Edmonton is No Good VIII: There's Still Something in the Water!

[getbak]

The Flames had as many Oilers 2-7 round draft picks play for them this season (Davidson, Rieder, and Gustafsson) as the Oilers did.

In the postseason, the Oilers got no points from their three picks from rounds 2-7; the Flames got 9 points from Rieder and Gustafsson.

[Monahammer]

Only could delusional oilers fans make endless arguments on the awful HF forums that their 2 forwards are better than the best forward on a playoff team still in contention. Just absolutely hilarious and mind boggling.

They just don't understand how vastly superior Mackinnon is to their players.

[The Professor]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

Only could delusional oilers fans make endless arguments on the awful HF forums that their 2 forwards are better than the best forward on a playoff team still in contention. Just absolutely hilarious and mind boggling.

They just don't understand how vastly superior Mackinnon is to their players.

I don't know. To me, their two players really are dynamite. MacKinnon is better than Drai, and in the same category of amazing as McDingle. The thing that is so delicious is that in spite of having those great players, they still suck.

[Monahammer]

Originally Posted by The Professor

I don't know. To me, their two players really are dynamite. MacKinnon is better than Drai, and in the same category of amazing as McDingle. The thing that is so delicious is that in spite of having those great players, they still suck.

I disagree- Mackinnon is superior to McDavid for a few reasons, but mainly he actually knows how to use his teammates and creates offense through them rather than demanding the puck and dragging everyone along the ice to the net. No doubt McDavid has supreme individual talent, but the guy doesn't elevate the team, only linemates who he deflects pucks off of. Mackinnon brings so much more- blocking shots in the dying minutes for example. The way he plays inspires and brings out the best in his team mates and helps lead them to victory.

Points do not equal a better player. McDavid is the best player at scoring points, but not even close to the best at winning.

[TheIronMaiden]

The way that I've explained it is that Mcdavid can beat you two ways with speed and with dekes. Mackinnon has a third element. He can blow you right over with his size. With that in mind he can get his own puck by muscling someone off of it rather than waiting for an outlet pass or stick checking.

[Tbull8]

Mackinnon right now reminds me so much of a young Crosby, but with that extra agility

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

The way that I've explained it is that Mcdavid can beat you two ways with speed and with dekes. Mackinnon has a third element. He can blow you right over with his size. With that in mind he can get his own puck by muscling someone off of it rather than waiting for an outlet pass or stick checking.

Mackinnon is a beast.

I worked with a guy who’s boy played high level hockey. His kids was on a tournament team with Bo Horvat, Darnell Nurse and other current NHL players. They were going to the states for a tournament. He said the roster looked thin so the team looked to beef it out a bit. He was told “a kid is coming from Nova Scotia” to help. He said at the first practice it was like Mackinnon playing with boys. He was just head and shoulders above. I seem to recall this was Bantam.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Tbull8

Mackinnon right now reminds me so much of a young Crosby, but with that extra agility

There must be something in the water in Nova Scotia.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Locke

There must be something in the water in Nova Scotia.

Yeah, Alpine

[dirk diggler]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

I disagree- Mackinnon is superior to McDavid for a few reasons, but mainly he actually knows how to use his teammates and creates offense through them rather than demanding the puck and dragging everyone along the ice to the net. No doubt McDavid has supreme individual talent, but the guy doesn't elevate the team, only linemates who he deflects pucks off of. Mackinnon brings so much more- blocking shots in the dying minutes for example. The way he plays inspires and brings out the best in his team mates and helps lead them to victory.

Points do not equal a better player. McDavid is the best player at scoring points, but not even close to the best at winning.

Mackinnon will not shy away and will instigate contact. better all round player for sure. If all you want is 1 way play and a ton of points, McHobo is your guy. i would take NM anyday

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

I disagree- Mackinnon is superior to McDavid for a few reasons, but mainly he actually knows how to use his teammates and creates offense through them rather than demanding the puck and dragging everyone along the ice to the net. No doubt McDavid has supreme individual talent, but the guy doesn't elevate the team, only linemates who he deflects pucks off of. Mackinnon brings so much more- blocking shots in the dying minutes for example. The way he plays inspires and brings out the best in his team mates and helps lead them to victory.

