ilers ruining more young careers

[Wickabee]

Defence isn't the problem.
I'm simply stunned they can't score.
I'm OK with their record if they're losing 6-5 or 5-4
But alarm bells are ringing because, even with all this high priced offence
they can't score worth a dang

Give them time to develop. They're still young. They aren't all Crosby right off the bat so it's time to panic. They need to get a little stronger, a little smarter and gel together. They're looking better than they did last year, which was better than they looked the year before. The results will come, you just have to have some patience.

As for them all being the same, if you can't tell the difference between the sniper Eberle, the Assister Nugent-Hopkins and the Bull-in-a-China-Shop Hall then I have to imagine you'd have trouble with Kurri, Gretzky and Messier. I was talking to an Oilers fan a couple nights ago and we agreed they're not doing a bad job recreating the 80s dynasty team
Gretzky = Nugent-Hopkins
Messier = Hall
Kurri = Eberle
Dubnyk = Fuhr
Schultz = Coffey
There are some differences, I see Schultz being a better future captain than RNH for example, but the similarities are there. They're working under a new coach, which presumably means a new system, and that's going to take time to get used to. This team isn't built to win games today, it's built to win cups tomorrow and tomorrow is creeping up fast.
The true weakness in Edmonton is the goaltending but Dubnyk, like Fuhr, will be compitent without being great. Edmonton fans are watching losses now, but get read for a bunch of 7-4 wins in the not too distant future.

[rustyisin]

Hall a power forward? LOL
half way through the 3rd period, 11 shots on net against Columbus. Oilers seem intent
on sitting on one goal leads, heck, they sit on 1 goal ties too.
Oil will lose this one in the last 2 mins as is their habit.

[RGM81]

There's a reason that these #1 picks all ended up in Edmonton - you can't fault them for not making them into overnight world-beaters. The Oilers still need a legitimate #1 goalie and some upgrades on the blue line. If I'm the GM, I'm giving Buffalo a call about Tyler Myers. A handful of bad games has gotten him a ticket to the pressbox, but he's still got a ton of upside and it's only been a couple years since he won the Calder.

They're a young core of a team that has been in the basement for a few years. They're going to grow and mature and develop together. Will they emulate the formula of the Chicago Blackhawks? Possibly but unlikely. It takes a good deal of time & effort at all levels of the organization to go from the cellar to a legitimate and perennial contender. The Oilers have the pieces, and while there will be some steps backwards, they can be expected to make some great leaps forward in the coming years once they address their other personnel requirements.

[Wickabee]

There's a reason that these #1 picks all ended up in Edmonton - you can't fault them for not making them into overnight world-beaters. The Oilers still need a legitimate #1 goalie and some upgrades on the blue line. If I'm the GM, I'm giving Buffalo a call about Tyler Myers. A handful of bad games has gotten him a ticket to the pressbox, but he's still got a ton of upside and it's only been a couple years since he won the Calder.

They're a young core of a team that has been in the basement for a few years. They're going to grow and mature and develop together. Will they emulate the formula of the Chicago Blackhawks? Possibly but unlikely. It takes a good deal of time & effort at all levels of the organization to go from the cellar to a legitimate and perennial contender. The Oilers have the pieces, and while there will be some steps backwards, they can be expected to make some great leaps forward in the coming years once they address their other personnel requirements.

Don't tell anyone here that. Jeez.

As a Canucks fan I am terrified of the Oilers in a year or two. Absolutely terrified.

[rustyisin]

Oilers don't need another teams whipping boy. Sather loved a project...but this team has enough of them. Gotta swap
RNH or Hall for a Norris type like Doughty. Gotta get tougher on the blueline like a Bieksa type.

I'd say tonight's win does nothing to calm the waters. Outshot more than double by Columbus

[jmatchett]

Gretzky = Nugent-Hopkins
Messier = Hall
Kurri = Eberle
Dubnyk = Fuhr
Schultz = Coffey

Look, I know the point you're making, about how their roles mirror that of the 80s Oilers.
But you're comparing a guy with 1 full NHL season to the NHL's all-time leader in goals, assists, and point.
You're comparing Taylor Hall to the player considered to be the best captain in all of pro sports.
Kurri to Eberle, okay, that kid's flat-out amazing, and I think he'll end up being the best of this crop.
Dubnyk to Fuhr...actually, I never thought Fuhr (or Moog) were all that good, but still, Fuhr's a HOFer, and Dubnyk is right now a very useful NHL goalie. No more, no less.
Schultz to Coffey is, right now, just downright disrespectful to Paul Coffey.
Again, I know you're just comparing the types of roles they fill and showing the players they can become, but I think it's a bit early in all of their careers to start making comparisons to some of the best players in NHL history.

