The Official 2017-18 NHL thread
- Thread starter Doc Holliday
- Start date
- Status
It's no secret that the Habs are having a disastrous season and i expect major trades to be made within the next week or so. I even heard a Mtl scribe suggest that Carey Price would be a good fit for Edmonton since it's close to home and Cam Talbot has also been terrible this season. I'm not buying it. For one Carey Price has a non-movement clause that kicked in the minute he signed his last contract. He won't want to go to Edmonton. And two i doubt the Oilers want to take on an aging and injury-prone goaltender with a contract that will give him $84 million within the next 8 years. That's a $10.5 million annual cap hit!! For a goalie!!!
By the way, although the Habs are having a terrible season the Edmonton Oilers are even lower in the standings. Wow! What a tremendous disappointment they've been!
By the way, although the Habs are having a terrible season the Edmonton Oilers are even lower in the standings. Wow! What a tremendous disappointment they've been!
Oilers hit new low after quitting against Blues
by Mark Spector
They quit.
Walked over in Dallas, now crushed in St. Louis, the good ship Oiler rolls into Detroit on Wednesday at its nadir, one day before American Thanksgiving and as far away from the playoffs as it is from an identity forged last season.
The Edmonton Oilers were not remotely competitive in an 8-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues Tuesday, and the saddest part? They quit.
That’s right. Quit.
We watched, took some notes, and offer you these wholly negative takeaways on a pre-season favourite whose season is circling the bowl:
• As a team, this was embarrassing and somewhat sad. Against the best club in the Western Conference, the Oilers stacked up as so far away from being competitive, it’s impossible to quantify the gap.
Their record is a pungent 7-12-2, a disappointment of Herculean proportion that does not appear repairable. The final score was 8-3, but the Blues built a 7-1 lead before laying back and letting Edmonton have the puck. As such, the Oilers scored two un-celebrated goals in garbage time. The starting goalie was awful, the Top 4 defencemen were worse, and the guys who get paid the big bucks up front were absolute no-shows.
The Oilers, to a man, did not compete. It doesn’t get worse than this, folks. When you quit, it reveals something. We learned something about these Oilers Tuesday.
Exactly what? We’ve got 60 games to figure that out — if you can bear to watch.
• Last season, all anyone wanted was to see the oft-injured Oscar Klefbom play an entire season. Well, he played all 82 games and was generally fantastic, leading to a solid belief that Klefbom could anchor the Oilers top pairing again this season. He might even improve!
Alas, this season has marked a massive regression for Klefbom’s game, and it is simply killing the Oilers. If Drew Doughty is awful, the L.A. Kings are in trouble. Same with Duncan Keith in Chicago, or Alex Pietrangelo on the Blues.
Klefbom isn’t of the same pedigree as those aforementioned D-men, but he is the Oilers’ best rearguard, and they count on him. He had yet another stinker on Tuesday, getting knocked off a puck far too easily on the Blues’ first goal, and drifting softly through another pointless, minus-4 evening.
The old cliché says your best players have to be your best players. Klefbom has consistently been one of Edmonton’s worst players, and it shows in the standings.
• There isn’t a team in hockey that can survive when their No. 1 goalie gives them a .902 save percentage. So if it all starts in goal, maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that the Oilers haven’t moved off the starting line yet, 21 games into the season.
Cam Talbot let the first shot on goal in for the umpteenth time this season, this one on a very unfortunate deflection off of Adam Larsson’s stick. But then the death knell: a long wrist shot from the sideboard snuck over his shoulder, and Talbot was on the bench just 7:35 into the evening.
One save, three shots faced, and a long night in a ball cap. Who ever saw Talbot’s game dipping this far after two seasons as a very competent goalie in Edmonton?
• Leon Draisaitl had two cheap points in garbage time, but when this game was on the line, he was a rumour. When they pay you $8.5 million, a game like this one is a siren call. The Oilers needed their best players to be great, and Draisaitl was opaque.
Then again, so were about 15 other players. Which leads us to…
• General manager Peter Chiarelli will take a lot of heat for this, as will head coach Todd McLellan and his staff. And they should, as a team that was primed to contend in the West has fallen back into cellar.