Points do not equal a better player. McDavid is the best player at scoring points, but not even close to the best at winning.

This is exactly what I see.

The way I would describe it, McDavid is probably the best 1v1 hockey player in the world. He is a supreme individual talent who can do things at top speed from blue line to blue line that no one else can do. But here is his biggest drawback: for all that individual ability he looks nearly impossible to play with. He has now been in Edmonton for five full years, and the Oilers have struggled to find anyone at all who can line up and be consistently effective on McDavid's wing. It is the reason why Draisaitl must drive his own line, and why replacement level players like Neal, Kasssian, Chiasson, Puljujarvi, Sheehan and Archibald have spent so much time on the top-line. This is probably borne of necessity for playing his entire life on teams comprised of garbage, but in his head it sure looks like McDavid is convinced that the only way to succeed is for him to puck-carry, dangle and score while the other five guys on the ice watch and cheer.

MacKinnon is a better player, because not only can he do what McDavid does nearly as well, he adds a whole other element to his game whereby he is able to bring out the best in his line mates and teammates. It's because unlike McDavid, it is so much easier and more effective playing with such a complete player like that who can not only do everything extremely well, but also clearly understands the importance of making things work as a five-man unit.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Tbull8

Mackinnon right now reminds me so much of a young Crosby, but with that extra agility

They train together or at least are buddies offseason. I wouldn't be surprised if Crosby is something of a mentor to him. McDavid hasn't had that.

[Tbull8]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

They train together or at least are buddies offseason. I wouldn't be surprised if Crosby is something of a mentor to him. McDavid hasn't had that.

Oh definitely. Even when he said "I'll take less again" when talking about his contract, I got the feeling Crosby's been in his ear about about winning > money.

[troutman]

I did not know this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LifeZette

LifeZette is a conservative American website founded in 2015 by conservative political commentator Laura Ingraham and businessman Peter Anthony.[3] In January 2018, Ingraham confirmed that she had sold the majority stake in LifeZette to The Katz Group, owned by Canadian billionaire Daryl Katz.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1301204418268999681

[getbak]

I have literally never seen the word LifeZette before in my life. It seems that's a good thing.

I hope Katz is seething seeing those messages being shown in "his" arena. #### him.

[Enoch Root]

That is an opportunity to move from 'protest' to actual action.

People need to pressure Katz to put pressure on LifeZette to change the narrative. Unfortunately, that is not going to happen.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Tbull8

Oh definitely. Even when he said "I'll take less again" when talking about his contract, I got the feeling Crosby's been in his ear about about winning > money.

Lots of players say these sorts of things, but very seldom follow through with them in the form of meaningful limits on their own earnings. But even if MacKinnon does prioritise the competitiveness of his team over his own personal salary, what does that even look like for the best player in the world? Connor McDavid similarly committed to a "discount" for the Oilers, and he is already a $12 m player. I think for MacKinnon "taking less" almost certainly looks very much like this, and I would be surprised to see his next contract signed for anything less than McDavid's $100 m deal.

[Enoch Root]

Oiler fans like to claim that McDavid took a discount but I just don't see it.

He signed the largest contract in NHL history, as a post ELC contract. (At the time, post ELC contracts were still held lower than UFA contracts.) Nothing about that says discount, unless you are going to argue that he is SO MUCH better than every other player in the league that even a record-breaking, and market-changing contract is a 'discount'.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Oiler fans like to claim that McDavid took a discount but I just don't see it.

He signed the largest contract in NHL history, as a post ELC contract. (At the time, post ELC contracts were still held lower than UFA contracts.) Nothing about that says discount, unless you are going to argue that he is SO MUCH better than every other player in the league that even a record-breaking, and market-changing contract is a 'discount'.

Yes. I agree. But this is precisely how "discounts" in the NHL are structured and sold to the public. I have no doubt that MacKinnon's contract will be similar.

[bdubbs]

Anything short of 13 million / year for Mackinnon will be a discount in my eyes. He's that good.