Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - [Signing] Oilers extend F Leon Draisaitl (8x$14M AAV)

SuperMatt18 · 09-06-2024, 12:03 PM

The Oilers have probably the best forward group in the league...but the team defense and goaltending does leave big question marks IMO. I'd say there are 5 teams in the West that have the best shot of coming out of the West: Edmonton, Vegas, Vancouver, Colorado, Dallas...Nashville maybe too if they add a top 4 dman with their cap space (Rasmus Andersson anyone.

Lots of the models are using last years data where their xGF metrics were very strong and their team defense was maybe a bit underrated, I'm not sure that's the case this year.

RNH - McDavid - Hyman
Skinner - Draisaitl - Kane
Janmark - Henrique - Arvidsson
Hamblin - Ryan - Perry/Brown/Podkolzin

Ekholm-Bouchard
Nurse - Emberson
Kulak - Brown
Stecher

Skinner
Pickard

Henrique and Arvidsson probably help give them a deeper top 9, but I think Foegele, McLeod, and Holloway actually had more upside. The age has to be a worry too, lots of guys at the age where big drop offs generally occur.

If Emberson ends up being good then they might be okay, but if he's more of the journeyman he's been the rest of his career then that back end is in trouble IMO. Brown was literally listed as the worst player in the NHL last year.

Vegas defensive and center depth, and Colorado's ability to match strength against strength still gives them the toughest match up in the West IMO. Vancouver with Demko is probably a good match up too. IMO they were fortunate they avoided both Dallas and Colorado last year.

Vegas: Weak on the wings but great center depth and probably the best defensive core 1-6 in the league. But I'd argue wingers are the easiest thing to add to supplement your team at the deadline.

Barbashev - Eichel - Olofsson
Dorofeyev - Hertl - Stone
Brisson - Karlsson - Holtz
Howden - Roy - Kolesar

Hanifin-Pietrangelo
Theodore - McNabb
Hague - Whitecloud

Hill
Samsonov

Colorado:
Drouin-Mackinnon-Rantanen
Lehkonen - Mittelstadt - Nichushkin
Wood - Colton - Kovalenko
Kviranta - Wagner - O'Connor

Toews - Makar
Girard - Manson
Brannstrom - Kylington

Georgiev
Annunen

Nichushkin probably needs to be back and on form for them to beat Edmonton. But with Mackinnon, Rantanen, Makar, Toews they match up strengths well.

Vancouver:
Debrusk-Pettersson-Boeser
Hoglander-Miller -Sprong
Joshua - Bluger - Garland
Heinen - Suter - Sherwood

Hughes - Hronek
Soucy - Myers
Forbort - Desharnais

Demko
Silovs

Forward depth is pretty good, and if Lekkerimaki and Raty can take the step to the NHL that would really add the extra skill depth for them. Defense is a but soft, but big and length tends to work come playoff time. If Demko is healthy they have the best goaltending in the conference most likely.

09-06-2024, 12:03 PM	#721
SuperMatt18 Franchise Player Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Calgary, AB Exp:	The Oilers have probably the best forward group in the league...but the team defense and goaltending does leave big question marks IMO. I'd say there are 5 teams in the West that have the best shot of coming out of the West: Edmonton, Vegas, Vancouver, Colorado, Dallas...Nashville maybe too if they add a top 4 dman with their cap space (Rasmus Andersson anyone. Lots of the models are using last years data where their xGF metrics were very strong and their team defense was maybe a bit underrated, I'm not sure that's the case this year. RNH - McDavid - Hyman Skinner - Draisaitl - Kane Janmark - Henrique - Arvidsson Hamblin - Ryan - Perry/Brown/Podkolzin Ekholm-Bouchard Nurse - Emberson Kulak - Brown Stecher Skinner Pickard Henrique and Arvidsson probably help give them a deeper top 9, but I think Foegele, McLeod, and Holloway actually had more upside. The age has to be a worry too, lots of guys at the age where big drop offs generally occur. If Emberson ends up being good then they might be okay, but if he's more of the journeyman he's been the rest of his career then that back end is in trouble IMO. Brown was literally listed as the worst player in the NHL last year. Vegas defensive and center depth, and Colorado's ability to match strength against strength still gives them the toughest match up in the West IMO. Vancouver with Demko is probably a good match up too. IMO they were fortunate they avoided both Dallas and Colorado last year. Vegas: Weak on the wings but great center depth and probably the best defensive core 1-6 in the league. But I'd argue wingers are the easiest thing to add to supplement your team at the deadline. Barbashev - Eichel - Olofsson Dorofeyev - Hertl - Stone Brisson - Karlsson - Holtz Howden - Roy - Kolesar Hanifin-Pietrangelo Theodore - McNabb Hague - Whitecloud Hill Samsonov Colorado: Drouin-Mackinnon-Rantanen Lehkonen - Mittelstadt - Nichushkin Wood - Colton - Kovalenko Kviranta - Wagner - O'Connor Toews - Makar Girard - Manson Brannstrom - Kylington Georgiev Annunen Nichushkin probably needs to be back and on form for them to beat Edmonton. But with Mackinnon, Rantanen, Makar, Toews they match up strengths well. Vancouver: Debrusk-Pettersson-Boeser Hoglander-Miller -Sprong Joshua - Bluger - Garland Heinen - Suter - Sherwood Hughes - Hronek Soucy - Myers Forbort - Desharnais Demko Silovs Forward depth is pretty good, and if Lekkerimaki and Raty can take the step to the NHL that would really add the extra skill depth for them. Defense is a but soft, but big and length tends to work come playoff time. If Demko is healthy they have the best goaltending in the conference most likely. Last edited by SuperMatt18; 09-06-2024 at 12:24 PM.