Edmonton is No Good Episode 4: New Rink, Same Stink

[calgaryblood]

Edmonton is the armpit and ball sweat of Canada. They're that smell when you rub your balls and smell your fingers or they're the taste of boogers when you pick your nose and eat it.

Their fans are literally terrible and the worst.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

This used to be true but isn't necessarily so anymore, due to the salary cap (the great equalizer).

Back in the day, when you got a generational player, you had a huge advantage - you just had to build around him and you automatically had the best team. And other players wanted to come and play there.

Now, you are limited by the cap. More money on this player means less money for that player. So instead of an accumulation of talent (like the old days), now it is an optimization exercise. Teams must find pieces that fit together. And must get as many value pieces as possible.

McDavid is an awesome player. But it is not a foregone conclusion that he will lead them to anything. You have to be able to draft and develop players so that you always have people contributing that are on cheap contracts.

The Oilers have not shown an ability to that in any way shape or form. The only thing they have going for them is a pile of high draft picks due to a decade of inconcieveable ineptitude.

Going forward, they are going to have to develop players without the benefit of drafting top 3. We shall see if they can do that. But one thing is for sure, McDavid can't do it himself.

Yeah, maybe too much to say he would carry them. But he is probably good enough to get them 75% of the way there. Their whole team is McDavid, and to a lesser degree, Talbot. And that got them to game 7 of round 2. It's just brutal to think how far dumb luck has taken them so far and what a little competence could do.

[calgaryblood]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

Yeah, maybe too much to say he would carry them. But he is probably good enough to get them 75% of the way there. Their whole team is McDavid, and to a lesser degree, Talbot. And that got them to game 7 of round 2. It's just brutal to think how far dumb luck has taken them so far and what a little competence could do.

Draisatl is also a hell of a player and did more in the playoffs.

[browna]

Originally Posted by drewtastic

There's room for both!

And some 1986 action too...

[memphusk]

Originally Posted by calgaryblood

Edmonton is the armpit and ball sweat of Canada. They're that smell when you rub your balls and smell your fingers or they're the taste of boogers when you pick your nose and eat it.

Their fans are literally terrible and the worst.

Ahahahaahhaahah. Whoa.

[Groot]

I was typing this up for my colleagues who are Oilers fans and feel this is just the start of something special, figured I'd share it here as well. It's not meant to be a detailed analysis but a simple snapshot of things as they currently stand.

(Unless a team takes one of their junk contracts)
2018-2019 Projected Cap for Oilers

Lucic - 6.0
Eberle - 6.0
Nugent-Hopkins - 6.0
Pouliot - 4.0
Sekera - 5.5
Klefbom - 4.17
Larsson - 4.17
Talbot - 4.17
*McDavid - 12
*Draisaitl - 6.75
*Nurse - 3.0

Total cap hit - 61.76 Million

Needs - 7x forwards, 3x defenseman, back-up goalie

Available cap space (using 79 million as an aggressive projection of cap for the year) to fill needs: 17.24 million or 1.56 million per player.

I challenge even the most die-hard Oilers fan to point to that lineup and show me how this is the start of something special. I see two top line players in McDavid and Draisatl, maybe 1-2 2nd liners, and 3rd-4th line filler in the rest of the signed forwards. A potential top pairing D-Man in Klefbom, and the rest serviceable at best 3rd-7th D-Men. A solid starter that cannot regress at all and needs a back-up. And 17.24 million to fill in the numerous gaps. Not considering most of the players will regress instead of progress.

Puljujarvi can fill one of the roles, how high up remains to be seen. Where and how do they fill the rest?

TL/DR:E = NG

[chedder]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

Yeah, maybe too much to say he would carry them. But he is probably good enough to get them 75% of the way there. Their whole team is McDavid, and to a lesser degree, Talbot. And that got them to game 7 of round 2. It's just brutal to think how far dumb luck has taken them so far and what a little competence could do.

I'd say the opposite. Talbot is the main reason they got to the playoffs and the only reason they won either series in the playoffs. Mcdavid was good but certainly not great or 'game changing' in the playoffs. Draisaitl got almost double the points the saviour got.

[AlbertaOiler72]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

I would argue that if your first was true Crosby would have a cup ring on every finger on both hands.

