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

[RedHot25]

I think an x-factor in all this, which I haven't seen mentioned, is coaching.

Woodcroft and Mason are the best, blah , blah. Maybe BUT the coaching change bump is over now. No pulling that chute if things get tough.

PLUS, teams have had a chance now to study the book on him and his approach. No surprises now, or not knowing what he will do.

Throw in a bit of a longer playoff for the first time, with potential fatigue, and....

Who knows what happens.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

The Canucks played at a pace of over 106 points under Boudreau. I don't think they'll do that again but it seems like a safe bet to put them in the 90s. Anaheim obviously got better with their young guys getting a year older and adding Vatrano and Klingberg. LA improved just on the basis of Fiala alone. Seattle got Bjorkstrand and Burakovsky to improve their scoring and I find it hard to believe their goaltending will be as bad as it was last year. Vegas is worse without Pacioretty but still have a very strong roster if they can just stay healthy, unlike last year. Even if the Flames aren't quite as good as last regular season they still have the best blue line in the division (arguably better with Weegar) and a Vezina calibre goalie.

The whole division is looking much tougher overall than it did last year, from where I stand. Only two things haven't changed: San Jose will still be a catastrophe of a dumpster fire, and Edmonton is still no good.

[Oil Stain]

I think the idea behind Dom's article showing the Oilers being improved probably mostly amounts to Campbell over Koskinen. The Oilers won 27 games in front of Koskinen's .903%.

If Campbell can give 50+ games of .910% you should see better results in the win column over the course of the regular season.

This is a team that is 15th in goals against cumulatively over the last 3 seasons. Not amazing, but you would think they have finished dead last in goals against every season by the way some fans here describe them.

[djsFlames]

Point is it takes suspension of belief and a some hard substances to actually convince anybody not already with orange rags in their closets that the team improved or is more poised for a run than they were last time.

Arguments that are based on assumed, sizable improvements from past seasons are hopeful projections that you don't just count as foregone conclusions when you're trying to plead a case to people that aren't convinced.

Their overarching reasoning for why all these improvements will come about and magically coincide between multiple players continues to boil down to "just trust me", which isn't remotely convincing coming from the fanbase that's been calling for cups and glory every summer for over a decade to no avail.

Hype and good feelings aren't valid, objective arguments that actually hold weight. Clueless dumb clowns.

[Robbob]

Originally Posted by Oil Stain

I think the idea behind Dom's article showing the Oilers being improved probably mostly amounts to Campbell over Koskinen. The Oilers won 27 games in front of Koskinen's .903%.

If Campbell can give 50+ games of .910% you should see better results in the win column over the course of the regular season.

This is a team that is 15th in goals against cumulatively over the last 3 seasons. Not amazing, but you would think they have finished dead last in goals against every season by the way some fans here describe them.

Are they not in the same boat, except now the pressure is on Skinner? Last year Campbell blew away his previous high for minutes played by 1200 minutes. Even then it was a career high 49 games. It has been 7 years since he has played those type of minutes, and that was in the AHL.

[djsFlames]

Originally Posted by Oil Stain

I think the idea behind Dom's article showing the Oilers being improved probably mostly amounts to Campbell over Koskinen. The Oilers won 27 games in front of Koskinen's .903%.

If Campbell can give 50+ games of .910% you should see better results in the win column over the course of the regular season.

This is a team that is 15th in goals against cumulatively over the last 3 seasons. Not amazing, but you would think they have finished dead last in goals against every season by the way some fans here describe them.

Campbell hasn't faced that kind of workload.

He hasn't dealt with playing behind that defense, which is worse than Toronto's.

They lost Keith, and didn't replace him. I don't see this factored in anywhere.

Ceci is projected on the top pairing, Kulak on the second. Any which way you slice it, these were journeymen being pushed out of their former organizations because they were viewed as replacement-level quality, not guys you slot in as top 4 regulars on a competitive team unless there's injuries. It's a putrid group.

Campbell won't move the puck out of the zone efficiently like Smith. The Oilers benefit greatly from that since they're not exactly strong on the defensive side and exiting their zone without the help, hence Koskinen getting eaten alive. Assuming Campbell will fare better in the same position with a worse defense group is a rather big leap/assumption to make. Pretty different situation than that he came from in T.O. Is he prepared to handle that? You can't just definitively say yes and reason it by his time in Toronto translating straight across. Koskinen was not actually a bad goaltender. He had next to no support a lot of nights in high danger areas. Now Campbell will see that, but without Keith's veteran poise.

Problem with these Oilers takes is they conveniently ignore the other side of "what if" as well as numerous questions marks.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by djsFlames

Campbell hasn't faced that kind of workload.

He hasn't dealt with playing behind that defense, which is worse than Toronto's.

They lost Keith, and didn't replace him. I don't see this factored in anywhere.

Ceci is projected on the top pairing, Kulak on the second. Any which way you slice it, these were journeymen being pushed out of their former organizations because they were viewed as replacement-level quality, not guys you slot in as top 4 regulars on a competitive team unless there's injuries. It's a putrid group.

Campbell won't move the puck out of the zone efficiently like Smith. The Oilers benefit greatly from that since they're not exactly strong on the defensive side and exiting their zone without the help, hence Koskinen getting eaten alive. Assuming Campbell will fare better in the same position with a worse defense group is a rather big leap/assumption to make. Pretty different situation than that he came from in T.O. Is he prepared to handle that? You can't just definitively say yes and reason it by his time in Toronto translating straight across. Koskinen was not actually a bad goaltender. He had next to no support a lot of nights in high danger areas. Now Campbell will see that, but without Keith's veteran poise.

