Edmonton is No Good X: Up and Down Like a Toilet Seat

[Erick Estrada]

The 2022/23 season came and went and another wasted season for McDrai. Two seasons left for the duo before the walls crumble.

[Lanny'sDaMan]

I am going to just go OFF on all the Oilers fans I know when the McDrai both leave. After the media storm over the Flames losing their big two players and the constant bile poured on us from the Grease faithful, Oh man am I gonna drink up those tears.

At first I was all "well I know this pain so I'll be the bigger man and leave em be", but then I came to my senses and realized those troglodytes and their inability to show any grace or class, do not deserve any decency back. I intend to be utterly RUTHLESS in poking them with "McDrai for 8 years and nothing to show for it"

[FireGilbert]

If the Knights are a super team at $96M, what does that make the Oilers at $91M?

This year was Edmonton's best chance. Had a clean goaltending slate, LTIR space with room for a big deadline pick up, and got career years from much of the team including a historic season from McDavid and a historic power play. Even then took a step back from last season and it's only downhill from here.

Hilarious Pittsburgh already provided the blue print on winning with two super stars up the middle and Edmonton didn't even copy their notes.

The Penguins:
-Brought in veterans with a gradual leadership transition to the next generation.
-Recognised the need for scoring wingers but also that stats would be inflated and they should to be willing to make changes for cap space.
-Locked down an offensive power play d man but filled the rest of the defence with cheaper players. Made sure to always have a big shutdown D pairing for the playoffs.
-Spent draft capital on goaltending.

Instead the Oilers handed over control of the team to the youngsters, locked in top heavy forward and defense groups, and made goaltending an afterthought. Gotta love it .

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by metroneck

My memory may be failing, but I don’t seem to remember the Kings twitter whining about loosing to a $90M Oiler roster….

Not winning

Originally Posted by direwolf

They truly are the most embarrassing organization in pro sports. Their team, their fans, their media, their GM... just a bunch o' pathetic losers, the whole lot of them.

Pathetic not winners

Originally Posted by memphusk

Losing.

Not winning

[FlamesAddiction]

I remember reading a story about someone in the military talking about leadership. He said that during training, he was never the guy who won the races. He was never the quickest or strongest, yet he was made the leader for the group by the people in charge. He said he questioned them about it thinking that he didn't earn it because he was never the best at anything. He wondered how others would look up to him or how the soldiers that always came in 1st would feel about being overlooked. They told him that a good leader isn't the guy who always comes in 1st, but the guy who tries to help the people coming in last.

I think this philosophy applies to sports as well. McDavid and Draisaitl are guys that always want to be first in the race no matter what, team be damned. McDavid would rather score 150 points playing with the best players, rather than helping the less talented players double their production. You can see it by the look of disdain and stink eyes they give other on the team when they get scored on.

[browna]

It's been repeated upteen times.
All of the Oilers top talent has been given a separate set of rules from Lowe that undermines the coach and teammates and system.
Started with Comrie, continues with Cogliano and Eblere, came really to fruition with Hall, and Dr Drai and McDavid got it the most.

They were pulled aside and told how great they are. With all the other meddling that Lowe did with coaching over the years and roster moves etc, and the way he handled things in a desperate attempt to recreate his time under Sather, it drove any chance of a cohesive dressing room or certwrnas willi g to step in, out the window.

Solid vet guys like Pronger and Cole lasting less the a year was a solid glimpse of how dysfunctional and fractionated the room was with the two sets of rules for players.
The lack of having everyone pulling in the same direction, and lotto luck for them their two top players. Lowe being gone after being put on the HOF and getting his ego stroked with a number retirement doesn't mean the toothpaste goes back in the tube for the players.

[Reggie Dunlop]

There's something in the water.

[troutman]

Thank goodness the NHL is more of a team game than the NBA. You can’t win with two elite players and a bunch of scrubs.

[Sofa GM]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

The 2022/23 season came and went and another wasted season for McDrai. Two seasons left for the duo before the walls crumble.

You would swear by the number of press conferences that happened after the Oilers went down that losing to Vegas was the biggest upset in hockey history. I don’t know how many times I have had to go look at the Oilers roster after hearing statements like “this team has all the pieces to win now” and “this core group is built to win the Cup” and just literally sit there and scratch my head. The Boston Bruins had a historic regular season and never heard near the amount of publicity when they were eliminated by Florida.

The Oilers team has gaping holes in their roster, below average goaltending, inadequate coaching, and two superstar players who are the two most selfish superstars to ever play. They are only worried about individual stats and not team success. Watch Leon Draisaitl in game 6 and tell me that is a player that is committed to the team. Look at Mavi’s continued neutral zone turnovers since he tries to go end to end all the time and tell me that is a player that is committed to the team.

The Oilers are the biggest joke of an organization in the league and likely all of professional sport. If they run back this same roster they could miss the playoffs, can’t see Nothing Happens and Buster Hyman having record seasons again and Bouchard is going to break the bank where Broberg and Desharnais have to be regulars.

[Samiz]

Picture these scenarios:

1. Vegas wins the cup - Connor and Leon watch Eichel (who DID tell teams he would be better than McDavid when he was drafted) win the cup in his FIRST PLAYOFFS after demanding a trade from Buffalo

2. Florida wins the cup - Connor and Leon watch fellow Battle of Alberta rival Tkachuk win the cup after limited playoff success after refusing to re-sign in Alberta

Not to mention in both cases, Eichel and Tkachuk have a great case for the Conn Smythe!!!

