The 2016-17 NHL season is upon us and that means it was, once again, time to sit the writers down, get their thoughts for the upcoming year, and figure out exactly the Oilers are as compared to last year. Fortunately for those of you reading this, we have all the answers to the questions you’ve been wondering about regardless of whether or not the Oilers will take our advice. 

Let the arguments begin!

I say they shock the hockey world and make the playoffs and avoid owning the ugliest record in NHL history all by themselves. I will admit this is a selfish pick. It is hard to rationally explain why they would improve so much, but 11 is my favourite number and I don’t want it tarnished by being a part of such an ugly record.

I am writing this on October 4th, and do think there is a chance we see one or two roster moves before opening night. At this point, I do not see the Oilers as a playoff team.

I have them missing the playoffs, but not by double digits and a $5 cab ride, as has been the case too often during this 10-year drought.

The team as it stands while I write this is not a Playoff team. I have concerns about goaltending and defense. The addition of Kris Russell worries me a lot and there are two rookies on the 3rd line. Things can change. People can have career years, but I can’t give this team the benefit of the doubt after a decade of losing.

This is the year the Oilers make the playoffs! The hockey gods are just scaring us with injury problems in the preseason, but we will not repeat what we had last year. This year we’ll have a healthy team, I can feel it!

You know what? To hell with it. I say they make it. I say the Oilers go on some weird run at the end of the season that no one expects and squeek into the 8th spot. I don’t really believe the words I’m writing right now but that’s alright. I’d still bet Gregor’s money on it.

They will finish 4th in the Pacific with 92 points.

I am picking the Oilers to finish No. 5 in the division with 82 points.

I have them finishing fifth in the Pacific Division with 84 points.

Ahead of Calgary and Vancouver. Mid 80’s for points. That’s a big improvement!

The Oilers will finish fourth in the pacific with 89 points.

I see the Oilers finishing 5th (Canucks and Coyotes beneath them) in the division with 86 points. 

Watching McDavid chase the 100 point total. I love offence and I think he’ll be close to the century mark.

Connor McDavid is worth the price of admission alone, and I do think he will push for the scoring title if healthy. I am hopeful the defense and goaltending can keep the GA below 230 for the season.

I think McDavid will take a run at the scoring title if he plays 75-82 games. He’ll improve on that 1.07 PPG of his rookie season. 

82 games of Connor McDavid and Oscar Klefbom excite me a lot. McDavid is such a pleasure to watch. He does things that only happen in video games. I look forward to watching his growth over the next four or five seasons.

I’m excited to have a healthy roster throughout most of the season. I’m excited to see McDavid play more than 45 games, and I’m excited to see Nuge develop into the all-star centerman that he is and have the best season of his career! I’m also excited to see a “big” version of the Oilers, with Lucic and Maroon laying the body out there in full force.

I was at the last pre-season game on Saturday and I was able to stare at Connor McDavid the whole night. Everything about this kid is exciting and I’m really looking forward to watching him get better and better. It’s like Connor is playing another game entirely, and I’m always waiting to see what he’ll do next.

They still have little depth on their right side defence.

I do not understand adding only Adam Larsson to the top 6D this summer. I would have thought another move—PP defender who could play top 6D—was a no-brainer.

I still have questions about the defence as a whole. I think it’s better with Adam Larsson and Kris Russell, but I don’t know if that translates to being good enough.

The third line without Draisaitl and the 2nd pairing with Russell. The Oilers have the chance to go three centres deep with scoring ability. It can be a strength. They also need right handed defenders like mad but they opted for Russell instead. Russell’s NHL career suggests he is substandard in his own zone. This concerns me a lot.

This goes against everything I said in my first question but I’ll always be a little paranoid that the injury bug will strike us. Last year ruined it for me. 

Other than that, the only thing that is really concerning me right now is how all the new guys will mesh. When was the last time we went five games in a row without adjusting the lineups? I hope we can get some solid chemistry going between all the players this season.

A couple things… I’m still nervous about the defense. Yes, the backend is certainly better with Larsson and a healthy Klefbom but is that really enough? It looks like they’re going to be opening the season with six of seven defensemen being left-handed. I also think that Puljujarvi should start the year in the AHL, but it doesn’t look like the Oilers agree.

I had Caggiula as my surprise player to watch at the start of camp, but he’ impressed me even more than I expected. Hopefully he keeps it up. A close second to Pitlick for making the team and having a few strong preseason. Hopefully for his sake he can stay healthy.

Hall for Larsson was a shocking trade. The Oilers can make it work—there is still plenty of firepower on the roster—but that was a shocker. 