[rustyisin]

comparisons aside. Where is the Huddy, Lowe, Gregg and Don Jackson on this team? Let alone the character pluggers like Dave Hunter, Lumley, etc. If those character types were on this team they'd be winning

[RGM81]

Oilers don't need another teams whipping boy. Sather loved a project...but this team has enough of them. Gotta swap
RNH or Hall for a Norris type like Doughty. Gotta get tougher on the blueline like a Bieksa type.

I'd say tonight's win does nothing to calm the waters. Outshot more than double by Columbus

I'm sure that the handful of teams that have a Norris-calibre defenceman on their blue line aren't all that interested in parting with them - even if for an RNH or Hall. It replaces one potential organizational need but creates a massive black hole.

[Wickabee]

Look, I know the point you're making, about how their roles mirror that of the 80s Oilers.
But you're comparing a guy with 1 full NHL season to the NHL's all-time leader in goals, assists, and point.

I'm comparing their styles and saying RNH has the potential to be great. I'm not saying he's going to be another Gretzky. Crosby isn't another Gretzky. There will never be another Gretzky.

So no, that's not what I'm doing at all.

You're comparing Taylor Hall to the player considered to be the best captain in all of pro sports.

I'm saying if you compare the two teams he is this team's "Messier" and has the potential to be just as good a player. I don't even think Hall should be a Captain in the NHL. Truth be told, once Horcoff goes the C should go on Schultz. I know what you're going to say, keep reading.

So no, that's not what I'm doing.

Kurri to Eberle, okay, that kid's flat-out amazing, and I think he'll end up being the best of this crop.

Thank you

Dubnyk to Fuhr...actually, I never thought Fuhr (or Moog) were all that good, but still, Fuhr's a HOFer, and Dubnyk is right now a very useful NHL goalie. No more, no less.

Fuhr was a compitent but not great goalie. Dubnyk is a compitent but not great goalie. If Dubnyk sticks with this version of the Oilers, his stats will be inflated by the team in front of him, just like Fuhr.

Schultz to Coffey is, right now, just downright disrespectful to Paul Coffey.

I can see how someone who hasn't watched this kid play since he was 8 would think that. In 20 years, people will be saying it's an insult to Schultz. I reffed his games constantly when he was a kid. I knew he'd be in the NHL when he was 10. He had more maturity at that age than any Bantam, Midget or Junior player I've ever dealt with.

Again, I know you're just comparing the types of roles they fill and showing the players they can become, but I think it's a bit early in all of their careers to start making comparisons to some of the best players in NHL history.

Yes I am. You know why? As a fan of the game, this is what I do. I compare rookies to stars to determine who I think will be tomorrow's stars. It's called speculation and it's for fun. It's not fact, no more than anything you've said is fact. It's all opinion.

The second Eberle was drafted I was telling people they just got a new Kurri, and here you are agreeing. With what you're saying though, that would have been a horrible thing to say based solely on junior play. I speculated and I was right. Sometimes I speculate and I'm wrong. It doesn't mean anything, it's fun. Why do you seem offended. This is a discussion about the future, there is no right or wrong until after it happens. I didn't think it was that serious a discussion. Jeez

Overall I'd say you half got what I was saying.

ETA:
I'm just gonna say one thing after reading through this thread. I'm hearing a lot of people saying these 18-19 year olds aren't developing fast enough. I'm hearing people saying one or two of these top draftees should be traded for an established defenseman. Basically, I'm hearing people who are sick of the plan as it's going an want Edmonton to trade it all off and change on the fly instead of properly developing these kids.

Isn't that what Calgary has been doing for years now? I understand Calgary fans saying they should take the route Edmonton did, but Edmonton fans wanting what Calgary has? That's insane!

[jmatchett]

I'm not offended, and I don't know why you're getting so worked up about it. And yes, I 100% get what you're saying, comparing their roles on the team to the roles played by the various superstars of the 80's Oilers. I just don't think it's fair to compare ANY team to that team, excluding the early 90s Penguins team. Maybe a comparison to the 1997 Wings is a better speculative comparison (if we're comparing only players and not players+age).

As for Eberle, we in the US don't get the chance to see these kids as they play their careers. You obviously as closely associated with amateur hockey and I'm glad for you, you're very privileged in that respect, to be able to see those kids as they develop. However, Eberle was the one played who I started to follow after his heroics and near-heroics in back-to-back WJCs (btw, John Carlson is a hero). Of all of the current Oilers, he's the one I'd want on the ice if I need a goal to win a playoff game with under a minute left. He's fast, he's got a great finish, and he seems to know how to always be in the right spot. For some reason, I've watched RNH and I just am not impressed. I don't know why, and I know his stats are different, but he just doesn't do it for me. Hall, to me, is a very very good player, and I think a solid comparison could be Toews. My only problem with Schultz is that, as well as he's performed so far in his brief pro career, I just would like to see him do it for at least 1 full NHL season to see how he handles the rigors. But yes, if we're talking pure speculation, then I guess RNH, Hall, Eberle, and Yakupov could all end up in the top 20 all-time scorers.