Luck. It’s a thing. The Edmonton Oilers had murderous luck in the shootout last night and lost to the Calgary Flames. It was a far better effort than the previous game between the two clubs at Rogers this season, and that Bettman is a counter for sure. It was, in actual fact, a fantastic hockey game. I’d love to see a best-of-7 series between these two teams in the spring, as long as an ambulance is parked just outside.
THE ATHLETIC!
The Athletic Edmonton features a fabulous cluster of stories (some linked below, some on the site). Great perspective from a ridiculous group of writers and analysts. Proud to be part of The Athletic, less than two coffees a month offer here.
- New Daniel Nugent-Bowman: ‘Now it’s over’: With a new contract in hand, Zack Kassian ready to move on after Matthew Tkachuk fight
- New Jonathan Willis: Oilers extend Zack Kassian, betting the power forward can continue to produce with Connor McDavid
- New Daniel Nugent-Bowman: ‘That’s good for hockey’: Former Oilers weigh in on Battle of Alberta hype ahead of Tkachuk-Kassian meeting
- New Scott Wheeler: Wheeler’s 2020 NHL prospect pool rankings: No. 15 Edmonton Oilers
- New Corey Pronman: Ranking the 2020 NHL Draft top prospects at midseason
- Lowetide: Why the Oilers are more likely to trade Adam Larsson than Kris Russell
- Jonathan Willis: PHWA Midseason Awards: Stars, snubs and what they mean for the year-end NHL Awards
- Lowetide: Is there real trade deadline value in the Edmonton Oilers’ prospect pipeline?
- Lowetide: ‘Connor McDavid: Whatever It Takes’ works as breaking news, drama and personality profile
- Lowetide: Oilers prospects Evan Bouchard and Tyler Benson deliver best minor league performances in 20 years
- Lowetide: What do Connor McDavid’s best lines tell us about his optimal linemates?
- Daniel Nugent-Bowman: I was an AHL coach for a day: Here’s what I learned
- Daniel Nugent-Bowman and Jonathan Willis: Oilers player poll: From the serious to the silly, the players weigh in on best dressed, most superstitious and more
- Jonathan Willis: An updated list of which Oilers are most likely to be traded in 2019-20
- Lowetide: Kailer Yamamoto gives Oilers a midseason spark, one of the best in team history
- Daniel Nugent-Bowman: Josh Archibald, Riley Sheahan show the upward trend of Ken Holland’s offseason moves for the Oilers
- Lowetide: Post-Christmas performance spike has Evan Bouchard pushing for an NHL job with the Oilers
- Jonathan Willis: The Oilers’ road forward — and perhaps to a Stanley Cup — requires trusting the kids on defence
- Daniel Nugent-Bowman: Deciding what to do with Darnell Nurse, Mike Smith, Tyler Benson and Evan Bouchard
- Lowetide: Ken Holland’s targets for his first trade deadline with the Oilers.
- Lowetide: Ken Holland’s trade deadline options for the Oilers
- Lowetide: Complete Oilers top 20 prospects list, winter 2019
OILERS AFTER 50 GAMES
- Oilers in 2015-16: 19-26-5, 43 points; goal differential -26
- Oilers in 2016-17: 27-15-8, 62 points; goal differential +15
- Oilers in 2017-18: 22-24-4, 48 points; goal differential -30
- Oilers in 2018-19: 23-24-3, 49 points; goal differential -13
- Oilers in 2019-20: 26-18-6, 58 points; goal differential +1
Edmonton’s point, combined with Arizona’s loss, gives the Oilers third place in the Pacific Division. Despite the disappointment of losing to Calgary, it’s a two-point deficit and the two games in hand are a big advantage. Have to make use of them.
ON THE TENS
- First 10 games: 7-2-1
- Second 10 games: 5-4-1
- Third 10 games: 5-4-1
- Fourth 10 games: 3-6-1
- Current 10 games: 6-2-2
This is the second best 10-game segment of the season for Edmonton, and we should at least contemplate the idea that this might be the highest peak reached by this year’s Oilers. Edmonton is 21 points behind last year’s total at the completion of the season, with this year’s Oilers having 32 games to play.
