This playoffs was interesting, but honestly I don't think the Oilers were at their best for most of it, and I don't think they were really any better than in the '23 playoffs (and only marginally better -- esp. defensively, of course) than in the '22 playoffs. They got a little lucky this year with Colorado going out and with Vancouver imploding from game four onward. And, really, after being down 0-3 to Florida, this series was over. The Oilers showed some tenacity in extending it, but the margin for error is too small and the inevitable happened.... (much to the delight of the NHL brass, currently swimming in piles of cash, like Scrooge McDuck, thanks to gambling ads... wonder how many lives of kids will be ruined by those? The NHL doesn't care).
Draisaitl was clearly injured (as always seems to happen in the second/third round) and was basically a non-factor in the Finals. That's huge, because if Florida manages to keep McDavid off the scoreboard, their chances of winning are, like, 90% in that situation. Drai just didn't have it.
McDavid hasn't been able to (a) stickhandle consistently at top speed or (b) shoot the puck, all season. I've lost count of how many times this season he was in full control of the puck and then just suddenly lost it, for no apparent reason (other than Florida's crappy ice). This basically never happened last year, or previously. Clearly, there is something wrong with his arm / wrist and that had a huge effect on reduced scoring totals this season and his playoff production at some key moments. (Still deserved the Conn Smythe, mind you.)
So, while (esp.) McDavid and Draisaitl were the team's best players when at their best, they weren't at 100% most of the time and were inconsistent.
I love Derek Ryan and what he's brought to the team the past few years, but he has looked kind of 'cooked' this season. His role now is too small (considering his age) to resign him. If we'd had the c.2022-model Derek Ryan this playoffs, he may have made a difference in a game.
Foegele was a pathetic bust through three playoff series, and no amount of Finals' empty-calorie points will make me forget that. (He did get one huge goal, but it was really Drai who created it.) I don't know whether they ought to try to resign him or not. I think not.
Ryan McLeod... so frustrating. Has amazing wheels and is an ace penalty-killer. He's almost worth keeping, just for that. But he also never gets his hands dirty or goes to the net. He almost never scores, and -- ostensibly a center-man -- he managed to rack up ZERO assists in 24 playoff games. And go -7. So, thanks for comin' out...
Darnell Nurse has the boat-anchor contract as we all know. Managed to redeem himself somewhat in the Finals with a pretty good showing (like Foegele) but prior to that he was embarassingly bad (something like -13 or -14 through three rounds, pacing to match the all-time plus/minus futility record in the playoffs). But nothing can be done -- he's a team 'leader', loved by his teammates, and no other team would swallow even 80% of that contract. He'll stay, but we hope on the bottom pairing.
Desharnais was fab for almost the whole regular season, but his speed (or lack of) became an issue in the playoffs. Went -9 in only sixteen games. A worthy player, though since the PK carried on better than ever without him, suddenly his value seems dimished. (He's the kind of player other teams want, too, so they might have to look into sending him out.)
Perry is obviously done. Time to retire.
Kane isn't done, but he's down a pint. Should they hold onto him? Probably have to for one more year, right? His lack of defensive awareness is staggering pretty much every game, so unless he's scoring about 30+ goals (which I don't think he ever will again), he's not really worth his pay. If any team makes an offer, I'd take it.
Campbell needs to be bought out. There is no other way.
On the positive side, I thought Hyman, Skinner, Bouchard (less so in Finals), Holloway, Ceci, and Broberg (in limited games) all did well, or at least didn't disappoint at all. Four of those six are 25 or under, so that bodes well. (I think this forum is way too hard on Ceci, whom I quite like.)
RNH, Eckholm, and Kulak were fine. Nuge is never going to get much offense done at evens, but his main offensive contribution is on the PP, at which he's still pretty adept. Eckholm, I think, was sick during the Vancouver series and sagged, and I don't know if he fully got his health back. When he's good (which is much of the time), he's amazingly good. But he is slowing down and getting older. Kulak was great this season, though he did have some iffy moments in the Finals. He's an ideal bottom-pairing D.
The MVPs of the season are probably Knoblach and Coffey. They turned it around almost overnight and forced the team into playing some responsible defence. Knoblach made a lot of ballsy moves in the playoffs which seemed crazy at the time, but which all worked out (except reuniting Nurse / Ceci in game one... that may have cost us the Cup).
Tough luck, I guess. If they hadn't played Nurse-Ceci together in game one, or if that Bouchard bomb off the post in the 1st perod today had gone in, maybe our guys lift the Cup.
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Future outlook? I'm not sure. A lot will depend on what Drai does in the off-season. Until he's signed, it's hard to predict. Need to do something about Campbell, urgently.