That the return in the Yakupov trade was as crappy as it was. I knew it wouldn’t be great, but an ECHL guy as the primary return? 

Caggiula has looked a lot better than I thought. I figured he would be pretty good, but not as noticeable as he was in preseason. I was not surprised, but Puljujarvi staying up with the big club disappoints me.

Obviously the Hall trade surprised me the most, and part of me was really hoping that Chia wouldn’t sign Kris Russell. But as usual, we do not have ears inside Chia’s brain, and i’m sure he has his reasons for doing what he does. I was also pleasantly surprised that Caggiula made the team. When we signed him in the off-season I was expecting him to just be another AHL depth player for us, but he’s been very effective for us.

That Puljujarvi seemed to be gifted a spot even though he struggled in main camp. Did they really hate Yakupov that much that they couldn’t have waited to trade him for an ECHLer until Puljujarvi had some time to marinate in the AHL? 

None. **Unless they send Puljujarvi to the AHL to start. I answered this before they set the final roster, but he’d be the only one.** I picked them to make the playoffs and if they do, then none of the AHL guys should be making an impact, the guys who are here should.

If Jesse Puljujarvi or Drake Caggiula are sent to the minors, they would be the answer to this question. If neither man is demoted, then my answer is Jujhar Khaira. He will fill a fourth line role on the big club. 

I don’t see an impact player unless the Oilers send Jesse Puljujarvi to the minors in the next day or two. Nobody down there right now is that impact guy.

Jujhar Khaira. I think he had a good camp and looks like he might be an effective 4th liner. There really isnt anyone on the AHL team (while I’m writing this) who looks like a difference maker in the NHL.

Jordan Oesterle has been on the outskirts of the NHL for a long time. I think he’ll be very beneficial to the Condors this year and will likely get some NHL time as well. His puck-moving ability has shown every time he’s played with the Oilers, so I hope he gets some more time up here.

It looks like Caggiula and Puljujarvi are both going to make the opening day roster so maybe a guy like JJ Khaira? He can be a wreckling ball on the ice and I can see him getting the call as soon as someone gets injured. 

Right now I would say he gets a 7 out of 10. Above average, but time will tell if the moves he made worked out. I expect Lucic and Larsson to be solid,  but it is unclear how much of an impact the other signings/trades will make.

If Caggiula, Versteeg and Russell play well then he’ll look much better. If they don’t and one of Lucic or Larsson struggles then his grade will rightfully plummet.

I think he paid a massive price to upgrade the defense, making a hugely risky deal. I like Larsson, but the cost was so excessive one wonders if there was any other way. I very much like the addition of Milan Lucic and smaller additions like Drake Caggiula and Matt Benning.

I understand the willingness to overpay to improve the defence, as was the case in the Taylor Hall-Larsson swap, because it was the top priority. I liked the signing of Milan Lucic, even if it’ll likely prove to be for a year or two too long. I thought he made no-lose bets on extending PTOs to Versteeg and Gryba. He gets a B.

Poor to Extremely Poor. The Hall trade was a disaster in terms of losing value. Lucic’s final two seasons are scary. The Yakupov trade was sending a real NHL player away for nothing. The addition of Kris Russell adds a Trojan Horse to a bad defense. Good news, despite his actions from June forward, the Oilers still might be better. Thank goodness there’s a cure for staph infections and broken bones.

As much as most people hate what he did with Taylor Hall, he still brought in Larsson, Lucic, Caggiula, & Benning. It was a busy summer for him and I think he did a good job. I still have trust in him for the long-term. Just because he signed Kris Russell doesn’t mean we’re all doomed (that’s what I’m telling myself, anyways). I would give him a solid B.

I’m still rattled about the return they got for Taylor Hall. I actually like Adam Larsson more and more as I watch him but I still can’t believe that they couldn’t get a draft pick or something to go with Larsson. I think Versteeg is going to get signed soon enough and I like that Chiarelli added veteran depth, but there are still holes in the lineup. Where’s the power play defenseman? 

He knows the players much better. He won’t have to instill a new system and the players will know what his expectations are. He also has much more experience, ability and speed on his blueline which should lead to less time in the D zone.

Two things stand out for me. First, I think his roster has some of the utility McLellan finds useful and the team should be able to defend far more effectively than a year ago. 

Familiarity with returning players — knowing what makes them tick as well as their capabilities and limitations.

He knows exactly what he’s working with for the most part. I can’t think of any other advantage except maybe he’s the only coach with Connor McDavid on his team.

McLellan knows the group much better now. He has extra coaching experience with McDavid and Nuge at the World Cup, and he should have some more confidence from fans around the city. He’s not the “new guy” anymore, so he can relax a little more.