To summarize, E=NG -- Connor and Leon are both gonna walk to greener pastures

[All In Good Time]

Originally Posted by getbak

Let's ignore the fact the Oilers had the third highest cap payroll in the league this season. Also, every team's top-6 is playing hurt by the second round of the playoffs.

Also, Vegas beat them with their 4th or 5th string goalie in net.

DO NOT bring logic into this oiler tire pumping discussion

[All In Good Time]

Originally Posted by FireGilbert

……..This year was Edmonton's best chance. Had a clean goaltending slate, LTIR space with room for a big deadline pick up, and got career years from much of the team including a historic season from McDavid and a historic power play. Even then took a step back from last season and it's only downhill from here…….

There have been rumblings about, since the escrow debt is so close to being paid off, that they might spread the cap jump over a couple of years just so they don’t have another year of only a 1 million dollar bump. It still won’t help them much, but I wonder how much their situation plays into that thought process.
From a league point of view it stinks because many teams have dealt with the difficult cap situation successfully over the last couple of years only to have the others bailed out anyway

[Sofa GM]

Originally Posted by All In Good Time

There have been rumblings about, since the escrow debt is so close to being paid off, that they might spread the cap jump over a couple of years just so they don’t have another year of only a 1 million dollar bump. It still won’t help them much, but I wonder how much their situation plays into that thought process.
From a league point of view it stinks because many teams have dealt with the difficult cap situation successfully over the last couple of years only to have the others bailed out anyway

This is 100% in consideration by the league. They know the have to try to capitalize on Mavi and Pissy there. League turned the blind eye last year to Smith and Keith cap circumvention, now the league knows they are screwed against the cap and need help.

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

I remember reading a story about someone in the military talking about leadership. He said that during training, he was never the guy who won the races. He was never the quickest or strongest, yet he was made the leader for the group by the people in charge. He said he questioned them about it thinking that he didn't earn it because he was never the best at anything. He wondered how others would look up to him or how the soldiers that always came in 1st would feel about being overlooked. They told him that a good leader isn't the guy who always comes in 1st, but the guy who tries to help the people coming in last.

I think this philosophy applies to sports as well. McDavid and Draisaitl are guys that always want to be first in the race no matter what, team be damned. McDavid would rather score 150 points playing with the best players, rather than helping the less talented players double their production. You can see it by the look of disdain and stink eyes they give other on the team when they get scored on.

The most poignant example was McDavid's flub on a dump in vs Winnipeg and the puck comes back. The defensmen were (rightfully) changing, and so were caught. Series over.

McDavid pouted and gave him stinkeye, the fans turned on him (and turned racist) and he never played another game for the Oilers - even after getting in front of a camera to address the fans. McDavid, of course, slinked away like a rat.

The Oilers didn't deserve a top character like Ethan Bear.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Samiz

Picture these scenarios:

1. Vegas wins the cup - Connor and Leon watch Eichel (who DID tell teams he would be better than McDavid when he was drafted) win the cup in his FIRST PLAYOFFS after demanding a trade from Buffalo

2. Florida wins the cup - Connor and Leon watch fellow Battle of Alberta rival Tkachuk win the cup after limited playoff success after refusing to re-sign in Alberta

Not to mention in both cases, Eichel and Tkachuk have a great case for the Conn Smythe!!!

To summarize, E=NG -- Connor and Leon are both gonna walk to greener pastures

In these playoffs, its been pretty clear that Tkachuk has been one of the if not the best players in the playoffs. Meanwhile outside of the pp McDavid was pretty ordinary.



He vanishes at key times. Against the Avs last year he was invisible to awful. I blame the coaches for playing him for half the game in every game. But I just don't think he's the guy that will lay across barbed wire for his team mates. And he's not smart enough to cut the wire. He's the jerk that grabs a team mate and throws him on the barbed wire then whines that he gets cut on the human bridge.

[indes]

Oilers fans at work are going off about how the league is against them. It was just suggested that the Oilers should sue the NHL if McDavid doesn't win a cup.

I'm just enjoying the fact that the doubt is creeping in. 2 more chances.

[FlamingHomer]

I'm not sure McDiver is nearly as invested in the playoffs as he is when trying for the regular season individual awards.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

So excited to see the Oilers without cheat code level elite talent to lean on.

They're gonna sink so fast without even one of those guys, let alone when both are gone.

I fully expect that they will spend the mcdrai cap that opens up in some hysterically poor way that will make Chiarelli blush

Probably bring in the next two James Neals

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by indes

Oilers fans at work are going off about how the league is against them. It was just suggested that the Oilers should sue the NHL if McDavid doesn't win a cup.

I'm just enjoying the fact that the doubt is creeping in. 2 more chances.

I'm no lawyer or anything, but I'm pretty sure that's not how the law works.

[indes]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

I'm no lawyer or anything, but I'm pretty sure that's now how the law works.

Ya but think about how much money you could make off these rubes if you pretended to be one.

Maybe I'll give it another early exit and then I'll start a GoFundMe to sue the NHL for bias against the Oilers!