Everything has gone wrong, and the guys who are paid to see those things coming were winding their watches when the rain rolled past. Almost every player that Chiarelli counted on to get his club to the trade deadline, when he planned to augment for a playoff run, has let him down. From Zack Kassian, who we are not sure has even reported for camp yet, through to an uncharacteristically bad Mark Letestu, to Draisaitl, to a seriously in-decline Pat Maroon.
If you’re the type who thinks the GM should have seen these performances coming, then you’ve got Chiarelli squarely in your crosshairs.
Me? He hasn’t done a good job, and grades out like his team at a D-minus. But I won’t blame him when players digress for no particular reason. The players play, and in Edmonton, too many of them have let the jersey down this season.
Oilers hit new low after quitting against Blues
by Mark Spector
They quit.
Walked over in Dallas, now crushed in St. Louis, the good ship Oiler rolls into Detroit on Wednesday at its nadir, one day before American Thanksgiving and as far away from the playoffs as it is from an identity forged last season.
The Edmonton Oilers were not remotely competitive in an 8-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues Tuesday, and the saddest part? They quit.
That’s right. Quit.
We watched, took some notes, and offer you these wholly negative takeaways on a pre-season favourite whose season is circling the bowl:
• As a team, this was embarrassing and somewhat sad. Against the best club in the Western Conference, the Oilers stacked up as so far away from being competitive, it’s impossible to quantify the gap.
Their record is a pungent 7-12-2, a disappointment of Herculean proportion that does not appear repairable. The final score was 8-3, but the Blues built a 7-1 lead before laying back and letting Edmonton have the puck. As such, the Oilers scored two un-celebrated goals in garbage time. The starting goalie was awful, the Top 4 defencemen were worse, and the guys who get paid the big bucks up front were absolute no-shows.
The Oilers, to a man, did not compete. It doesn’t get worse than this, folks. When you quit, it reveals something. We learned something about these Oilers Tuesday.
Exactly what? We’ve got 60 games to figure that out — if you can bear to watch.
• Last season, all anyone wanted was to see the oft-injured Oscar Klefbom play an entire season. Well, he played all 82 games and was generally fantastic, leading to a solid belief that Klefbom could anchor the Oilers top pairing again this season. He might even improve!
Alas, this season has marked a massive regression for Klefbom’s game, and it is simply killing the Oilers. If Drew Doughty is awful, the L.A. Kings are in trouble. Same with Duncan Keith in Chicago, or Alex Pietrangelo on the Blues.
Klefbom isn’t of the same pedigree as those aforementioned D-men, but he is the Oilers’ best rearguard, and they count on him. He had yet another stinker on Tuesday, getting knocked off a puck far too easily on the Blues’ first goal, and drifting softly through another pointless, minus-4 evening.
The old cliché says your best players have to be your best players. Klefbom has consistently been one of Edmonton’s worst players, and it shows in the standings.
• There isn’t a team in hockey that can survive when their No. 1 goalie gives them a .902 save percentage. So if it all starts in goal, maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that the Oilers haven’t moved off the starting line yet, 21 games into the season.
Cam Talbot let the first shot on goal in for the umpteenth time this season, this one on a very unfortunate deflection off of Adam Larsson’s stick. But then the death knell: a long wrist shot from the sideboard snuck over his shoulder, and Talbot was on the bench just 7:35 into the evening.
One save, three shots faced, and a long night in a ball cap. Who ever saw Talbot’s game dipping this far after two seasons as a very competent goalie in Edmonton?
• Leon Draisaitl had two cheap points in garbage time, but when this game was on the line, he was a rumour. When they pay you $8.5 million, a game like this one is a siren call. The Oilers needed their best players to be great, and Draisaitl was opaque.
Then again, so were about 15 other players. Which leads us to…
• General manager Peter Chiarelli will take a lot of heat for this, as will head coach Todd McLellan and his staff. And they should, as a team that was primed to contend in the West has fallen back into cellar.
