GDT: WAKE UP, THE SEASON’S STARTED! Oilers v Black Hawks, 8 PM HNIC

[K1984]

Corey Perry has been consistently our most threatening offensive player.

There’s something wrong with McDavid whether it be physical or mental. He’s playing like complete shit, and looks to be playing at about 40% pace being generous. His puck handling is off too.

Just classic October Oiler hockey. Horrific PK, non existent goaltending, incredibly incompetent team defense that gets blown up off the rush, half cocked pace, and a refusal to do anything that might actually produce offense.

The cherry on top? Chicken littles doomsdaying it, and tailoring whatever they perceive the problem to be to what they want the problem to be. This team does this every f***ing year. It’s incredibly, incredibly frustrating, dumbfounding, and annoying. They will be ok whenever they decide to be, but right now they don’t want to be so they aren’t.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

So I guess Cody Ceci is what then? A Norris trophy candidate? He makes the difference in a Cup finalist?

Because logically you can't have that argument both ways.

It isn't Desharnais because he's already a healthy scratch, which shows what he is ... an AHL player.

I didn’t hate Ceci
But I like em more on this team then whatever dogshit defensive core they’ve got

 

[McDrai]

Good to know we will have a similar to start to last season. Makes it easy on me not having to waste money on Sportsnet +

 

[NeverForget06]

Giving Pickard two years because he is a nice guy is on brand.

I think it was the wrong deal but he saved us from a lifetime of torment by Canucks fans so I am willing to live with it

 

[oXo Cube]

Emberson is going to go from top 4 option to healthy scratch in 2 games. Forwards just refuse to back check and dont cover their man even when they occasionally do. Goalies need to make a save.

Offense will get going but there are a lot of serious issues outside of that.

 

[JeffSkinner53]

Connor not doing much unfortunately

 

[Soundwave]

I didn’t hate Ceci
But I like em more on this team then whatever dogshit defensive core they’ve got

So Cody Ceci is what then? A top 3 D? All-Star?

Because he is the difference between a bad d-corps and one in the Finals?

The Finals loss is in this team's head, and the coach did not properly account for that by letting them have a kiddie preseason with no preparation.

 

[Old Boys Club]

Giving Pickard two years because he is a nice guy is on brand.

Could’ve had a much better guy in Lankinen for free. Lower cap hit too

 

[bobbythebrain]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1845308410624958683

"Enough about last year" - Connor McDavid

 

[Gnome17]

its finals fatigue, gripping their sticks too tight and no fluidity in their game

Excuses, I watched Floridas first game and they were pretty electric. Gripping their sticks too tight and no fluidity for sure but I wont let them use the finals fatigue excuse.

 

[RegDunlop]

They don't really have the players to not candy ass it... they have to oustcore the opposition because they aren't scaring anyone with 4th liner Perry being the only true grit in the lineup. Even Nurse seems to have lost all bite in his game when he got his $9.25 million jackpot.

I know
But another thing about 'learning how to win' by losing in the final is that mngmt should learn that it takes all kinds of players to be successful. Not just finesse

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

So Cody Ceci is what then? A top 3 D? All-Star?

Because he is the difference between a bad d-corps and one in the Finals?

The Finals loss is in this team's head, and the coach did not properly account for that by letting them have a kiddie preseason with no preparation.

He’s a #5
We brought in 3 #7s

 

[Drivesaitl]

Pickard blows @Drivesaitl

One bad goal. Nobody is stopping that one on Bedard. Jebus right in the slot with time and working off a screen. No chance on it. Oilers loose and leaving Bedard open in slot multiple times in period. Game is over without Pickard making stops.

If this is Skinner it would be another 5 GA.

 

[McFlash97]

I mean aside from Broberg who wasn't really even on the team last year for 95% of the year, it's not like any of these guys are doing f*** all anywhere else.

Foegele - 0 points
McLeod - 1 assist in 4 games
Holloway - 1 secondary assist in 3 games
Ceci: -1
Desharnais: -2 and a healthy scratch already

Its the sum of the parts that matter. The parts I see don't have a clue how to play winning hockey at key moments. By the time they learn... we will be in the same situation as last year. Continuity matters. We didn't tinker around the edges. We str8 up killed the middle of this roster with new guys. I understand there's this thing called cap, but that's what GMs get paid to do.

 

[Mcnofool6110]

So 3 Arizona Coyotes and 1 San Jose Shark wasn't the defensive answer we thought

 

[russ99]

But yay we have more shots!

Where’s that dumb deserve to win meter.

 

[Soundwave]

Excuses, I watched Floridas first game and they were pretty electric. Gripping their sticks too tight and no fluidity for sure but I wont let them use the finals fatigue excuse.

They won the Finals, it's clear this team (sorry hate to single you out Connor) are still mentally stuck back there.

Likely going to take a few games to get going from the looks of things.

This team will never make anything easy on themselves.

We don't have the goaltending to weather these stretches either.

 

[K1984]

"Enough about last year" - Connor McDavid

He’s playing some horrendous hockey for a guy that wants to park last year and start fresh.

Don’t want to hear about last year? Quit doing the same f***ing thing then.

 

[Drivesaitl]

So the trick to scoring is not even shooting it at net. Lol Corey Perry goal. That probably ensures we have to see him all season. I don't even know what he was trying to do there but it goes in off a hawk. Thats our one goal. f***..

 

[oilers4life5]

Man I am not happy. Wake the f*** up boys.

 

[Jumptheshark]

what concerns me is not this year team. Next year when we have Leons new contract starting and whatever contract Bouchard gets. IF we do no sign him and he goes to arbitration? I know some believe the cap will go up to 120 mill next year or something. It is at 88 this year.

Oilers have some tough choices to make and one of the big ones is on D--it just is not good enough and we need to figure out a way to be able to spend more money to balance out the back end. Having 3 fringe guys on the back end just aint cutting it and that is obvious

 

[Gnome17]

They won the Finals, it's clear this team (sorry hate to single you out Connor) are still mentally stuck back there.

Likely going to take a few games to get going from the looks of things.

This team will never make anything easy on themselves.

We don't have the goaltending to weather these stretches either.

Thats a fair assessement I think.

And then when things dont go well for them, they get in their heads about that and it spirals.

Seen it for years now.

 

[brentashton]

Giving Pickard two years because he is a nice guy is on brand.

Pickard isn’t the issue here

 

[Soundwave]

Its the sum of the parts that matter. The parts I see don't have a clue how to play winning hockey at key moments. By the time they learn... we will be in the same situation as last year. Continuity matters. We didn't tinker around the edges. We str8 up killed the middle of this roster with new guys. I understand there's this thing called cap, but that's what GMs get paid to do.

The top players (McDavid, Drai, RNH, Hyman, Bouchard) look clearly mentally stuck in the Finals and aren't over it.

The coach clearly didn't prep for this.

The goaltending isn't good enough to bail them out when they're mentally off their game.

The new guys actually aren't that bad. I like Skinner, I like Podkolzin, I don't think those pieces out would make much of a difference. We live and die by the top of our roster.

 

[russ99]

It’s the sum of the parts that matter. The parts I see don't have a clue how to play winning hockey at key moments. By the time they learn... we will be in the same situation as last year. Continuity matters. We didn't tinker around the edges. We str8 up killed the middle of this roster with new guys. I understand there's this thing called cap, but that‘a what GMs get paid to do.

We all knew when it was time for Connor, Leon and Bouchard to reup, that secondary players hitting RFA weren’t going to be part of the deal. Gonna take a year or two for the revamped prospect group to pay dividends, until then it’s cheap 1 year guys in UFA who think they can win a cup. This year is more painful since the RFAs showed fairly well, but it will pay off over time, getting skilled players to contribute on ELCs will make a huge difference, and some might take over when it’s time to dump Kane, Nuge and Hyman.