I still hope he agrees to help us by providing some health related documents and agree to sit on the LTIR for the remainder of his contract.
twilz
**6.** Drugs.
peteypeteygoodgood
Lol
Krapshoot
I didn’t even know there was 1 solid reason /s.
I’m usually a glass is half full kind of guy, but I have a hard time expecting OEL to be more than a 2-Way third pairing defenseman that gets banged up throughout the season.
-GregTheGreat-
I don’t ever expect him to play up to his contract anymore, but with a full summer of rehab and proper training I think he can bounce back to being serviceable.
In a perfect world, Hirose‘s performance is indicative of his true form, and he can slot into the 2nd pairing. We can then throw OEL in sheltered minutes as a veteran 3rd pairing presence. It’ll be a shame to pay him that much for it, but getting another 1-2+ years of decent play out of him before a buyout will be huge for our cap implications long term. Ditching Myers is the more important move right now.
ubcthrowaway-01
Nothing can make up for Dylan Guenther unless he’s a Conn smythe finalist
BeastMasterWithAnR
OEL will absolutely bounce back. The article makes great points explaining his decline this year.
And you know… playing with a broken foot all year, with that AHL calibre dcore, ahl calibre goaltending with Martin, not to mention Boudreau’s defensive direction (or lack thereof)… yeah. Talk about being set up for fucking failure.
Tocc is fixing the systems, dcore talent is improving, Demko looks to be back to his old self. Stick OEL with Hronek and he could look not only ‘serviceable,’ but damn good.
Only-Nature7410
Well I do agree off season injuries will slow a player down and prevent a player the ability to catch up all year.
I think they will give him a chance next season. Then decide what to do with him. I am sure he is in the ‘always available for trade category.’
Hopefully Benning gets picked up somewhere.
jono766
Why be hopeful? You know what you’re getting with him. He’s not the same. It was a horrible trade on Benning part
brandedwaffle
Copium the article
high-rise
The thought of getting something even slightly resembling the ghost of prime OEL gets my motor running..
Lazy_Glass_3292
He’s also a year older and slower but ya he’ll be worth his salary
Vagus10
Redemption arc 2023-2024. LFG!
International_Pen478
Being unpaired from Myers should instantly help, but if he’s going to be partnered up with Hronek well that sounds even better.
Exciting_Ad4264
Lol
TimsAFK
I’m going to read this and then return to overreact.
Edit: I’m back from the store. Actually a measured take, headline might be a bit misleading. Deployment is definitely an issue, and while I ***fucking loath*** the Benning era mentality of our ~~Bottom 6~~ Third pair defenceman being one of the highest paid, if he’s not paired with Pylon Myers and given less minutes he’s shown he could be sound. Injury is also the biggest possibility, he’s aging and he’s already fighting it a bit. Still one of the worst trades of the Benning era, and that’s a very prestigious group
NerdPunch
My litmus test for what a successful season looks like for OEL next year:
*Is OEL the teams 3rd best defence-man next year*
If he is, you call it a win. If he isn’t, it’s an L.
21marvel1
It’s the off-season !
julesieee
OEL gonna make a comeback! 🤩
If 22-23 showed us Karlssonaissance and Schenaissance, 23-24 will be the era of Ekman-Larssonessance! 🫡🫡🫡
Get on the bandwagon NOW, there’s plenty of room!!!!! 🙌
19 Comments
I still hope he agrees to help us by providing some health related documents and agree to sit on the LTIR for the remainder of his contract.
**6.** Drugs.
Lol
I didn’t even know there was 1 solid reason /s.
I’m usually a glass is half full kind of guy, but I have a hard time expecting OEL to be more than a 2-Way third pairing defenseman that gets banged up throughout the season.
I don’t ever expect him to play up to his contract anymore, but with a full summer of rehab and proper training I think he can bounce back to being serviceable.
In a perfect world, Hirose‘s performance is indicative of his true form, and he can slot into the 2nd pairing. We can then throw OEL in sheltered minutes as a veteran 3rd pairing presence. It’ll be a shame to pay him that much for it, but getting another 1-2+ years of decent play out of him before a buyout will be huge for our cap implications long term. Ditching Myers is the more important move right now.
Nothing can make up for Dylan Guenther unless he’s a Conn smythe finalist
OEL will absolutely bounce back. The article makes great points explaining his decline this year.
And you know… playing with a broken foot all year, with that AHL calibre dcore, ahl calibre goaltending with Martin, not to mention Boudreau’s defensive direction (or lack thereof)… yeah. Talk about being set up for fucking failure.
Tocc is fixing the systems, dcore talent is improving, Demko looks to be back to his old self. Stick OEL with Hronek and he could look not only ‘serviceable,’ but damn good.
Well I do agree off season injuries will slow a player down and prevent a player the ability to catch up all year.
I think they will give him a chance next season. Then decide what to do with him. I am sure he is in the ‘always available for trade category.’
Hopefully Benning gets picked up somewhere.
Why be hopeful? You know what you’re getting with him. He’s not the same. It was a horrible trade on Benning part
Copium the article
The thought of getting something even slightly resembling the ghost of prime OEL gets my motor running..
He’s also a year older and slower but ya he’ll be worth his salary
Redemption arc 2023-2024. LFG!
Being unpaired from Myers should instantly help, but if he’s going to be partnered up with Hronek well that sounds even better.
Lol
I’m going to read this and then return to overreact.
Edit: I’m back from the store. Actually a measured take, headline might be a bit misleading. Deployment is definitely an issue, and while I ***fucking loath*** the Benning era mentality of our ~~Bottom 6~~ Third pair defenceman being one of the highest paid, if he’s not paired with Pylon Myers and given less minutes he’s shown he could be sound. Injury is also the biggest possibility, he’s aging and he’s already fighting it a bit.
Still one of the worst trades of the Benning era, and that’s a very prestigious group
My litmus test for what a successful season looks like for OEL next year:
*Is OEL the teams 3rd best defence-man next year*
If he is, you call it a win. If he isn’t, it’s an L.
It’s the off-season !
OEL gonna make a comeback! 🤩
If 22-23 showed us Karlssonaissance and Schenaissance, 23-24 will be the era of Ekman-Larssonessance! 🫡🫡🫡
Get on the bandwagon NOW, there’s plenty of room!!!!! 🙌