It’s the first Monday of the Oilerless summer and now you’re looking for ways to kill some company time until you’re allowed to go home. As always, we’re back with the mailbag to help you do that. I always need you guys for this feature so email me your questions to baggedmilk@oilersnation.com or hit me up on Twitter at @jsbmbaggedmilk. Now sit back, relax, and pretend to look busy for as long as possible. Have a good week, everybody.

Oilers played fairly well, but one area of concern was their ability to hold a lead in game four and five. I felt they went right in getting good starts and scoring first in five of seven games. They held onto leads versus San Jose better than they did versus Anaheim, but that happens the deeper you go in the playoffs because you play better teams.

I think the Oilers played a helluva series, the hurdles they could not overcome had to do with roster quality, luck, officiating and inexperience. Their time will come, and the experience gained will help a lot.

Lots of twists and turns but blowing a 3-0 lead and losing Game 5 4-3 in double OT was a big swing, even though the Oilers romped in the next game. Coming home up 3-2 instead of down 3-2 might have been enough.

This was incredibly close: three of the final four games of the series were one-goal wins for the Ducks. Edmonton didn’t get enough offence from its first and third lines in those contests. A banged up defence wasn’t up to the task of holding off the Ducks and sometimes had trouble starting the offence off with clean breakouts. Todd McLellan stuck with McDavid/Draisaitl on one line for too long, and Randy Carlyle got his matchups throughout, partially due to coaching and partially due to the Oilers’ inability to win a faceoff. That’s the glass half-empty stuff. The glass half-full stuff is that the power play was off-the-charts good, that Draisaitl fared brilliantly in his playoff debut, that the defence mostly hung together despite being run through the ringer, and Cam Talbot. I don’t want to get stuck on the officiating, which Edmonton can do nothing about, but it was inconsistent and that’s always going to benefit the team with Ryan Kesler and Corey Perry.

I think we have to acknowledge that for more than half the series, the Oilers were being outplayed at even strength. They had a very real problem leaving their own zone and playing along the boards. In some cases those events were related to each other. Things went well on special teams, generally, and once the Oilers went with McDavid, Drai, and Nuge down the middle. With both 97 and 93 well off their scoring paces it was necessary.

Wrong: We were inconsistent as heck! I can’t fathom how one night we can come out guns blazing, hitting everything in sight, and then two nights later we come out flat as a tarmac. Also, something something officiating.

The Oilers had stretches in games where they took their foot off the gas and it cost them. I could go on for 1000 words about how the refs screwed us too, but, at the end of the day, the Oilers couldn’t close out a series that should have been theirs for the taking.

The Oilers seldom played a full 60 minutes in the Anaheim series. I don’t know if I want to blame that on the team having poor depth or too many holes, but I think it largely comes down to a lack of experience. You simply don’t see a team go from 29th place to a deep playoff run, and what this team accomplished this year was quite impressive.

Draisaitl. He was a force. Not just with points, but skating, being aggressive and elevating his game at key times.

Leon Draisaitl was dominant. I have to say that the progress made from his draft day scouting report through that playoff run against Anaheim is revealing. Some players work hard, develop and end up in a much better place than they started. Leon is such a player.

Leon Draisaitl. That playoff was a real coming-out party for him after a tremendous regular season.

Leon Draisaitl. It took him a few games to get going, but once he did he was a force. He was a key driver of the turnaround in Game 5 against the Sharks, then scored the opening goal in Game 6. He had three multi-point games against Anaheim, with a five-point outing when the Oilers were facing elimination in Game 6. He was Edmonton’s best player. Honourable mentions to Oscar Klefbom and Cam Talbot.

Pretty tough to choose anyone other than Draisaitl or Talbot for playoff MVP. I would probably lean towards Draisaitl because I think that level of offense he showed in the second round is rare. I think there are a lot of players who deserve praise but those two are tops for me.

I’m going with Leon Draisaitl. Even though he didn’t play well ALL the time, he stepped up when we needed him most. He single-handedly manhandled the Ducks and proved to everyone why he deserves a giant raise next year.

Everyone is saying Leon Draisaitl so I’m going to go with Cam Talbot. Dadbot straight up stole a couple games in the playoffs and was (obviously) a huge part of them getting to Game 7 in the second round. I know the question asks for a playoff MVP but I can’t help but think of all the amazing work Talbot did throughout the year. Cam Talbot, I speak your name.

Absolutely Leon Draisaitl. I think he had a great season, but there was some reason to believe that Draisaitl was benefitting from playing alongside Connor McDavid. After what he did in the playoffs, though? It’s clear the Oilers have two elite talents up front. I think Draisaitl and McDavid will really push each other. It’s noticeable how much better the team is when they’re on different lines.

There is value for sure. They can learn from their mistakes, and learn how to deal with the pressure of the playoffs and split-second decisions.