OILERS IN JANUARY
- Oilers in January 2016: 4-2-2, 10 points; goal differential 0
- Oilers in January 2017: 5-3-0, 10 points; goal differential 0
- Oilers in January 2018: 4-4-0, eight points; goal differential -8
- Oilers in January 2019: 5-3-0, 10 points; goal differential 0
- Oilers in January 2020: 5-1-2, 12 points; goal differential +7
Whatever may come the 2020 January Oilers were the best of McDavid’s career to date. It’s quite an accomplishment based on what some of us (me) thought reality to would look like.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN JANUARY
- On the road to: BUF, BOS, TOR, MTL, CAL (Expected 2-2-1) (Actual 3-1-1)
- At home to: NAS, ARI, CAL, STL (Expected 1-2-1) (2-0-1)
- Overall expected result: 3-4-2, eight points in nine games
- Current results: 5-1-2, 12 points in eight games
One of my favourite months since 2005-06, have to say. As I’ve said a couple of times, there are things about this team’s roster construction that irritate me. However, look at those results! How can anyone be mad this morning? Luck bit the Oilers. It happens. We’re on to an easier opponent, and that arrives in….,well, we’ll see.
OILERS 2019-20
I thought the forward lines had good chem, although Nygard’s injury meant a lot of juggling. Wouldn’t mind seeing the same group on Friday. Next big question surrounds getting Caleb Jones back in the lineup, he can’t just sit in the pressbox for two weeks. All numbers five on five unless noted and via NST.
LINE 1 James Neal-Connor McDavid-Zack Kassian played 10:34, going 12-6 Corsi, 8-2 shots, 0-1 goals, 1-1 HDSC.
James Neal had an assist, a shot on goal (good look) and a giveaway. I thought he was more involved compared to last week. Connor McDavid had great wheels and three shots, two HDSC and a giveaway. His only point came setting up a beautiful goal by Alex Chiasson (along with Leon). Related: Gio has lost a step, but he’s going to have to find another way to adjust. The list of injuries inflicting on “reaction” plays is piling up. Paul Almeida had an excellent tweet on the subject. McDavid split the blue ala Peter Mahovlich (except he isn’t 6.05 and big Pete didn’t skate like 97) and that was a pleasure to see. Zack Kassian got into a fight with Matt Tkachuk, had a takeaway and two giveaways and signed a four-year contract earlier in the day. He did not seal the wall and was outsmarted for the puck in the early seconds of the first Mangiapane goal.
LINE 2 Nuge-Leon Draisaitl-Kailer Yamamoto played 11:39, going 12-13 Corsi, 6-5 shots, 1-1 goals, 3-2 HDSC.
Nuge had an assist, shot, drew two penalties, made some great plays. Also made THE play of the night defensively by having the presence of mind to follow the puck as it dribbled toward the goal line. Fanbloodyfabulous. Oh, he also got into a fight. Draisaitl skated absolute miles, getting two assists (one on the PP), three shots, two HDSC, two HDSC. He also had four giveaways (plus two more on the PP), that’s going to need some improvement before playoff time. Kailer Yamamoto scored, now has four in nine games. Fabulous rookie.
LINE 3 Jujhar Khaira-Sam Gagner-Alex Chiasson played 4:22, going 7-1 Corsi, 4-0 shots, no goals and 2-0 HDSC.
Jujhar Khaira had three shots, one HDSC, one takeaway. His best game in some time. Sam Gagner had a great night, he was physical, did a backwards move that damn near cashed, two HDSC, two giveaways and won three of five in the dot.
LINE 4 Joakim Nygard-Riley Sheahan-Alex Chiasson played 4:49, going 4-2 Corsi, 2-2 shots, 0-1 goals, 0-1 HDSC.
