2024 Playoffs Discussion / Predictions

[Meds]

McJesus had a playoffs for the ages, and the Kraut had a great playoff run - and they still couldn't get it done. Lack of depth, too many brain farts on the blueline and average-to-good goaltending - the story of McJesus' tenure in Edmonton - did them in. For a team constructed to win around their two mega-stars, this may have been their best shot. Their playoff performance this year may have been their ceiling; how much more is Edmonton going to get out of McJesus and Kraut - or even Hyman for that matter? Is anyone going to reasonably say that there's room for significant improvement in-house with that roster? Even with the league starting to move past the flat cap era, there's not much scope to bring in significant improvement unless they ship out one of their mega-stars, and would that not be a case of one step forward, two steps back?

They'll say they're window is still wide open. I wouldn't say it's closed, but it's not near as open as some would like to think. This warms my heart, regardless the state of the Canucks.

Cap management is such a big thing. Even as we leave this flat cap era behind, the fact remains that you just can’t blow your salary structure on one or two guys. Sure, there will be more money to spend in a few years when the cap is $95+M. But with that increase also comes the expected wage increase across the lineup, not just the superstars.

As Doc says, $11.5K for Pettersson won’t look bad in 3 years time, but at that point other key positions will need re-signing, and they will be asking for inflationary salaries.

Edmonton is perma-fucked if they give Draisaitl an extension that pays him $12.5M…..and face it, if Perimettersson gets $11.6M the Kraut is not getting less than $12.5M. A year later McDavid will need a new deal as well. No way does he stay in Edmonton for less than $16M, and there’s no way Draisaitl puts up the same numbers without #97. So they can have their dynamic duo, and then hope to hell they can learn how to draft and develop (something that has totally eluded Oilville for decades) so they can fill out a competitive roster with ELC’s and reliable role players who punch above their weight-class.

[Diehard1]

It definitely hurts a lot more to think you've got it then lose in game 7. I feel bad for McDavid given he was the whole team, but fire the rest of the team into the sun.

Have to think that was their best chance to win as they don't have much room to improve this summer, then need to sign all their big 3 to huge deals next summer (assuming they want to stay). If Draisaitl doesn't sign this summer then they are done for next year as well - they'd have to trade him and that means McDavid leaves the year after.

Interesting times in Edmonton, couldn't happen to fans that were a bigger bunch of jerks!

[Raile]

It definitely hurts a lot more to think you've got it then lose in game 7. I feel bad for McDavid given he was the whole team, but fire the rest of the team into the sun.

Have to think that was their best chance to win as they don't have much room to improve this summer, then need to sign all their big 3 to huge deals next summer (assuming they want to stay). If Draisaitl doesn't sign this summer then they are done for next year as well - they'd have to trade him and that means McDavid leaves the year after.

Interesting times in Edmonton, couldn't happen to fans that were a bigger bunch of jerks!

compared to a lot, if not all the other true contenders, I thought Edmonton had a lot of things go right for them too with matchups.
LA was a pretty easy win for them.
We pushed them harder, but we'd been on a downward trend for half a season and our elite starter was out.
Dallas I thought was the better team but kind of folded at the end. More of Dallas losing the series then Edmonton winning it, imo.

A lot of luck is needed to get to the final that won't happen every year, as we painfully know.

[Cornuck]

[Cornuck]

Report: Leon Draisaitl suffered broken rib on hit by Tyler Myers in Round 2

So.... if McBust doesn't want the Conn Smythe, he can give it to Myers.

[JelloPuddingPop]

A lot of luck is needed to get to the final that won't happen every year, as we painfully know.

A lot of luck for sure - but they were 2 goals away from winning a SC. Pretty good result for a team that I thought was going to miss the playoffs after their start.

McJesus's play was inspired, until that last game - where he tried to beat them 1 on 4 too many times. Still, what an amazing performance. The German a bit less so, but was still all world.

Bouchard's play was also fantastic - but unfortunately the rest of the D was mostly off the glass and out when pressured by FLA. Or high flip to center. Can't get much speed that way. Other than a rare breakaway pass from Ceci - they were just overmatched.