Having a generational player and a good player isn't enough anymore, we saw what the Ducks did to McDavid, they put his hip into the outside lane and took away the neutral zone, and while Draisaitl was very good (8 million dollars good) its not enough.

Its tough to win the Stanley Cup now because you literally need every player from 2nd line to 4th line to blue line to contribute and play their roles slightly above their heads.

We had what I would consider to be a real close to generational player in Iggy for how many years and the biggest problem was finding the supporting cast.

ya, Iggy isn't a generational player....there's very few "can't miss" generational players that come along

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

The problem with Edmonton is two fold

1) Their supporting cast didn't support their three really good players in the playoffs and in the end only two of those three, Talbot and Draisaitl had an impact. The argument at the start of the season where the Oilers didn't have good depth came to fruition in the second round, when the Ducks took away one of the three and 7 game series wise matchup wise, this series would have been a blow out if not for Talbot

the Ducks gotten very little from anyone not named Getzlaf Silfverberg or Rakell...Kesler has 1 goal, Cogliano has 1 goal, Perry has 2 goals, Vermette has 0 goals
their bottom 6 has been bad and they they're being carried by their top 6...their "Depth" is a myth
and saying "if it weren't for Draisaitl and Talbot, Oilers don't win as many games as they did" is akin to saying "if the Ducks don't have Getzlaf and Silfverberg, they don't win as many games as they did"

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

2) The cap situation is going to further erode the Oilers depth and they don't have a lot of cheap good prospects right now that can fill in and contribute. That's going to take saavy drafting and trades of players like RNH and Eberle to fix, and frankly outside of Chia's trade for Talbot, his moves have been really suspect as have his contract signings.

so, no credit for Maroon, Benning, Caggulia and Larsson? ok then

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Oh and there's a third fold
3) The Oilers were very shark like, they played well in the regular season where teams are more generic in their game planning, but after they played a battered Sharks team that is in dire need of a youth movement, they played a team that had that extra gear in the playoffs and the Oilers were really fortunate that the series got as far as it did.

the Oilers had a 2-goal lead in 5 of the 7 games...the Ducks were lucky the Oilers inexperience (and refs) shone through cause the only game where they looked dominant was Game 7

[mdubz]

Originally Posted by AlbertaOiler72

ya, Iggy isn't a generational player....there's very few "can't miss" generational players that come along


the Ducks gotten very little from anyone not named Getzlaf Silfverberg or Rakell...Kesler has 1 goal, Cogliano has 1 goal, Perry has 2 goals, Vermette has 0 goals
their bottom 6 has been bad and they they're being carried by their top 6...their "Depth" is a myth
and saying "if it weren't for Draisaitl and Talbot, Oilers don't win as many games as they did" is akin to saying "if the Ducks don't have Getzlaf and Silfverberg, they don't win as many games as they did"

so, no credit for Maroon, Benning, Caggulia and Larsson? ok then



the Oilers had a 2-goal lead in 5 of the 7 games...the Ducks were lucky the Oilers inexperience (and refs) shone through cause the only game where they looked dominant was Game 7

Maroon looks good because of McDavid. Ferland would pot the goals Maroon does playing with McDavid.
Benning is a decent bottom pairing defenseman. Hardly worth any praise.
Caggulia chose Edmonton. College free agent with choice of any team. McDavid effect. Hardly due to Chiarelli.
Chiarelli gave up a franchise forward for a 2nd pairing defenseman on most teams.

[SeeGeeWhy]

Originally Posted by calgaryblood

Edmonton is the armpit and ball sweat of Canada. They're that smell when you rub your balls and smell your fingers or they're the taste of boogers when you pick your nose and eat it.

Their fans are literally terrible and the worst.

You rub your balls and then smell your fingers?

[calgaryblood]

Originally Posted by SeeGeeWhy

You rub your balls and then smell your fingers?

Doesn't everyone? (With balls)

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by calgaryblood

Doesn't everyone? (With balls)

That's the girlfriends job, I don't go anywhere near those hairy prunes

[FlamesAddiction]

You should start a thread.