The value comes in gaining experience. Darnell Nurse, as an example, has enormous potential just based on God-given talents. Making mistakes, straightening out errors, proving to himself he can play at that level, are all important parts of development.

At this point, yes. The Oilers gained playoff experience and that matters. They’ll be better for it.

I think there’s education in playing in the playoffs, in facing the same team over and over and having to handle the adjustments that team makes to shut you down. I’m more skeptical that there’s value specifically in losing, save that some amount of failure is the cost of doing business of any success.

I think there’s simply value to being in the playoffs. Since all but one team actually wins in the end there are 15 others who will make themselves feel better by saying there’s value in losing. I think the real value is being in the battle. That said, it’s probably the best motivation in the world to feel like you were *that* close. So the Oilers lost and they’ll say they gained something by losing. If it makes them battle harder then cool.

Yes, 100%. I don’t mean to name drop here or anything… but Grant Fuhr, who watched game seven at the Pint, told us after the game that sometimes you need to lose to become better, and reminded everyone that the Oilers lost two years in a row before they went on to be a playoff super team.

I remember hearing Wayne Gretzky tell a story about walking past the Islanders’ dressing room after the Oilers lost to them in the Cup finals and seeing how exhausted they looked after winning. The point was that they saw what it took to win and knew what they had to do to get over the hump. Here’s hoping some of that same message sunk in with our boys this year.

It’s playing in the playoffs in general that’s important. You know what you did to win, and you know what you did to lose. You figure out the difference, you figure out what goes into it, every step, and you do what resulted in success the next time around and you know how to stay away from what resulted in failure.

Before the draft I don’t see much other than re-signing Draisaitl and Kassian. A trade is possible considering all the moves that will be made. After the expansion draft I suspect they try to re-sign Russell at price and term they are comfortable with. I don’t see many enticing UFAs, so if they sign one I assume it will be a lower-end depth player. And in July we will see McDavid’s eight-year extension.

I think the Oilers will add a RHC who can also play RW and a top four defender for the Kris Russell spot. That player may also be Kris Russell. The rest of the roster moves will be cap related.

Will have to wait until after the expansion draft to make a reasonable guess on that. What’s the decision going to be on Eberle? Will he be here? Can the Oilers pay Leon Draisaitl when they’ve got two forwards who ended the season outside the top six making $6 million each?

I expect they’ll move on from Eberle (for a cheaper, lesser player, possibly a centre) and Pouliot (either through buyout or some combination of sweetener/salary retention) and re-sign Russell to a three- or four-year extension. The salary cap doesn’t give them much choice on the first two moves, but the latter commits them to the current blue line and it’s my view that they need more puck-moving ability there, particularly given that speed on the wings is not a strength.

They need to fill the 2RHD spot. They may move Eberle. If they do and/or move Draisaitl to C permanently then they need another RW for McDavid. They might need a 3C if they ARENT moving Drai to C. So there’s plenty of work to be done. The Oilers have a very solid base to build from now. A couple solid additions could really push Edm over the edge.

Listen, last year when someone asked this same question I would have never guessed that the team was going to trade Taylor Hall so what the hell do I know? I could see Chiarelli trading Eberle. I could see him taking back a bad contract to get rid of Pouliot. I could see him trading Nuge (though, I hope he doesn’t). My point is that the Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson trade was so surprising that I don’t really have an answer for you.

All I know for sure is that Peter Chiarelli will definitely do something and that we’re all going to fight about it.

A puck-moving defenceman who can play on the power play would be great. But the main key right now is figuring out McDavid and Draisaitl’s extensions. After you have that number, you can decide who else stays and goes, and thus, how you can add up and down the roster.

Predators and Penguins. Both win in six games.

I’ll say Pittsburgh over Ottawa in 5, and Nashville over Anaheim in 7.

Pittsburgh over Ottawa and Nashville over Anaheim. Final is Pittsburgh versus Nashville. Penguins hoist the Cup again.

Nashville over Anaheim, Pittsburgh over Ottawa. I don’t think either series is going to be a walk, though. I expect Pittsburgh’s offensive depth to be the key against Ottawa, as Erik Karlsson can’t play everyone and Cody Ceci is no Erik Karlsson, but having said that, the Pens are vulnerable on the back end. The Ducks and Predators are both good teams, but Nashville is healthier and has a ridiculously hot goaltender.

I’m behind PK Subban and the Predators all the way. I’m not sure what to make of the East, but I’m hopeful Ottawa can make it to the finals. I’m not cheering for Ottawa because they’re Canadian though. Blech. So let’s say Senators in 6 and Nashville in 5.

I HOPE Nashville and the Senators advance to the cup finals, however, I THINK Nashville and the Pens will actually advance.

Nashville beats Anaheim in seven. The Ducks’ defence doesn’t match up to the Predators from where I blog.

Pittsburgh beats Ottawa in six. Karsslon can’t do everything forever.

Ottawa is going to upset the Penguins, who have just been scraping by, and Nashville will handily beat Anaheim.

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