Quote:
Originally Posted by Oil Stain
I had the Oilers pegged for around 80 points this year. I still think they'll finish around there.
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That's a fair estimate. They're better than they were, thanks to marginally improved defence and an average to above average goaltender, as well as the shedding of a couple defensive liabilities (but losing Hall's production in the process, though I still think it was a net positive change). But not as good as things appeared in the first month.
They still don't have a legitimate #1D, and their forward depth was overrated by many going into the season. Some good young pieces (Pulju, Draisaitl) but it's clear that they need a lot of seasoning yet. Eberle is still a liability out there, Lucic's edge has dropped off (terrible contract), and RNH is struggling to be a regular producer. They're gonna need a lot more contributors than McDavid to be competitive..simply put. And not enough scoring from the blue line (highest producing d-man is 9th in team scoring). When Russell is looked at as an offensive d-man on your team, you have issues.