The Balls Dilemma: To Sniff or Not to Sniff

[wired]

Originally Posted by calgaryblood

Edmonton is the armpit and ball sweat of Canada. They're that smell when you rub your balls and smell your fingers or they're the taste of boogers when you pick your nose and eat it.

Their fans are literally terrible and the worst.

And you have been here how many times? I guess I should not give a #### what people think of where I live.....just remember, your back yard probably has just as much dog crap in it as mine.

[FlamesAddiction]

Going by his description, it sounds pretty terrible. Tasting like boogers and smelling like ball sweat must really hurt the tourist industry.

[vilzeh]

Originally Posted by wired

Really? How am I so full of ####?
I am just saying what I, me, you know....the guy living around the greaser fans, am hearing.
And really, how the hell would you know what the greaser fans are saying? You are half way around the world fishing with Kipper.
Some people....sheesh.

Because everything you say here is a feel good story for Edmonton(ians), "no, I talked with this one guy and he wasn't pissed at all, he was actually very pleased with the season, you guys are so wrong!!!". Whats with the referee whine then all the time?

[Soliak]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

That's the girlfriends job, I don't go anywhere near those hairy prunes

To be fair I am actually quite fond of the smell of my own balls.

[wired]

Originally Posted by vilzeh

Because everything you say here is a feel good story for Edmonton(ians), "no, I talked with this one guy and he wasn't pissed at all, he was actually very pleased with the season, you guys are so wrong!!!". Whats with the referee whine then all the time?

I guess I am a closet Oilers fan according to vilzeh.
How bout we put this one to bed fella.

[otisthedog]

Originally Posted by wired

I guess I am a closet Oilers fan according to vilzeh.
How bout we put this one to bed fella.

Originally Posted by wired

I grew up in Edmonton (16 yrs), lived 6 blocks from the coliseum. Never went to a game, never cheered for the Oilers.
Joined the army, posted to Calgary, and went back to Calgary after I got out.
Spent 23 yrs total in Calgary, work dried up, wife got job in Edmonton, and we moved.
I still cheer for the Flames, they are my favorite team.
Edmonton has some things over Calgary..... so green in the summer, and far hotter in the summer. Access to lots of good lakes, and quite a few more jobs.
I dislike both the ducks and greasers, but I fricken despise the ducks.... I am cheering for neither team, as I hope neither wins the cup. Rather see Ottawa win, but that means Dion gets a cup....and that would suck.

Originally Posted by wired

I find it funny that so many roast the op.....but he is asking a question. Don't be ###### bags.
I personally would rather see Edmonton move on

seems to me you are a fan of the city, and perhaps becoming a fan of the team, or at least impressed by their momentum this year. That's OK, I've always felt that when people migrate to a city for personal or occupational reasons, they should open their mind to the pulse of their surroundings and contribute to the buzz. That includes finding interest in the local arts, food, music, sports; by this rule an overall engagement in the community. Because you are in the heart of it and the location is so dear to you, nobody would blame you for having an iota of sympathy for the devil, but don't come onto a Flame Forum and try to argue for sensibility when it comes to anything involved with the Oilers.

I've spent a lot of time in Edmonton and the city doesn't appeal to me all, but I have lived in worse places and learned to adapt. However, I just think it's comical to come onto a Flame Forum and enter a this thread titled "Edmonton is No Good Episode 4" and argue with posters throwing vitriol and disdain at the city and it's team.

Passion for sports is usually not 100% rational, especially on the internet. This forum was created for people with passion for the Calgary Flames, its totally open to those that cheer for other teams, but don't overreact when the hatred for the #1 rival goes past the team and spills out on the city.

Can we go back to hating on the Oilers? E=NG

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by AlbertaOiler72

the Oilers had a 2-goal lead in 5 of the 7 games...the Ducks were lucky the Oilers inexperience (and refs) shone through cause the only game where they looked dominant was Game 7

2 goal leads certainly show an opportunity, but they don't really lend themselves to saying who is out playing who.

The Oilers were out played in 6 of the 7 games in almost any known metric including shots on goal (corsi) and scoring chances, and were the weaker team in high danger scoring chances in 5 of the 7 games.

They were outplayed.

But as you said Talbot is part of the team, so you can't take that away from Edmonton.