Joakim Nygard played less than four minutes before getting hurt, it looked like it might be more than missing today’s practice. Riley Sheahan had two shots, won seven of 14 in the dot, lost both on the PK. He is a different player than the one we saw earlier in the season, more involved and touches the puck far more often. Alex Chiasson didn’t do a lot on the five on five, but scored a nice goal from the slot on the power play.
PAIRING ONE Darnell Nurse and Ethan Bear played 20:37, going 16-19 Corsi, 9-9 shots, 0-1 goals and 1-3 HDSC. Played 10:55 with 97.
Darnell Nurse had a giveaway, a takeaway and was credited with 12 hits. One of them was a crosscheck to Matt Tkachuk and looked like it did some damage. Ethan Bear had three shots, drew a penalty, one giveaway and two takeaways. He battled on every shift. Made a blind pass to Kassian, who was looping back out to the point and allowed it to be intercepted. I’m of a mind Kassian needed to be more aware, your mileage may vary.
PAIRING TWO Oscar Klefbom and Adam Larsson played 16:19, going 14-11 Corsi, 7-7 shots, 1-1 goals and 4-0 HDSC.
Oscar Klefbom played a sound game, good coverage and outlets. Adam Larsson was in the right place (he was intercepting a pass meant for Tkachuk) but it bounced off of him and into the net. I call that bad luck on good positioning.
PAIRING THREE Kris Russell and Matt Benning played 9:49, going 14-10 Corsi, 10-4 shots, 0-1 goals and 3-3 HDSC.
Kris Russell had the front of the net covered on the second Mangiapane goal, but chased Tkachuk when he gained possession and no one checked down (Sheahan and Benning were in photo). Russell had an assist, shot and drew a penalty. Matt Benning scored a lovely goal, and a massive one too. He played well in his first game in forever, slow to recognize the Mangiapane danger on the third Calgary goal.
GOALIE Mike Smith saved 25 of 28, .893 and didn’t look sharp on the second and third goals. In fairness, the second one was by him in a heartbeat. Dave Tippett has worked himself into a situation where Smith is the starter and Koskinen is going to be a rusty cage. I don’t think Smith is going to cover the bet (No. 1 goalie) at this point in his career, although no one can blame the coach for running Smith out there last night. His January has been absolute fire.
LOWDOWN WITH LOWETIDE
At 10 this morning, we finally have a hockey game to talk about, TSN1260. At 10:20, Scott Wheeler from The Athletic joins me to talk about his Oilers prospect ranking (link above). Wheeler’s gift is that he doesn’t pull any punches and backs up his views with video evidence. His takes on Oilers prospects are unique and compelling. Tune in. At 11, we’ll chat with Frank Seravalli from TSN about Gio’s defending, the trade deadline and Pacific Divison craziness. 10-1260 text, @Lowetide on twitter. Talk soon!
Great points
My vote is to go long term on Bear. No bridge.
Even if he regresses a bit, it will be a value contract for most of the term.
We know he can handle a power play and put up more offence once they give him that chance which I think will be next year.
Already giving him a little more role in OT
Good posts/discussion all around this topic. Just replied to this one…
Seriously
How the fuck is that not a fucking penalty???
Two hand chop from the end of the stick into the hands on a breakaway
Pummel the fuck out of that piece of shit again if the refs aren’t going to do basic officiating.
I believe this is the time for a “the Chicago way” reference.
He two-hands you in the arm, you cross check through his neck. Call someone up if necessary.
Utter crap that the cheap shot artists are protected and promoted by this league. Routinely. They only survive because of the NHL.
If you’re so worried about the risk, why go 8 years?
That looks like a bad bet. Bear hasn’t really proved much to date other than he’s currently an NHLer. Offer him half the money and same term then see what happens…lots of defence prospects heading down the pipeline for a freaking change.
Chiasson does that job now for 1/3 the price. Still not pretty.