Players that are coming back will already know McLellan’s systems and what he expects from them. I would hope that the familiarity will help the team get off to a better start. 

His blueline. How consistent can they be.

I think the big issues could surround special teams, which at this point look completely out of sync. The 5×5 possession improved last season and should improve more in the coming campaign. Goaltending lacks the kind of depth a contender would have at this time of year.

The expectations of fans. It’s just his second year here, but fans are rightfully sick of seeing the Oilers miss the playoffs for a decade. That’s not McLellan’s fault, but it is his problem.

The defense lacks dynamic players and there are two rookies on the 3rd line. There will be more success, but they need a difference maker added to the blueline.

His biggest challenge, again, will be creating a successful defensive system with so many left-handed players.

I think that McLellan will still have a hard time getting the Oilers to be productive on the power play. Yes, Connor is a wizard with a game genie but they still don’t have that big shot from the point. Without that big shot from the blue line it will be easier for teams to defend against the PP.

Forward

I think Jujhar Khaira and Griffin Reinhart will be the first recalls, although Reinhart remains with the team at this time. 

It depends a lot on how guys are playing in the AHL at the time, but I will go with Puljujarvi if he is sent down at forward. Griffin Reinhart on defence.

Forward – Khaira, Defender – Oesterle

Once we are returned to a healthy roster, I believe Slepyshev will be the first recall option on forward, and Oesterle will get the call on defense.

JJ Khaira will be the first forward to be recalled and I think Jordan Oesterle will be the first defenseman. Reinhart’s camp was brutal and he shouldn’t be back until he wants it more.

I doubt we see one trio stay together all season, but the top line will be whoever plays with McDavid. I see Lucic and Eberle playing the most with him. 

Eberle 33 goals, McDavid 30 and Lucic 24.

Lucic-McDavid-Eberle will be the 1line and I will predict 82 goals for the trio.

As most people do, I expect it’ll be Lucic-McDavid-Eberle. Lucic gets 24. McDavid gets 38. Eberle gets 30.

Lucic (23) McDavid (35) Eberle (33)

Lucic (25G) – McDavid (35G) – Eberle (28G)

Looch – McD – Eberle. I think Lucic finishes with 23 goals, McDavid 31, and Eberle with 36.

He will be the most exciting player on the Oilers. I’ll say he becomes only the 11th player in NHL history to register 100 points in a season prior to his 21st birthday.

I think he could hit 90 points and will be in contention for the scoring title.

I think McDavid finishes in the top five in the scoring race.

I expect he will be top two in NHL scoring, drag this team to a point where they are competing for a Playoff spot until at least the new year, and will win one major award. I think he scores 35-65-100 this season and I know that’s a crazy big number in the modern era of the NHL.

I expect nothing short of 90 points for Connor’s second season, I want him in the running for the Hart, Art Ross, and Ted Lindsay award too!

I expect him to make my eyes fall out of my head on a nightly basis. I honestly think that can push 95 points if he stays healthy all year. The kid is amazing. 

Eberle has produced the 22nd most points in the NHL over the past five seasons. He needs to be second on the Oilers in scoring.

The McDavid line will provide most of the offense, but we should expect solid numbers from Nuge, Leon, Benoit Pouliot and Kris Versteeg. I hope Jesse Puljujarvi can supply some offense but it will depend on where he is deployed.

I think we see a bounce-back season from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and I expect that Oscar Klefbom will lead the blue line in scoring.

Ugh…I think it’s probably Eberle as the next highest scoring player on the Oilers and Nuge as the highest scoring player not on the McDavid line. With the loss of Hall this team doesnt have a ready-made offensive driver. I have Draisaitl scoring less than 50 points this season because Hall isnt there to carry him. Edmonton will score by committee when McDavid is on the bench.

I hope Nuge has an amazing season this year. He’s going to bounce back from his nagging injuries and be a real offensive help this season.

I think Nugey is going to have a big year this year. He looks a little bit bigger, a little bit quicker, and I can see him benefitting from playing behind Connor and an improved (hopefully) power play.

 

After a long summer of arguing and waiting, the NHL season is right around the corner and that means it’s time for us to throw another party. We wanted a second take on last year’s season and decided that we would celebrate the start of the second year of Connor’s reign over Oil Country. Thanks to our friends at AMA Travel, Cornerstone Insurance, the Pint, Oodle Noodle, and United Cycle we’ve got a big night planned for you complete with raffles, swag bags, and two trips (valued at $5000 each) for two to the outdoor game in Winnipeg courtesy of AMA Travel.

Here’s what you need to know: