Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperMatt18
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.
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When you look at the xGF% of all the forwards on the Oilers at ES, almost every forward on the Oilers is better when playing with Mcdavid. IMO that makes sense, he's the best player in the league.
But when you look at who makes McDavid better. Only 1 player consistently seems to make Mcdavid better at ES...that player is Zach Hyman. IMO the reason for this is Zach Hyman is the only player on the Oilers that plays better without the puck than with the puck. He also plays different areas of the ice than McDavid does. He compliments McDavid as he brings a different skill set to Mcdavid and really the deadly combo of McDavid and Draisaitl.
The Oilers continue to try and add players that do the same thing as their stars, mainly Mcdavid. I don't think removing Hyman from McDavid's line or the PP would make the Oilers better. Maybe Nuge can move off and play more of a PK role, but I really believe 30 games into the season or less the media will be asking the following:
What's wrong with Jeff Skinner?
What's wrong with Nuge?
What's wrong with Arviddson?
What's wrong with Hyman?
1 or 2 of these guys will be very disappointing this year.
I think the Oilers have the best forward group offensively, but I think it's not for sure #1 overall. Their d and goalies are going to be very bad this year and the chemistry of the forwards IMO won't be a perfect fit like it looks on paper.