The Oilers are close, which can be frustrating for fans and players alike.
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36 Comments
The Oilers were eliminated by the Stanley Cup champions 2 years in a row. They are build to be a championship team up front, they just need more defensive support from their blue line.
someone needs to hold the line for them, badly. Skinner might save their ass this year once again. what a gem he is!
Oilers are close for sure the west is not that hard really the only teams above the Oilers potentially is Vegas and Colorado (in the west). If Oilers can beat them they can make it to the finals imo.
I'd say there is an urgency, they need to win the cup, at very least, a cup final appearance.
Definitely a contender. Their success depends on depth scoring once again.
Some prospects finally stepping up would help too
I think McDavid could hit 2 points per game for a full season. That would give him 164 through a full season. It’s possible because he’s had so many stretches where he’s well past 2 points per game. If he stops having “Slumps” in the mid December region of the season where he sometimes only has 1.2 or so points per game, he can definitely hit 164.
Can't believe you put LA up last night but left the rest of the pacific till today… I kept refreshinf😅
It's not impossible McDavid gets MORE points actually but that's just me really hoping.
Can’t wait to watch Minnesota continue to destroy the Oilers in the regular season for every year since the McDavid era began.
Only knocks against this team: Nurse makes too much, goaltending is still a problem. We'll see how it pans out this year, they're close like THG (and all of us) believe.
shannon i think you forgot to go through your jets collection on the channel unless theyre still coming out
They 1st need to go back to the traditional blue I'm kind of tired looking at the jerseys…it's not like their an original 6. I would take a page from WSH book because they won the cup with new design.
2. They can't win having Leon and Conner on the same line…PP only.
3. Their going to have to figure out their goalie situation.
That team is all flash no substance. Not a championship team. You can't win a Stanly cup with subpar defense, shacky goalies and relying almost entirely on your powerplay ability to win games.
I’d say that the Oilers do indeed need to be taken seriously
I can't talk about Skinner without saying it like superintendent Chalmers. It's becoming a problem at home! 😉
Need to find a way to keep pucks out of their own net. Overall, they've been better-ish at that since Woodcroft took over but they're still prone to some major breakdowns both on the PK and 5v5. Very interesting situation in net as I could see Skinner taking a step back but also Soup taking a step forward (couldn't be much worse than last year). If they can find a way to be league average defensively without losing too much offence, watch out.
I think Bouchard is the fantasy sleeper. I think he could be a 70 to 80 point defenseman with the killer powerplay. He also had low PDO which means low puck luck essentially.
Can't see both Draisaitl and McDavid staying. One of them or both will demand a trade if nothing gets accomplished or if they take a step back.
We all know what happens in the playoffs if you have sub par goaltending.
I think this year is pretty bright for the Oilers. Skinner getting playoff experience, even if he didn't do that well, is huge. Campbell has a decent shot at bouncing back. Bouchard has been doing great, and there are some good options in Bakersfield that might have something to show this year. My one concern is cap space for next year. I don't remember the exact numbers, but their contract with Brown has enough in performance bonuses that as long as he plays those 10 or 15 games, they've used up most or all of the cap bump we should see for 24-25. If Bouchard only takes a one year deal, that suddenly becomes a huge problem. I could see Foegele getting moved sometime in the next 12 months to help make room unless his numbers keep going up.
Great preview Shannon, super excited for this season! I think a full season with Ekholm and Skinner having a full year under his belt will really help the Oilers this time around
Kenny really hasn't done anything to aid the blue line…
97, 29, 93, 91, and 18 are locks for the Top 6. If Holloway can leave a big enough impression throughout training camp and during the preseason, we might see him and Brown rotate in and out of that final spot in the Top 6, or jump in if one of those other guys has to sit out due to either a suspension or an injury. Right now, Bouchard remains to be signed, but I have heard from the Oilers Fanatic that a deal should get done before training camp. I would like to see it around $3M for 1-2 years, but it's likely going to be north of $3.5M per year. Oilers could move the likes of Foegele, Ceci, or Kulak at the trade deadline to make some room for next summer, depending on who would be willing to take those contracts and if salary cap retention will be necessary.
if the oilers powerplay is as good or better this season mcdavid will put up scary numbers.
I don't think Devin Shore is officially gone yet, I think he's going to get a PTO from the Oilers.
try neutral zone puck possession?
I think this is the season we see mcdavid really step up his defensive play. He might still hit 150 again regardless but wont be suprised to see a bit of a drop off
The Oilers were 2 different teams after the additions of Desharnais & Ekholm. First 42 games they were fighting for wildcard spot, 20th highest winning % at 0.536, with a 21-18-3 record, 12th highest in 5v5 GA. Second half 40games, with Desharnais & Ekholm, they had the highest winning % in the league at 0.800, a 29-5-6 record, and 20th highest GA at 5v5. Big improvements with those 2 additions on the backend, also helped that Skinner was starting more over Campbell. Biggest thing with this team is depth scoring. A ton of the offensive numbers is from the top 2 lines. You need depth to win the cup, its the one thing they really lack.
maybe sign Bouchard to multi-year contract, first year $3.5 million, then following years $4 million and higher?
As long as they have Ceci and Nurse on their team, the Oilers will never win the cup. Nugent-Hopkins is a self-imposed wannabe
leader who will never reach 100pts again. That interview he gave to sportsnet saying he was a leader was hilarious. Other than depth, the main problem with this team is that they don't have a leader. They have great players, but they don't have a leader. They don't have someone who will hold others accountable. That is why they will fall short again in the playoffs. Early exit incoming
Lastly, I know THG doesn't want to say anything bad about anyone, but lying is not a substitute for it. No one believes that Nurse is a good player….not even the Oilers fanbase believes that. By lying, you're just disrespecting your fanbase; thinking that we are stupid. Lying helps no one
Shannon must be happy the Bruins signed Alex Chiasson. 🙂
Leon had 128pts not 130, he had 76 assists not 78
Definitely a contender!
This is what will happen. McDavid and Draisaitl will be great. Goaltending will be inconsistent and controversial all year as the argument around when and if to play campbell continues. The defence will continue to not be good enough. The team will still find ways to lose games where they’ve scored 3 or more goals. Some important players will start to really show frustration during losing stretches and question if being an oiler is worth it
They are in Cup or Bust mode. McDavid is due for a cup.
Once he wins it, we can end this silly McDavid vs Crosby debate. McDavid is a much better player than Crosby and once he wins the whole cup argument is gone (finally.)
will there be an oilers jersey video (along with all the other teams that didn't come out while you were on vacation)?
I'm sure they're going to slay it in the reg season, but come playoff time they'll fold when put up against a good team. They haven't improved this off season and done nothing to address the D core issue, goalie issues, or scoring depth. Like if McD and drai don't hard carry and play out of their minds again I can't see how they do anything in the playoffs.