How about offering Bear a long term contract that sets him up for life while keeping his cap hit as low as possible and if he busts later you can buy him out or trade him no idea really…
Offer him 8 X 1.5 million dollars = 10.5 million and see if he bites… 8 X 2 million = 16 million total might also work lol
Zary
Bourque
Perrault
or Quinn who’s coming on
The Edmonton Oilers are closing in on a seven-year extension with defenseman Oscar Klefbom, TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reports.
The contract would be worth more than $4 million per season, according to Rishaug. Klefbom, 22, only has 77 games of NHL experience under his belt, so it would be a fascinating gamble by the Oilers. Rotoworld will note if a deal becomes official, as Rishaug believes an announcement will come in 24-48 hours.
SOURCE: Ryan Rishaug on Twitter
Sep 19, 2015, 3:49 PM ET
***
Bear is 22 and will have played 100 NHL games by the end of this season. Pretty much same scenario as Klefbom. Will Holland make the same bet that Chiarelli made in Sep 2015?
Literally three of the six guys I mentioned spent more time in the AHL than Bear, or the KHL in the case of Zaitsev.
Myers, Maatta, and Zaitsev has spent no time in the AHL. Ghostisbehere, 30 games.
I was wrong on Smith.
Miller was never anything more than an offensive 3rd pairing option who was a marginal NHL’er defensively.
I didn’t say Bear will regress. I said there’s a possibility he regresses. There’s a risk to signing him long term. Surely you have to acknowledge that, even if you think it’s a small risk.
Do you think these other teams expected their players to regress? It happens and is more likely to happen to players with less experience in the NHL when signing long term deals.
The big difference with Nurse is games played when he signed the bridge deal. He played many more games in the NHL than Bear by the time his ELC expired. That’s why he should have been signed long term.
While Bear’s ceiling may be higher because of his brain, his floor is lower because he doesn’t have the raw tools that Nurse possesses.
Let’s see if this comes through
Paul Almeida has a tweet of the Tkachuk slash on Draisatl.
you can see briefly how Draisatl shakes his arm after.
https://twitter.com/AzorcanGlobal/status/1222979693604827137?s=20
The referee in the picture cannot really see the slash and is watching other things. I can’t see where the back refereel was. He has to call it, but was probably still on the other side of centre ice. OT is fast.
Tkachuk seems to know where the damn referees are. The weaseling is strong with this one.
What’s Right handed C Pageau’s contract looking like this off season?
5 x 4?
27 years old
Colin Miller was never really good. And none of the other guys perfected their craft in the AHL, so when they stumbled on hard times in the NHL, they had no established base to fall back on.
The risk of regression or sophomore slumps for players who had paid their dues in the AHL is less than those who haven’t.
Literally the other great example that slipped my mind is the Klefbom contract.
Huge value signing him longer term after his ELC for 7 years @ $4.167M AAV. That’s the model for signing Bear.
You say Bear will regress with a sophmore jinx but you have shown absolutely no proof as to why you believe this other than saying other D have regressed. I’ve shown an article stating that he’s educated himself enough to know what it takes to get to the NHL and he’s taken some of those steps.
Even after one year, he’s shown enormous improvement. You think that makes him a candidate to slip back. I say that’s just a jumping off point to improving more long term. You say his confidence will fail him next year. I say his confidence is reassured and his resolve strengthened seeing how well he’s played so far after he took the necessary improvements to his skating, nutrition and training over ONE summer.
It’s like you didn’t learn a thing from the Nurse bridge deal.
I honestly can’t speak to all those D and why they regressed into sophmore slumps and beyond but I will comment on Ghostisbehere.
From what I read from a Philly analyst, Ghost was sheltered 3rd pair 5v5 and on PP1 with Philly in his 1st year. That PP was on fire and Ghost helped a ton. In subsequent years, they thought he was ready and pushed him into steady top 4 D usage. That’s when he fell on his face. Basically they “Jultzed” him just like the Oilers did to Justin Schultz by forcing him too high up in the order before he was ready.