Everything has gone wrong, and the guys who are paid to see those things coming were winding their watches when the rain rolled past. Almost every player that Chiarelli counted on to get his club to the trade deadline, when he planned to augment for a playoff run, has let him down. From Zack Kassian, who we are not sure has even reported for camp yet, through to an uncharacteristically bad Mark Letestu, to Draisaitl, to a seriously in-decline Pat Maroon.
If you’re the type who thinks the GM should have seen these performances coming, then you’ve got Chiarelli squarely in your crosshairs.
Me? He hasn’t done a good job, and grades out like his team at a D-minus. But I won’t blame him when players digress for no particular reason. The players play, and in Edmonton, too many of them have let the jersey down this season.
Oilers hit new low after quitting against Blues
^^^^^^^ Fully agree, I quit watching after the second was done. Maybe bring in some coloring books and a shrink for the players..
On the plus side ( yes there is a faint hope ), they are only 12 pts out of a playoff spot and still have 60 games left.
On the plus side ( yes there is a faint hope ), they are only 12 pts out of a playoff spot and still have 60 games left.
Hawks--Tampa Bay was a great game yesterday....Hawks were leading 2-0 and bang bang bang T.Bay won 3-2.....quelle équipe!!! Crawford et Vasilevskiy se sont livrés un formidable duel....c'était beau à voir.
Another win for Vegas....my god..they will do the playoffs....who would have bet on this scenario.....
Another win for Vegas....my god..they will do the playoffs....who would have bet on this scenario.....
The NSGEO ( Not So Glorious Edmonton Oilers ) are only 7 points out of a playoff spot and 9 out of first in their division with 60 games left.
Still a glimmer of hope.
Still a glimmer of hope.
Au QUART de la saison mes surprises sont....T.BAY--JETS--BLUES--AVALANCHE.....et évidemment VEGAS......TORONTO joue selon mes attentes.
Mes déceptions...........PENS-HAWKS-WILD-OILERS...et MONTREAL joue selon mes attentes. PENS et HAWKS devraient rebondir.
Mes déceptions...........PENS-HAWKS-WILD-OILERS...et MONTREAL joue selon mes attentes. PENS et HAWKS devraient rebondir.
The NSGEO beaten by buffalo, they looked like valium on skates.
Figured it was a guaranteed win but now I will have to lower my standards, perhaps they can play a 12 yr old girls ringette team and win ( not trying to insult a ringette team ).
Figured it was a guaranteed win but now I will have to lower my standards, perhaps they can play a 12 yr old girls ringette team and win ( not trying to insult a ringette team ).
Vegas won their fifth straight victory.....GALLANT is on his way for the JACK-ADAMS.....suivi de près de Mike Yeo who is doing a hell of a job with the Blues.
CAPS 4-2 on LEAFS
PENS-5-2 on TBAY
HAWKS 4-1 on FLORIDA.......Those 3 winning and talented teams are open for business until the end of the season AND PLUS....elles ont tellement de profondeur et de ressources.
CAPS 4-2 on LEAFS
PENS-5-2 on TBAY
HAWKS 4-1 on FLORIDA.......Those 3 winning and talented teams are open for business until the end of the season AND PLUS....elles ont tellement de profondeur et de ressources.
Many other coaches are doing a heckuva job with their respective teams: Jon Cooper, Mike Babcock, John Tortorella, John Hynes and Paul Maurice. The Winnipeg Jets are tied for 4th overall with Toronto, Vegas and Columbus. And the Devils are 3rd overall!!!! Wow!!!
Increased NHL Goal Scoring Attributed To Enforcement Of Slashing Penalties
http://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/21596359/nhl-seven-reasons-why-nhl-goal-scoring-exploded-season
http://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/21596359/nhl-seven-reasons-why-nhl-goal-scoring-exploded-season
The NSGEO are playing Calgary, last game against the leafs they scored on their own net with 1:06 left at a tie score. They played well though. Lucky their entire division is not racking up points and a playoff spot is around 7 points away. Still suck 60% if the time though.
