When Will McDrai Pull Their Collective Heads Out of Their Asses?

[AddyTheWrath]

Barkov and Tkachuk take up 1.5m less on the cap than McDavid and Drai. Florida is winning games without them even in the lineup!

We’ve got as much money tied up in RNH, Hyman, Skinner, Arvidsson and Henrique as we do in McDavid and Draisaitl and collectively they’re producing at half the rate of those two.

I’m not saying McDavid and Draisaitl are playing well. But they’re at least contributing something. We constantly spend all this money on guys who are supposed to provide secondary offense and they all fall off a cliff unless they can leach off of one of McDavid or Draisaitl.

RNH and Hyman need to be better no doubt. Skinner, Arvidsson and Henrique aren't really being paid at the same level, although I would say Skinner is more than living up to his end of the bargain.

The 1.5M difference is a bit disingenuous when you account for Draisaitl's raise. It'll be a $7.5M difference next year and an even higher one the year after.

And are McDavid and Draisaitl really contributing anything? They've mostly scored when they've had an extra skater on the ice. They also get a disproportionate amount of offensive opportunities and that disparity might not be as large on other teams. You could argue they've given up as much as they've helped.

 

[Soundwave]

Alex Ovechkin is another case. Five 50 goal seasons (basically) after age 30, yeah I'm counting one where he scored 49 and another one where he scored 48 goals in 68 games only (COVID shut the season down).

He scored 50 at age 36, and 42 in 73 games at age 37.

Won the Cup at age 32/33.

Who knows the numbers Crosby would still put up if it wasn't for concussions (they're still terrific but I tend to think he would have aged even better without those injuries in his 20s). But even Crosby scored

100 points at age 31
93 points at age 35
94 points at age 36

These numbers are fairly in line with this scoring at age 27/28.

 

[Spawn]

RNH and Hyman need to be better no doubt. Skinner, Arvidsson and Henrique aren't really being paid at the same level, although I would say Skinner is more than living up to his end of the bargain.

The 1.5M difference is a bit disingenuous when you account for Draisaitl's raise. It'll be a $7.5M difference next year and an even higher one the year after.

And are McDavid and Draisaitl really contributing anything? They've mostly scored when they've had an extra skater on the ice. They also get a disproportionate amount of offensive opportunities and that disparity might not be as large on other teams. You could argue they've given up as much as they've helped.

How is it disengenuous? Judge Drai versus his new contract once it starts. Right now he’s still an 8.5m player.

And I agree regarding Skinner. The rest of that secondary group has been pathetic though. Far worse than McDrai.

 

[syz]

Identical to last season. Team is getting like 50% of their expected goals for and giving up an extra 50% of their expected goals against. 2 games early against a red hot Hellebuyck and Oettinger doesn't help.

The outlier from last season is RNH, who isn't generating anything. Janmark may also just be done. Unfortunately the 9.25 million dollar man is also in the basement again, along with whoever the team decides to put on the ice with him.

 

[Lay Z Boy GM]

It isn’t just the scoring though, his commitment to defense and playing a full ice game is non existent this year.

A soft and blind reverse pass in the o zone combined with a lazy back check to watch the opposition seal the game away is 100% a mental problem, and that kind of play has been a theme this year. Handed the game to the Flames on another similar play.

I wonder if he’s having a hard time dealing with kinda sucking at times. Like guys like him are really unique mentally, where they really truly expect to be the best of their era or GOAT. Might be tough to deal with some failures when you’re like that, he’s just wired differently and I doubt 99% of people can understand

 

[Drivesaitl]

How is it disengenuous? Judge Drai versus his new contract once it starts. Right now he’s still an 8.5m player.

And I agree regarding Skinner. The rest of that secondary group has been pathetic though. Far worse than McDrai.

People just looking at an early excuse to blame drai for not being a 14M player in a season he's not being paid that. Par for the course stuff around here.

Seems interesting how quick people are to critique our two best players, who are ALWAYS, every season our two best players. The same people will shout insults if I say something about Arvid or Stu Skinner. (not saying Addy, he hasn't)

 

[Bryanbryoil]

People just looking at an early excuse to blame drai for not being a 14M player in a season he's not being paid that. Par for the course stuff around here.

Seems interesting how quick people are to critique our two best players, who are ALWAYS, every season our two best players. The same people will shout insults if I say something about Arvid or Stu Skinner. (not saying Addy, he hasn't)

Connor is a generational talent and as such the world is expected of him. He has scored 60+ goals and now 2 seasons in a row (yes this one is still early) he isn't looking to replicate that. Connor continues to keep forcing the puck to Drai and vice versa. They need to shoot the puck more often to keep the defenses honest.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Connor is a generational talent and as such the world is expected of him. He has scored 60+ goals and now 2 seasons in a row (yes this one is still early) he isn't looking to replicate that. Connor continues to keep forcing the puck to Drai and vice versa. They need to shoot the puck more often to keep the defenses honest.

But they will recover and look much better. We're such a passionate fanbase that 3 days between games seems like an eternity and I guess especially after the Stars game. Stars have 2 shutouts already this season will have many more. Just harder to score on that club.

interesting thing Bryan after being miserable for first 3 games McDrai are better last few games. Seems its coming. But the schedule difficulty has been harder last couple games, and tomorrow. We're advancing to play some better clubs. The first 3 games, especially 2nd and 3rd were a disgrace.

 

[Whoshattenkirkshoes]

Kucherov is 2 years older than Draisaitl and 4 years older than McDavid and putting up career high production.

MacKinnon blew away his career highs last season and seems to be trending above his career production this year even with the Avs playing poorly.

I don't think athletes peak and decline like they used to. The diet, the training, the lack of physicality in the game just favors high skill athletes having a longer peak than before.

Gretzky was eating hot dogs before games and Snickers bars during intermissions with Diet Cokes, these guys just have access to much better food and train miles better, I don't think Wayne or Mario spent much of any time in a weight room.

Mario Lemieux even smoked cigarettes several years into his NHL career, lmao.

I'll keep my long shot theory that Mcdavid is in the early stages of an auto immune disease.

Last two years he just hasn't been himself.

 

[Canovin]

I'll keep my long shot theory that Mcdavid is in the early stages of an auto immune disease.

Last two years he just hasn't been himself.

Marriage and planning to have kids stage. That will slow anyone down

 

[AddyTheWrath]

How is it disengenuous? Judge Drai versus his new contract once it starts. Right now he’s still an 8.5m player.

And I agree regarding Skinner. The rest of that secondary group has been pathetic though. Far worse than McDrai.

I actually think of the lot that Arvidsson and Nugent-Hopkins have been the worst of our top 6 - so I agree with you. I just think there's plenty of blame to go around and expectations are different for some players than others (whether that's fair or not).

People just looking at an early excuse to blame drai for not being a 14M player in a season he's not being paid that. Par for the course stuff around here.

Seems interesting how quick people are to critique our two best players, who are ALWAYS, every season our two best players. The same people will shout insults if I say something about Arvid or Stu Skinner. (not saying Addy, he hasn't)

I think Draisaitl can shoulder some of the blame as a supposed leader and driver of this team. That being said, I can extend some grace to everyone given that they fell just short last year and probably are trying to find the motivation to grind through another long year.

If I were to pinpoint the Oilers issues, I'd probably say the main ones are that the top-6 hasn't been productive enough and that Skinner hasn't been good enough. Beyond that is nitpicking that I don't think is necessary (yet).