That’s why Bear’s performance is so amazing. This is his first full year in the NHL and he’s a solid Top 4. Last year he was sheltered 3rd pair and he struggled at even that for his few cups of coffee out of the AHL. He hasn’t had to carry his pair with Nurse but he hasn’t been a drag on it either. He’s been a solid compliment to Nurse.
They use the same defensive outlet play where Nurse gets it to Bear on the right and Bear scans the ice for an open forward. If there isn’t an open man, Nurse releases and races up the left wing as the 4th forwad for an outlet or stretch pass from Bear. It uses the best of both of their abilities: Bear’s processing and passing and Nurse’s skating.
I see tons of room for upside. Bear has been brought along well by the coaches but they’ve been conservative. They haven’t given him tons of PP time and they haven’t overloaded him on the PK either. As he plays opponents more often his knowledge base will grow and he’ll be better against them the next time around. Plus this is the first year of his off ice improvements. Each year means he should be getting stronger, his skating will be better and he’ll gain confidence knowing he’s figured out the right path to staying in the NHL. I think he gets it now and he’ll be an NHLer for a number of years.
You mention Bear’s smaller frame as a reason why he’ll regress. He’s always been a smaller player and it’s not hurt him in the past. He won the award for best WHL defenceman over lots of bigger guys.
He paid the penalty in the draft falling to the 5th round because NHL GMs have a size fetish. If I remember, LT had him going in the 3rd round of 2015 and if there is a redraft after this year, he’d be solidly in the 2nd round. The NHL is a more skilled game and you don’t have to be as big or tough anymore. It’s more about skating passing and skill. Adam Larsson is the poster child for that type of defenceman and while he’s not obsolete, he’s definitely struggling with the faster skilled players now.
Looking at Brendan Smith’s career. 3rd pair sheltered D til he was 24.
Scouting report from April 2014:
https://thehockeywriters.com/still-hope-brendan-smith/
“For the last three years of Nicklas Lidstrom’s illustrious career, Detroit Red Wings’ fans heard that the next big thing was coming. They heard the praises being sung about the young Brendan Smith. Fans and scouts alike gushed about his speed, scoring prowess, and some of the more overzealous fans even compared him to a poor-man’s Bobby Orr. Flash forward to 2013-2014 and Red Wings’ fans have largely been disappointed with Smith’s play. Fans complain about his atrocious giveaways, his ill-timed offensive zone pinches, and his reckless 1-on-4 charges into the offensive zone when his team is changing lines. Fans are getting tired of it and the excuse that “he’s young” is starting to go by the wayside as Smith turned 25 in February”
That doesn’t sound anything like Bear’s progression but it does point to unattained upside. If anything it sounds like a bad version of Nurse if he had not improved from his early seasons. I don’t think Smith ever solidified himself as a Top 4 D til a much later age than Bear’s 22.
Plus if Smith was in Detroit’s top 4 D, it was only because Lidstrom has retired and they had no one else. It feels like they forced him into the Top 4 D before he was ready.
Just catching up on the thread, enjoyed it until the posts around 630pm and everyone… we’re feeding the troll here. Just ignore him.
I agree. Bear’s greatest strength is his brain. This makes his upside tremendously high. His lack of size and speed though could impact his play if he loses his confidence.
The league is riddled with dmen who regressed in their sophomore season. Some permanently. Some for a year or two. There is risk signing a dman to a long term deal after a single season of play. Here’s some examples off the top of my head.
Ghostisbehere
Zaitsev
Maata
Colin Miller
Myers
Brenden Smith
Yeah.
That’s a realistic trade proposal.
Wow.
Current Oilers on the Oilers top 50 all time games played list, with who is immediately ahead and behind them:
RNH 17th Fogolin – Staios
Gagner 21 Coffey – Tikkanen
Draisatl 35 Pisani – Niinimaa
Klefbom 41 Hall – Reasoner
McDavid 43 Reasoner – Nurse
Nurse 44 McDavid – Cogliano
Kassian 48 Brewer – Geoff Smith
Darnell Nurse is tied with Andrei Kovalenko for 67th in all time points for the Oilers. One point ahead of Dave Manson
Kassian is tied with Tom Poti for 70th, one past Milan Lucic
Berglund could take the Right D opening in Bakersfield next season that Benson leaves
err Bouchard
When Benson plays a game he will be the 54th player from the 2016 draft to play a game this season
23 are from Round 1
He’ll be the 14th from his 2nd Round
The 8th FW
Points this year:
Debrincat 51gp – 35 pts
Dube 27 – 10
Gambrell (who is about 2 years older) 32 -7
Kyrou 14 – 4
Grundstrom 9 – 4
Asplund 28 – 3
Smith 15 – 3
Bear has NEVER had the size or speed to dominate. His strength is between his ears. His calm under pressure, his fast processing of the game to make quick plays. His brain isn’t going to regress and he’s only going to get better as he gains more experience in the league. He reminds me a young Andrei Sekera. I think Sekera’s time in the AHL on a conditioning stint influenced Bear heavily.
https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/nhl-edmonton-oilers-ethan-bear-vicki-hall-1.5346724
“Looking back, Ethan Bear figures his hockey future rested on two questions and one life-changing decision.
“It was basically, did I want to be an NHL player?” the Edmonton Oilers defenceman says. “Or did I want to be an AHL player?”
In pursuit of his dream, Bear cut carbohydrates from his diet, loaded up on vegetables and ate plenty of grilled chicken and steak. He followed LeBron James on social media, soaking up the L.A. Lakers star’s dedication to nutrition and fitness as a recipe for athletic consistency. He bought and devoured books on elite training and performance.
Instead of bouncing between Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. in the off-season, the Regina native stayed in Edmonton all summer and worked out under the guidance of Oilers strength and conditioning coach Chad Drummond.”
Literally he spent ONE offseason working on nutrition, strength conditioning and skating and went from mid level AHLer to solid Top 4 NHL D. He’s not regressing but if he does, it’s not going to be very much. His nutrition is on the right track, his training is focused and his skating and body strength will only get better.
You’ve posted this nonsense repeatedly. The way you maximize in a cap world is to find ways to jump on opportunities to lock up good to great players before they’ve had a chance to establish a longer resume. Bridge deals are for bottom 6 forwards and bottom pair D… basically guys you’re not sure will be in the NHL in 3 years.
If you can identify a Top 6 forward or a Top 4 D while they’re still on their ELC, the best thing is to sign them at the earliest possible time and sign them long. The opposite is to bridge them like the Canadiens did to Subban or the Oilers did to Nurse and Petry. Then coming out of their bridge deal, you pay full price with little chance at a discount.
A couple of good examples are Ryan McDonagh, and Roman Josi. Their teams got many of their prime years at bargain basement prices because they identified their quality early before they got league wide notice.
I feel Bear’s floor will be this year’s performance. He’ll only get better from here. The thing is he’s not even getting much PP2 time so if he gets any PP1, his hammer shot could even improve what’s been already a top unit.
I don’t know why this is so hard to understand. It’s literally stock investing 101.
The earlier you invest in a good stock, the higher your rate of return. If you dither and wait til it shows more track record of performance, then you buy when the price has been raised.
The stock improved it’s fundamentals over one year and saw a spike in performance if not share price. Lock in the share price before it gets too expensive or you aren’t getting a premium on the price.
This is not stock investing 101
So who gets Benson’s cherry minutes on LW with Granlund and Currie?
Gambardella?
McLeod?
New for The Athletic: What’s next for Tyler Benson and William Lagesson after being called up by the Oilers?
https://theathletic.com/1573942/2020/01/30/whats-next-for-tyler-benson-and-william-lagesson-after-being-called-up-by-the-oilers/
Only one point for ARI tonight against LAK.
I felt that Khaira had a poor outing last night. He was slow to pucks, never asserted himself physically and did not contribute much to the flow of the game. I like his tool box but he has to exert himself or he will be a career AHL’er at best.
I would hope you’ll be able to keep your dinner down knowing that you have no surety that Bouchard in the lineup would have helped collect that extra point and, perhaps, having him in the lineup would make the gap larger than 1 point.
They have different skill sets for sure but Lagesson is a legit top pairing shut down d-man at the AHL level and deserves to be up over Bouchard. Its better for the current team and the future.
Awful fucking thread today, proud of everybody.
I’ll have something sometime on Benson – tl;dr is that his shot impact remains fairly weak this year but he’s good at generating primary assists, if he hits the ground running it’ll probably be on 97’s LW bringing their oiSH% to somewhere between the Neal version and the Draisaitl one.
His breakout value (it’s impressive) might be marred by that the 97 line needs to play those really weird because of how McDavid gets directly obstructed in the NZ where Benson probably wants to hit him after taking the first pass out. We’ll see.
So – Benson will begin his career 163 points behind the man who should have been one of the most obvious picks in Oilers history, and would probably have even more than 163 having reunited with McDavid.
Good luck to the young man – hopefully he won’t be remembered as simply a mistake.
I wonder if McDavid had a say in whether or not they should draft DeBrincat. It would have been a lot of pressure on Debrincat, he would have been instantly tied to McDavid. If he didn’t work out, people would have quickly thrown him under the bus as a McDavid tag along. I understand why they didn’t draft him – even though in retrospect it was a mistake.
Here’s the thing – it wasn’t a mistake in retrospect, it was a mistake from that second. It flew in the face of all available info. I’ve been very consistent about that and others have as well.
I’m quite sure based on track record that Chiarelli and the scouts didn’t ask McDavid or at minimum asked and ignored. We’ve all seen the disaster that was that time…including trading for someone who injured your franchise player with intent…the man and his team had absolutely no clue.
Lol… I recall a few Bailey vs Jennifer guy talks back in the day… Bailey was usually a consensus winner.
Hopefully the NHL version doesn’t light up the TV screen anywhere near as brightly.
The player that was a hair shy of PPG in his 20 year old AHL season, not the player than had 40 points in 70 games.
Recall, you are a poster praising Brogan Rafferty as a high end prospect at 24 and a better prospect than Evan Bouchad and in another tier than Logan Day – He has less goals than Bouchard and one single goal more than Day (in 7 more games).
So, are goals all that matter now?
Will wait for the goal post to be moved again via a forward vs. d-man argument.
Dealing with HH is like pissing in the wind so why bother. You are better than that. Thank you for all you bring to this site.
This poster does not believe age matters with respect to prospects, hence Brogan Rafferty > Evan Bouchard.
Yup, the two points matter the most.
Of course, the first tie break is regulation wins so I would prefer teams chasing the Oilers as Nashville is (still 5 points back) to get to get their wins not in regulation against eastern teams.
Is that the same Bailey from WKRP in Cincinnati.
Benson has more assists in his rookie season then Bailey has total points in any of his seasons, before this season was trending in nothing but a down direction with his development and is now starting to put it back together at 24.
Unless Benson falls off the rails and gives up its pretty confusing to see a grown adult compare the two players.
I didn’t qualify a thing? Please read again:
“Its up to the Oilers to live up to it but they have the better points percentage and the better goal differential”.
I can’t possibly see Calgary being 6-1 in the shootout being construed as anything but a negative for them. There is a reason SO wins have ALWAYS been excluded from the 1st tie break.
It means they are keeping games close and winning in extra time? Well that is factually incorrect – they aren’t winning in extra time – they are winning in a SO – something that’s not even available in the playoffs.
Who do I got? I was told earlier tonight that goal differential is the primary indicator and, well, the flames are -12 and the Oilers in the positive.
I think I know who I should have.
