaps better. This limits rush chances and denies zone entries at a level this team never could in the past.

Wait... you aren't seriously suggesting that the Oilers are close to being a dynasty? They have ZERO cup wins.

The Calgary Flames are as much a dynasty as the Oilers are right now. Do you know how insane this statement sounds?

Not to mention Bouch bomb is 1 year out from a raise to 12 million. Draisatl is 1 year away from a raise to 16 million (also equally as likely he just walks). The Oilers are about to be in cap hell.

Oh and BTW, the Oilers had the easiest cup path of maybe all time. Between the easy opponents and injured key players. And they STILL lost.

This is some serious CP level coping. No the Oilers aren't close to being a dynasty, but the rest of your post is just CP satire.

 

[ijuka]

Oilers fans are acting like this team is the clear cup favorite, because they signed.... washed up Jeff Skinner and an injury prone Arvidsson.

Like sure they aren't liabilities, but they aren't exactly big difference makers.

I'd still take the Avs, Stars, and Knights rosters over the Oilers in the west.

I mean... Oilers made it further than any of those with their previous roster? Any upgrade to it should make them the favorites, right?

 

[5 14 6 1]

Just thought he played really well in the playoffs. No huge explanation

He played good in the final stapled to Draisaitl. He had 1 point prior to that and was scratched in the WCF

 

[thaman8765678]

I mean... Oilers made it further than any of those with their previous roster? Any upgrade to it should make them the favorites, right?

And they were one game away from losing to Vancouver playing basically an ebug goalie.

Matchups matter and the Avs and Knights match up well against the Oilers. They were fortunate to avoid both.

 

[VivaLasVegas]

The Oilers are a curiosity to me, since every year they fall just short largely because of lack of talent on defense, but then all their trades are to just load up on more and more offense. Note the danger of this imbalance: The Oilers could lose a couple of scorers to injury and still arguably have the best offense in the League, but if they lose just a single defenseman to injury they are probably cooked. That is quite a gamble.

Maybe some season the stars will align just right and that will work for them, but so far it hasn't. The old saying that "offense fills stadiums but defense wins championships" still has a lot of vitality.

But I'll give the Oilers organization the obvious props that they have assembled an awe-inspiring offense (again).

 

[McFlyingV]

And they were one game away from losing to Vancouver playing basically an ebug goalie.

Matchups matter and the Avs and Knights match up well against the Oilers. They were fortunate to avoid both.

The stars were supposed to match up well against the Oilers so I'm going to take your matchup argument with a grain of salt.

 

[thaman8765678]

The Oilers are a curiosity to me, since every year they fall just short largely because of lack of talent on defense, but then all their trades are to just loaon more and more offense. Note the danger of this imbalance: The Oilers could lose a couple of scorers to injury and still arguably have the best offense in the League, but if they lose just a single defenseman to injury they are probably cooked. That is quite a gamble.

Maybe some season the stars will align just right and that will work for them, but so far it hasn't. The old saying that "offense fills stadiums but defense wins championships" still has a lot of vitality.

But I'll give the Oilers organization the obvious props that they have assembled an awe-inspiring offense (again).

It doesn't really matter how much offensive depth you have anyways, when McDrai play the entire pp and 30 minutes per night.

Put McDrai on most teams and they are an offensive juggernaut.

 

[Goose]

Best offensive, yes.

Best overall, maybe.

 

[snag]

And they were one game away from losing to Vancouver playing basically an ebug goalie.

Matchups matter and the Avs and Knights match up well against the Oilers. They were fortunate to avoid both.

Holy f***....now he is an ebug?

Next week he will be some guy they yanked out of some cul-de-sac playing street hockey with neighborhood kids.

 

[Skolman]

Did any of them improve since their last contract?



They are both at or under $1.35 million?

I figured Holloway would be more.

Want to post a cap-compliant roster? I think they need to ship out one player... I figured McCleod when I looked, but I'm not sure if there is someone better to ship out.

"notbias", if you're seriously trying to make an argument that all 3 of those guys couldn't have got more money elsewhere....

 

[olafsson]

I see some regression from the Oilers next year. No way they play at such a historic level again, everything went right for them at the right time. I don’t see another finals appearance for them. Maybe 2nd or 3rd round out

 

[ZDH]

I see some regression from the Oilers next year. No way they play at such a historic level again, everything went right for them at the right time. I don’t see another finals appearance for them. Maybe 2nd or 3rd round out

Agreed. Last year was their shot, it's downhill from here.

 

[missionAvs]

Oilers should be the favorites in the West for next season. Have liked their moves so far. If Ekholm can manage to maintain his high level of play and Bouchard continues his growth, watch out.