But anyone pretending that this team isn't built for success - needs to give their head a shake, their depth carried them through this series.. Lucky in terms of healthy top players (except Kane) - but still, a great team. You can certainly build a suspect defense, when you have two all-world forwards carrying you.

FLA was just better, and took their eyes off the prize for a few games.

[Hockey Widow]

Not surprised to earn the German had a broken rib. That was pretty well predicted after the hit and the next game. Broken ribs are so painful and can restrict movement. Too bad. But no tears here. I still say with a healthy Demko we take them that series so as far as injuries go they had their share of luck.

Well done Myers!

[Raile]

Well done Myers!

one could make the argument that Myers cost them the cup

[Strangelove]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fpiufg4I3ws

[Todd Bersnoozi]

Too bad for the Oil, battled back for nothing. Gotta say though, if I were a betting man, I would go all in with the Oil for the Cup next season. They know they can do it now, just some tweaks here and there will result in a different outcome. They now have the taste, experience and have gone through the growing pains. Just like the 80s Oil who had to lose to the NY Isles before learning what it takes to go all the way to win Lord Stanley.

[Lancer]

Too bad for the Oil, battled back for nothing. Gotta say though, if I were a betting man, I would go all in with the Oil for the Cup next season. They know they can do it now, just some tweaks here and there will result in a different outcome. They now have the taste, experience and have gone through the growing pains. Just like the 80s Oil who had to lose to the NY Isles before learning what it takes to go all the way to win Lord Stanley.

Or was this their best shot, and they blew it?

How did we feel after 2011? Look where the team went after that?

These are not the Boys on the Bus. It's the "McJesus, Kraut and Friends Show". If Gretzky or Messier wasn't scoring, they had Kurri, Anderson or even Krushelnyski to back them up. Hyman, Kane and Girly-Nuge could not even touch those guys' jockstraps. This year's squad went as far as their two superstars could take them, and it wasn't enough. Anyone want to bet that there's room for increased production from within? How much cap space will they feasibly have to significantly improve their roster?

We may have seen the McJesus era Oilers' best shot, and it's only downhill from there.

Looking forward to the fall.

[donlever]

[2Fingers]

Does this mean the Canucks should sign him?

[Meds]

Too bad for the Oil, battled back for nothing. Gotta say though, if I were a betting man, I would go all in with the Oil for the Cup next season. They know they can do it now, just some tweaks here and there will result in a different outcome. They now have the taste, experience and have gone through the growing pains. Just like the 80s Oil who had to lose to the NY Isles before learning what it takes to go all the way to win Lord Stanley.

Nah.

The Oilers have $10M in cap space and need to sign 5 forwards and upgrade that blueline. They also still don't have goaltending with Skinner inked for $2.5M for another 2 seasons and Campbell's $5M of dead weight on the books for another 3 years.

They do have 4 solid top-6 forwards in McDavid, Draisaitl, RNH, and Hymen. Kane has slowed down year over year the past few and is basically a 45 point middle-6 winger at this point. We saw it enough this year that when McDavid and Draisaitl were split up the attack faltered.

This isn't the 80' Oilers with a stacked roster with Gretzky, Messier, Anderson, Kurri, Tik, Coffey, Lowe, Smith, Fuhr, and Moog, flanked by guys like Huddy, Smith, and Krushelnyski. They are a 2-horse team.....and frankly it's more of a Batman and Robin situation, and Robin just can't carry the cowl for very long at all. McWonder had nearly 30 more points than Draisaitl despite the Kraut riding shotgun on nearly every PP. Without Connor I'd bet that Draisaitl scores 30 goals instead of 41, and Hymen gets 25. You take McDavid out of the equation and the Oilers absolutely do miss the playoffs this year.

[Strangelove]

Does this mean the Canucks should sign him?

Hmmm... jinxed team signs jinxed player... the jinxes cancel each other out... team wins Cup.

Genius!