These NHL coaches and GMs are at risk of being fired
Two months into season, league could soon see firing as some teams have struggled in the early going.
by Joshua Clipperton, Canadian Press
At least one NHL head coach has been fired by Dec. 8 since the 2013-14 season, with an average of four getting dismissed before the conclusion of the 82-game schedule. None of the league’s 31 teams have made anyone walk the plank yet in 2017-18, but there are a few head coaches, and even a couple of general managers, feeling the heat just two months into the campaign.
Todd McLellan: The head coach of the Edmonton Oilers became increasingly frustrated as the club picked by many to challenge for the Stanley Cup this season stumbled badly out of the gate. Edmonton was on a two-game winning streak — including a 3-2 overtime victory against lowly Arizona earlier this week — heading into Thursday’s action after losing five straight in regulation and seven of eight overall (1-6-1). But the Oilers, who sit second-last in the Western Conference with a 10-13-2 record, remain five points out of a playoff spot. Perhaps more importantly, Connor McDavid’s club will have to climb over five teams to reach the post-season after making the second round last spring.
Dave Hakstol: Hakstol made the playoffs in his first year as head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers, but the club missed out in 2016-17, and is currently on an ugly nine-game losing streak (0-4-5) after starting this season 8-6-2. Fans seem to have had enough, booing the team off the ice in Tuesday’s 3-1 home loss to San Jose and chanting for Hakstol to be fired. The Flyers currently occupy last place in the Metropolitan Division, six points out of the second wild-card spot in the East. Goaltending — what else is new in Philadelphia? — continues to be an issue, with the club ranking 20th in goals against per game. The offence has been even worse, coming in at 21st overall.
Bill Peters: Picked by many to finally snap their streak of eight straight seasons without playoff hockey, the Carolina Hurricanes are four points adrift in the East race. Peters, in his fourth year as head coach, has the Hurricanes as the No. 1 possession team in the league at even strength with a 55.23 per cent edge in shot attempts. While those numbers suggest Carolina is playing well, the wins haven’t followed, and a fourth straight campaign without post-season hockey could be tough to survive.
Peter Chiarelli: While it would be unusual to see a general manager dismissed during the regular season, the man in charge of the Edmonton Oilers is taking a lot of criticism for the play of the team he’s built. As noted above, the club hasn’t come close to meeting expectations more than a quarter of the way through the season. Chiarelli earlier this week pointed to “subpar” goaltending from Cam Talbot, who was put on injured reserve Thursday, and general inconsistency throughout the rest of his roster among the reasons why the Oilers rank 27th in goals against per game and 26th in goals scored. He suggested some changes could be coming, but the GM has painted himself into a corner with a number of moves that have been called into question, including deals the last two summers that saw talented forwards Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle shipped out of town.
Marc Bergevin: The general manager of the Montreal Canadiens is breathing a little easier now that Carey Price is back healthy. Montreal has won three in a row since their superstar goalie returned from a lower-body injury that kept him out for 10 straight games, but remains a point out of the playoffs in the sluggish Atlantic Division race. The Canadiens have good possession numbers at even strength — ranking fifth in the league at 52.22 per cent — but sit 30th in goals scored per game. Head coach Claude Julien signed a contract through the 2021-22 season when he was hired in February, so it’s unlikely he would be going anywhere should Montreal falter. Bergevin, meanwhile, has made the playoffs three of his four seasons in charge, but like Chiarelli has come under increased scrutiny for some of his trades and signings.
These coaches and gm's at risk of losing their jobs
Two months into season, league could soon see firing as some teams have struggled in the early going.
by Joshua Clipperton, Canadian Press
At least one NHL head coach has been fired by Dec. 8 since the 2013-14 season, with an average of four getting dismissed before the conclusion of the 82-game schedule. None of the league’s 31 teams have made anyone walk the plank yet in 2017-18, but there are a few head coaches, and even a couple of general managers, feeling the heat just two months into the campaign.
Todd McLellan: The head coach of the Edmonton Oilers became increasingly frustrated as the club picked by many to challenge for the Stanley Cup this season stumbled badly out of the gate. Edmonton was on a two-game winning streak — including a 3-2 overtime victory against lowly Arizona earlier this week — heading into Thursday’s action after losing five straight in regulation and seven of eight overall (1-6-1). But the Oilers, who sit second-last in the Western Conference with a 10-13-2 record, remain five points out of a playoff spot. Perhaps more importantly, Connor McDavid’s club will have to climb over five teams to reach the post-season after making the second round last spring.