I believe Bouchard is ready for third pairing it’s a young man’s league. I would also have him on the PP 2 over Nurse. I know you have viewed him way more than I have but if the Nucks and Flames make it and we fall 1 point short because we have our only D that can make a tape to tape headman pass to spring Connor Leon and Yamo stewing in the minors I think I’ll be physically sick.
Benson clearly.
Bailey is a scorer. He’s probably a better scorer than Benson. He’s a better skater and bigger. But he’s also a guy that scores more than assists.
Bailey’s rookie season in the A was .64 PPG Benson’s .97.
Bailey may be a better NHL player, he has the advantage physically. History tells us he is the more likely to be a tweener as you well know because the age at getting to 1 PPG in the A is a better predictor of NHL quality.
But which player had the easier schedule?
Asking before HH does.
Are you really using a 5 goal difference between rookie seasons to conclude that 1 player is more skilled than the other?
L O L
When Benson is still a regular in the AHL at 24 how about we compare his career at that point. 4 years, lots of time to let the debate simmer.
This McDavid kid isn’t 24 yet and has scored over 100pts multiple seasons in the NHL, why can no Vancouver Canuck come close in comparison to such a young lad? Only reason for me it seems that the Canucks are the God awful trash bag of the league. Never change trash bag.
While, yes, I agree, expectations should be tempered, of course:
– Justin Bailey was picked in the back third of the 2nd round, not with the 2nd pick of the round
– Justin Bailey didn’t have mid-first round pedigree and fall due to injury risk like Benson
– Justin Bailey is 24 years old and doesn’t have anywhere near the AHL scoring pedigree as Benson – 40 points in 70 AHL games as a rookie.
Justin Bailey isn’t a top 6 pedigree prospect at 24 years old.
Yep.
If they all get two points every night, you would be right.
But they don’t.
Maybe this went over your head, at the end of the season when everyone brings their 2 points together and they’re tied. The fighter left standing is going to be the one with more regulation collection of their 2 points.
If Calgary finishes ahead in points and no tie breaker is needed yes your simple man theory is correct, but if they are tied when the 82 games are over. Their 2 points mean shit immediately after the first tie breaker. Go home thanks for coming leave your 2 points at the door see ya next season. Learn how to get them on the 1st 60 dumbasses. And that will be that.
Play Benson with Samwise, it’s beautiful story telling. When not with Samwise slide him in Neal’s spot, his passing may start sending McDavid into some sort of hype speed overdrive.
2nd line is just too magical to touch right now, not ready for the climax.
Ahh I remember the days when you would move the goalposts about what was most important, points percentage vs regulation wins vs goal differential vs ease of schedule.
Look at how far you have come….
Oh wait, it’s the same routine.
Bailey scored 20 goals in his rookie AHL season.
Benson scored 15 in his and was on pace for about the same in his second season.
Who is more skilled?
WG posted data comparables for Benson’s 20 year old AHL season and the comparables were very encouraging – mainly top 6 NHLers.
I agree the second line has been very good since the recall – for all the grief I’ve read about Drai from last night, he was a bull lugging the puck – made some risky plays, etc. but was a bull.
I would just like to get Benson with some skill.
Ideally, Neal would be moved off the top line given struggles at evens but I don’t know about Benson going right to 1LW with the pressure, the minutes and tough match-up that entails.
I can see three pairs:
Connor/Kass
Drai/Kailer
Benson/Nuge
I don’t see it though and, yes, not changing the second line is extremely defendable.
Benson likely starts down the lineup, if he does even play right away
Bailey and Benson aren’t the same player. Benson is a far more skilled player bcs he has scored at 20 better than Bailey scores now at 24. Context matters.
May I ask:
1) how much of Bouchard have you seen play this year?
2) Do you actually think that Bouchard coming up now is a realistic option for Holland?
3) Do you actually think that Bouchard up now is good for his future and the team’s future?
See…you’re back on your regulation wins nonsense again.
The TWO POINTS matter more than anything.
It’s true, but then when everyone brings 2 points to the gun fight, the regulation points stay standing. Truth hurts