[Signing] Oilers extend F Leon Draisaitl (8x$14M AAV)

[Enoch Root]

Dude, just stop. You have no idea what you're even arguing anymore.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by InternationalVillager

That's sports.

Did you watch the NFL game last night? Baltimore lose the game by a toe. It's what happens.

Doesn't make Chiefs a lucky team.

In 2022, Flames were one goal away from being knocked out of Round 1 vs Dallas off the backs of a 60+ save performance by Oettinger.

But it didn't happen.

You know what else didnt happen? Your Oilers winning the cup. The prediction was wrong

[Saqe]

I think Nashville will surprise a lot of teams this year. They added a lot of cup winning experience and veterans who know how to win. They probably won't beat Edmonton during the regular season, but I can definitely see them beating them in the playoffs.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Saqe

I think Nashville will surprise a lot of teams this year. They added a lot of cup winning experience and veterans who know how to win. They probably won't beat Edmonton during the regular season, but I can definitely see them beating them in the playoffs.

They were only 5 points behind them last year, and I think they are probably the most improved team in the NHL. If I was betting who finishes higher in the regular season, I'd pick the Oilers (partly because the Pacific is still weaker), but I won't be even marginally surprised if NSH finishes ahead of them.

Better goaltending, much better D, and now an improved lineup up front.

[dino7c]

Nashville was unlucky against Vancouver last season IMO...the could certainly be a threat now.

[Paulie Walnuts]

You can just come out and say you are an Oiler fan, and put McDavid in your avatar.

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

They were 9th overall after a disaster of a start.
I think they will be better than Boston, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Carolina. And potentially others.

And that disaster of a start still counts. They played a lot of hard hockey late into the year, they very easily could have another disaster start.

They also had a 16 game win steak, in which they weren't "16 game win streak" good. They easily deserved to lose 6 or even more of those games. if they went 10-6 in those games like they deserved to be, they are fighting until the last days of the season to even make they playoffs, but might have even given up on trying already.

[dino7c]

Don't make me bring up the backup goalies...hopefully they face starters in the majority of their games this season

biggest factory is injuries though, they basically had none. If we are looking at odds its unlikely they have that or a record setting PK with new personnel.

[All In Good Time]

Originally Posted by InternationalVillager

Lol ok. They seem to have a similar line of opinion of me. I'd just think you live in a state of denial.

But they have been pre season favorites for years and years. Who is in what state? the same thing over and over expecting different results.
have you ever even washed your McDavid pillow case? I suspect you should soon!

[Macho0978]

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.

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.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

You can just come out and say you are an Oiler fan, and put McDavid in your avatar.

Perhaps he is but Dino pretending to be some sort of objective voice is all sorts of comedy.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Nm

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by IamNotKenKing

That’s not what you said the first time.
You said “he’s not supposed to help them make the playoffs”.
Now you’ve changed your position.
I don’t understand why that’s so difficult to understand.

Well to his credit he did get one thing right eventually.
Skinner has always been a passenger

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Saqe

I think Nashville will surprise a lot of teams this year. They added a lot of cup winning experience and veterans who know how to win. They probably won't beat Edmonton during the regular season, but I can definitely see them beating them in the playoffs.

Originally Posted by dino7c

Nashville was unlucky against Vancouver last season IMO...the could certainly be a threat now.

Off Topic to the Draisaitl thread but they need a top 4 RH dman and I think they become much closer to being a threat.

With Stamkos and Marchessault they have a deep forward group now. They have Josi as an elite dman, and Skjei as a good second pairing but both are LH. If they could improve on Carrier, Schenn, and Fabbro on their RH side then they have a good d-core too.

They have 3 2025 1sts, 2 2025 2nds, and a decent prospect pool (Tomasino, Parssinen, Molendyk, Wood, Surin, Stiga, Svechkov, L'Heureux, Kemmell, Afanasyev) that they hypothetically could package to try to get a top 4 dman.

If I was Barry Trotz I'd be calling the Flames frequently about Weegar or Andersson.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Perhaps he is but Dino pretending to be some sort of objective voice is all sorts of comedy.

guy is straight up trolling this thread, but sure take a shot at me for no reason

90% of the posters here seem to agree with me on this topic anyway

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Off Topic to the Draisaitl thread but they need a top 4 RH dman and I think they become much closer to being a threat.

With Stamkos and Marchessault they have a deep forward group now. They have Josi as an elite dman, and Skjei as a good second pairing but both are LH. If they could improve on Carrier, Schenn, and Fabbro on their RH side then they have a good d-core too.

They have 3 2025 1sts, 2 2025 2nds, and a decent prospect pool (Tomasino, Parssinen, Molendyk, Wood, Surin, Stiga, Svechkov, L'Heureux, Kemmell, Afanasyev) that they hypothetically could package to try to get a top 4 dman.

If I was Barry Trotz I'd be calling the Flames frequently about Weegar or Andersson.

Great point...they are in the drivers seat to add vs. most contenders

like Oiler fans and media are bragging that they have space to add at the deadline now because of losing their two best prospects lol. Like what do they have to trade?

[Sofa GM]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Off Topic to the Draisaitl thread but they need a top 4 RH dman and I think they become much closer to being a threat.

With Stamkos and Marchessault they have a deep forward group now. They have Josi as an elite dman, and Skjei as a good second pairing but both are LH. If they could improve on Carrier, Schenn, and Fabbro on their RH side then they have a good d-core too.

They have 3 2025 1sts, 2 2025 2nds, and a decent prospect pool (Tomasino, Parssinen, Molendyk, Wood, Surin, Stiga, Svechkov, L'Heureux, Kemmell, Afanasyev) that they hypothetically could package to try to get a top 4 dman.

If I was Barry Trotz I'd be calling the Flames frequently about Weegar or Andersson.

I actually think Nashville is high likelihood end point for Andersson.

[Inferno]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Like what do they have to trade?

Right after they drafted him I heard Oilers fans talking about how they could just trade O’Reilly for something at the deadline.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Sofa GM

I actually think Nashville is high likelihood end point for Andersson.

I think once it's confirmed that the $4M of Ryan Johansen's contract is off the books that they would look to add a d-man sooner rather than later.

Just think they are holding off from using that money until it's 100% certainty.

[Geeoff]

Originally Posted by InternationalVillager

Oilers are the betting favorites to win the Cup.

https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navig...ab=stanley-cup

You think betting companies who have invested hundreds of millions/billions across the industry for algorithms to set these lines are stupid? They have some of the most intelligent quants.

There's a reason they are the betting favorites and it's not because "Oilers fans" are betting down the line and there's a reason why they're projected to win 50+ games this season.

Whether they do or not, that's why the game is played. But to come out and say they are a top 10 team at best is just lying to yourselves. They're a top contender and it is what it is.

I think that betting sites such as FanDuel are not interested in predicting who will win The Stanley Cup but rather predicting how they will take everyone's money