Dave Hakstol: Hakstol made the playoffs in his first year as head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers, but the club missed out in 2016-17, and is currently on an ugly nine-game losing streak (0-4-5) after starting this season 8-6-2. Fans seem to have had enough, booing the team off the ice in Tuesday’s 3-1 home loss to San Jose and chanting for Hakstol to be fired. The Flyers currently occupy last place in the Metropolitan Division, six points out of the second wild-card spot in the East. Goaltending — what else is new in Philadelphia? — continues to be an issue, with the club ranking 20th in goals against per game. The offence has been even worse, coming in at 21st overall.
Bill Peters: Picked by many to finally snap their streak of eight straight seasons without playoff hockey, the Carolina Hurricanes are four points adrift in the East race. Peters, in his fourth year as head coach, has the Hurricanes as the No. 1 possession team in the league at even strength with a 55.23 per cent edge in shot attempts. While those numbers suggest Carolina is playing well, the wins haven’t followed, and a fourth straight campaign without post-season hockey could be tough to survive.
Peter Chiarelli: While it would be unusual to see a general manager dismissed during the regular season, the man in charge of the Edmonton Oilers is taking a lot of criticism for the play of the team he’s built. As noted above, the club hasn’t come close to meeting expectations more than a quarter of the way through the season. Chiarelli earlier this week pointed to “subpar” goaltending from Cam Talbot, who was put on injured reserve Thursday, and general inconsistency throughout the rest of his roster among the reasons why the Oilers rank 27th in goals against per game and 26th in goals scored. He suggested some changes could be coming, but the GM has painted himself into a corner with a number of moves that have been called into question, including deals the last two summers that saw talented forwards Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle shipped out of town.
Marc Bergevin: The general manager of the Montreal Canadiens is breathing a little easier now that Carey Price is back healthy. Montreal has won three in a row since their superstar goalie returned from a lower-body injury that kept him out for 10 straight games, but remains a point out of the playoffs in the sluggish Atlantic Division race. The Canadiens have good possession numbers at even strength — ranking fifth in the league at 52.22 per cent — but sit 30th in goals scored per game. Head coach Claude Julien signed a contract through the 2021-22 season when he was hired in February, so it’s unlikely he would be going anywhere should Montreal falter. Bergevin, meanwhile, has made the playoffs three of his four seasons in charge, but like Chiarelli has come under increased scrutiny for some of his trades and signings.
These coaches and gm's at risk of losing their jobs
What's going on with the Sens.....they lost 5-0 against Jets yesterday.....je savais que ce ne serait pas une game facile mais de là à se faire dominer totalement......Karlsson n'est plus l'ombre de lui-même. Semble avoir la tête ailleurs. Duchene et Ryan sont invisibles....et aucune constance devant le net.....
Me suis toujours interrogé sur Boucher....pas sûr que les joueurs veulent se défoncer pour lui.....pas certain de son leadership au sein de cette équipe. J'ai l'impression que la présence d'un certain Bryan Murray dans l'entourage leur manque terriblement.....les joueurs avaient un grand respect pour lui.....
Me suis toujours interrogé sur Boucher....pas sûr que les joueurs veulent se défoncer pour lui.....pas certain de son leadership au sein de cette équipe. J'ai l'impression que la présence d'un certain Bryan Murray dans l'entourage leur manque terriblement.....les joueurs avaient un grand respect pour lui.....
Karlsson returning from a serious injury where it required surgery. He seems to miss Marc Methot who was his regular defensive partner over the years. So far the Matt Duchene/Turris trade has been a bust for the Sens. It's a team lacking chemistry. Last year they rallied around goalie Craig Anderson and his wife's battle with cancer. Maybe they need a new rallying point in order to improve their focus.
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked
- Sticky
- Poll
- Locked
- Poll
- Locked
- Sticky
- Poll
