Quote:
Originally Posted by AlbertaOiler72
Sekera replaces Hamonic IMO
and the game isn't played on paper....the Oilers have finished ahead of the Flames in GA the past two seasons despite the Flames having Gio, Brodie and Hamilton on the roster and even adding Hamonic (-21) won't move the needle much...and why will it change?
Oilers have the better goalie, and their young defensemen (Larsson, Klefbom, Benning and Nurse) are under 25 and still getting better and better
The Flames have a nice set of offensive defensemen but are vastly overrated in their defensive abilities and the proof is there.
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Well except for Nurse who has the IQ of a piece of furniture and Benning could basically be the new version of Mancini or whatever his name was who had a solid year then went bleah.
Nobody is going to trade the Oilers blueline for the Flames Blueline. And while nobody would trade the Flames front line for the Oilers front line, I doubt that anyone is going to trade the Oilers bottom 9 for the Flames bottom 9.
You're right on the goaltending, Talbot is stellar, though I doubt that he comes close to replicating last season. I think that the goals against difference between the Flames and the Oilers was 9 goals or .1 goals per game, and I think that straight right there it points to the difference between a Stellar goaltender having a season for the Ages and a Flames duo that was underwhelming to be kind.
Frankly I think if I was an Oilers fan, sitting back drinking my government generic brand bosco and snacking on my wheel of government cheese that I would be sweating that things went way to well and perfect last year. No injuries, a unsustainable performance by Talbot, one guy carrying my offense.
Versus No Sekera until Jan, Russell getting more minutes. The fact that pretty much my whole team offensively was carried by one guy and line and that my team has no offense from the blueline, and that if Draisaitl doesn't get his 9 mil that he won't be at training camp, and if he gets seperated from McDavid that he's underwhelming. Then, I'd look at the easy schedule that we got last year from an NHL that was tired of the Oilers embarrassing the NHL on a international level.
And then at that point, if I was an Oiler fan, I'd take a bite of that bitter bitter welfare cheese, and then take a swig of my watered down Bosco and mutter to myself "They're right, Edmonton is no good".
Then I'd hear the clatter as that chip fell off of my shoulders and I could hear the whistling sound of my rather large ego deflating.
If I was an Oilers fan.