"The Edmonton Oilers are a useless franchise"

[Skootenbeeten]

Wasn't Patrick Kane 160lbs when he started in the NHL?

[Azure]

Originally Posted by Skootenbeeten

Wasn't Patrick Kane 160lbs when he started in the NHL?

He was 178lbs when he was drafted.

[Jets4Life]

I hate to say this, but I think this will be a breakout year for the Oilers. Most of them have been together in Oklahoma City, Nugent-Hopkins and Yakupov were very impressive in the World Juniors, and the team is improving on the blueline. My prediction is the Oilers will go 26-17-5 this season, good for 7th place.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Jets4Life

I hate to say this, but I think this will be a breakout year for the Oilers. Most of them have been together in Oklahoma City, Nugent-Hopkins and Yakupov were very impressive in the World Juniors, and the team is improving on the blueline. My prediction is the Oilers will go 26-17-5 this season, good for 7th place.

They were 7th place in Oklahoma when those guys left...in the AHL

[Azure]

Originally Posted by Momentum

Were we watching the same World Juniors?

Nugent-Hopkins was solid. I personally was expecting a bit more, but he was still the best in the tournament.

Yakupov didnt really impress me at all, not saying he wont be a great NHL player and live up to his draft hype, but id say his tournament was far from excellent.

He was the best till he got to the game that really mattered and then he screwed the pooch. He'll be a good player, but considering he had NHL experience, he sure sucked in the US/Canada game.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by oilers_fan

There's some fantastic journalism. Vice? What?

Vice is great for journalism for their stuff on Liberia, the Congo, North Korea etc.

Their sports journalism leaves a lot to be desired because it's nothing but entertainment news. And that's not what they're about.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by dino7c

not at the NHL level

Through no fault of Eberle's...

[Psytic]

Originally Posted by Jets4Life

I hate to say this, but I think this will be a breakout year for the Oilers. Most of them have been together in Oklahoma City, Nugent-Hopkins and Yakupov were very impressive in the World Juniors, and the team is improving on the blueline. My prediction is the Oilers will go 26-17-5 this season, good for 7th place.

I kind of agree. Being in game shape and having the benefit of playing together half the year should get them a good enough start to make the play-offs you would think. The Flames on the other hand seem to really only have Backlund and Bart in game shape. If Iginla and Tanguay had been playing overseas all this time I would be more optimistic for the Flames. This season will be heavily influenced by who is in the best shape and gets off to the best start, not who is the more experienced team (until play-offs)imo.

[Goodlad]

Originally Posted by Momentum

Were we watching the same World Juniors?

Nugent-Hopkins was solid. I personally was expecting a bit more, but he was still the best in the tournament.

Yakupov didnt really impress me at all, not saying he wont be a great NHL player and live up to his draft hype, but id say his tournament was far from impressive.

My take on Yakupov at the WJHC is that the skill level was very apparent, but he's got a lot to learn about playing a team game. He's not going to be able to go 1 on 4 in the NHL.

[Red Slinger]

RNH reminds me a little bit of Gilbert Brule when he came into the league as an 18 year old. His first season he was very slight and took a heavy check along the boards from (IIRC) Roman Hamrlik. He injured his shoulder and was never really the same afterwards. Brule was a guy that definately needed another year in juniors and perhaps a year in the AHL but Columbus had no talent and rushed him into the lineup.

I'm not saying RNH is ruined but I think the wisest thing would have been to let him bulk up in juniors for another year. It was clear to everyone, except TSN and some fanboys in Edmonton, that the team that finished last two years in a row weren't suddenly going to leapfrog 7 teams and surge into the playoffs.

Eberle is a good player but I think we're seeing the Mike Comrie effect with him to some extent: decent skilled young player who gets lots of ice time and is put in good situations to succeed but is probably a little bit overrated. I still like him as a player but I have a hard time believing he'd crack the top line on all but a handful of NHL teams.

Otherwise, I took the article for what it was: a funny drive-by troll job. If it was about the Flames I'd be annoyed but since it was about the Oilers I enjoyed it.

[MisterJoji]

Originally Posted by Goodlad

My take on Yakupov at the WJHC is that the skill level was very apparent, but he's got a lot to learn about playing a team game. He's not going to be able to go 1 on 4 in the NHL.

This. I wasn't even aware if he knew how to pass the puck at the WJ's. That'll wear real thin with teammates and coaches if he tries that garbage in Edmonton.

[Bertuzzied]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

Why are you a Flames fan? Why do you post on this forum?

When he first started posting here i thought for sure he was a Canucks fan.

[Bertuzzied]

Originally Posted by Corral

Seriously, the Flames are handing it to nobody this year. We suck. The credibility of this forum as legitimate source of NHL discussion drops daily with the blind Flames love-in here.

See ya!

Where did you have the Oilers finish last year? 6th? hahahaa

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

Through no fault of Eberle's...

point remains...none of these guys have played meaningful games at this level and until they do we don't know.

obviously this article is goes a little too far but the Oilers have been and are being hyped to a ridiculous level. All I keep hearing is how great those guys did in the AHL...you know 4th in their division out of 5 teams IN THE AHL!

[dino7c]

summer before last season we had the same conversation...anyone who didn't think the Oilers would be good was a "blind flames lover and jealous" ect.

29th place

[Bertuzzied]

Someone needs to dig out the thread prediction for the Oilers last season. and then we can pass some of these around.

[Ped]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Hmmmm....interesting observation, though no idea what it is based on.

The oilers finished 29th in the nHL last year and have added, an 18 YO Yakupov, a 22 YO Schultz and Mark Fistric to that team.

The Flames finished 17th in the NHL...added a 46 pt Dman, a 50 pt forward, and an unknown in cervenka.

Yeah...logically the Oilers are certainly "finally" a better team...makes all kinds of sense.

With a team as dismal as the Oilers have been the last few seasons...they can't claim they are better than anyone until they actually are, at the end of the season, better.

They have to put up or shut up.

[Redrum]

It's pretty funny that Oklahoma basically had the Edmonton Oilers NHL roster and they were still out of a playoff position in the AHL, and the Heat were still better. How about getting out of dead last before engraving the cup. That goes for Oiler fans and those mongoloids at TSN.

[Flamenfame]

I think both the Flames and Oilers make the playoffs this year both teams have improvements going into this season.

[Ped]

Originally Posted by Azure

He was 178lbs when he was drafted.

He was listed at 162

http://www.hockeysfuture.com/article...iew/#more-9803

http://voices.yahoo.com/profile-patr...ll-464720.html