Problem with these Oilers takes is they conveniently ignore the other side of "what if" as well as numerous questions marks.

Considering that Bouchard has the backward turning radius of the State of Texas, he's really going to miss Smith.

[Oil Stain]

Originally Posted by Robbob

Are they not in the same boat, except now the pressure is on Skinner? Last year Campbell blew away his previous high for minutes played by 1200 minutes. Even then it was a career high 49 games. It has been 7 years since he has played those type of minutes, and that was in the AHL.

I would say the pressure is on Campbell. He has the big contract.

The Oilers still played at over 100 point pace with Koskinen in net, so there is some evidence there that they can win even with subpar netminding.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by Oil Stain

I think the idea behind Dom's article showing the Oilers being improved probably mostly amounts to Campbell over Koskinen. The Oilers won 27 games in front of Koskinen's .903%.

If Campbell can give 50+ games of .910% you should see better results in the win column over the course of the regular season.

This is a team that is 15th in goals against cumulatively over the last 3 seasons. Not amazing, but you would think they have finished dead last in goals against every season by the way some fans here describe them.

And so Skinner is going to replace Smith? I seriously doubt Skinner puts up anything close to a 2.81 GAA and .915 sv%, especially with that defense in front of him.

Face it, there's been a downgrade in net overall, and that's especially surprising considering the tandem last year was Smith/Koskinen. Campbell/Skinner doesn't exactly inspire confidence.

[Robbob]

Originally Posted by Oil Stain

I would say the pressure is on Campbell. He has the big contract.

The Oilers still played at over 100 point pace with Koskinen in net, so there is some evidence there that they can win even with subpar netminding.

And they were a .500 team with skinner.

[djsFlames]

We can contend in spite of average to below average defence and subpar goaltending is one of the silliest conclusions ever.

Edmonton really doesn't give those two positions the respect that they deserve, do they?

Took nothing out of the Colorado sweep, I guess? Was it just a glitch to them? Or can sobering lessons be taken away from having your show run. Because Colorado was the first legit team they faced that actually played legit.

The pacific division skews a lot of metrics. It was an extremely weak division last season. And yes, that also means the Flames may have benefitted from that. I think St. Louis and Colorado are a tier above the Flames. And I think they massively underperformed vs Edmonton.

[Sofa GM]

Originally Posted by Dragomir

This same D core took the Oilers to the conference finals though(minus Keith) Bouch is only getting better, Broberg is projected to be at least a top 4D and Campbell is a huge upgrade over Smith. Now couple that with having the best top 6 in the league with a full season of Kane and things are looking real good.

Campbell is likely a downgrade. Had a worse save percentage with a far far superior defensive group in front of him. Broberg is approaching bust territory, basically same level as Valimaki. Broberg is not anywhere close to a top 4D in the league other than in Edmonton.

Edmonton is actually in a worse position than last year, Darnell Nurse’s $9.25MM really has hampered anything they could do

[EldrickOnIce]

I take better to mean less likely to be swept by a real contender. What gives anyone any reason to suggest Campbell will be as good, let alone better, than Smith was - who was the playoff starter.
Campbell's sub 0.900 save% this years post season, compared to Smiths 0.913?
His whopping 14 career playoff games?

Even using Dom's flawed logic, Campbell may be better than Koskinen for 50 games, but is Skinner going to be as good as Smiths 0.915 for the other 30.

Reasonable logic suggests their goaltending may be about the same, with a greater likelihood it is worse, not better. In Campbell's career he has only started more than 22 games twice.

[Enoch Root]

Campbell-Skinner is at best a wash vs Smith-Koskinen, and likely a downgrade.

Suggesting Campbell is a replacement for Koskinen is hilarious - does that mean Skinner is replacing Smith? No way he is ready to do that.

Same forwards, weaker D, and weaker goaltending. But sure, the Oilers are improved over last year.

[djsFlames]

Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce

I take better to mean less likely to be swept by a real contender. What gives anyone any reason to suggest Campbell will be as good, let alone better, than Smith was - who was the playoff starter.
Campbell's sub 0.900 save% this years post season, compared to Smiths 0.913?
His whopping 14 career playoff games?

Even using Dom's flawed logic, Campbell may be better than Koskinen for 50 games, but is Skinner going to be as good as Smiths 0.915 for the other 30.

Reasonable logic suggests their goaltending may be about the same, with a greater likelihood it is worse, not better. In Campbell's career he has only started more than 22 games twice.

Feels eerily similar to the Koskinen signing when it was made.

Smallish sample size they liked, threw term and dough at the guy and proclaimed they were set in net for the future.

Interesting how that turned out.

[midniteowl]

By 30th game mark Campbell will be this

[drewtastic]

(First segment alone is worth the click.)

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6535321?fbc...2YxA&fs=e&s=cl

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by drewtastic

(First segment alone is worth the click.)

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6535321?fbc...2YxA&fs=e&s=cl

Smells like cannabis and urine?
Could be Rogers place

[FlamingHomer]

This just in: Edmonton stinks!

[Rejean31]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

Nah, I think Kulak is quite underrated. In a vacuum he might be their 2nd best defenseman. Kulak next to either Bouchard or Barrie is quite a weak 2nd pairing but it's not nearly as bad as having Nurse / Ceci as your 1/2.

That Bear for Foegele trade was incredibly shortsighted. They'd be so much better with Bear.

Yes, but Bear received the "eye roll" from the bench from da great Conna which immediately signaled to management that he must be exiled from da mighty Conna's presence!!!