Who's the Oilers 2nd Best Forward?

[chuckcouples]

Quick poll here to see who everyone thinks the Oilers 2nd best forward is?

Once you have made your pick, you may want to read this article:

https://oilersnerdalert.wordpress.co...aitls-oranges/

[theslymonkey]

There is no way Hyphen deserves even one vote.

[rataylor22]

There is no way Hyphen deserves even one vote.

I assume you didn't read the article lol.

[Axeman33]

Good read. Thanks. The comments are a good read too.

[MasterByte]

That was awesome. Nuge wouldn't have his 6mil cap hit if the people in charge in Edmonton didn't agree with at least some of this.

Have always felt bad for Nuge, he should have spent a year or two in the AHL after he was drafted. At the time the discussions were that he was so agile and aware that he didn't allow himself to be in bad situations.... it only takes one hit, lol

[chuckcouples]

Did anyone change their mind after reading the linked article?

For those that didn't read it...here's a brief summary.

If you only count ice time for RNH or Draisaitl when neither Connor McDavid nor Kris Russell were on the ice, here are their fancy stats for last season.

Stat: RNH - Draisaitl

Shot Attempts %: 49.3% - 48.6%
Score Adj Shot Attempts %: 50.0% - 50.1%
Danger Fenwick %: 48.4% - 44.1%
Shots %: 49.9% - 45.0%
Goals %: 57.4% - 57.9%

None of the stats take into account quality of competition but it is assumed that RNH faced tougher opponents during this time. This is a safe assumption as RNH spent over 40% of his time on ice last season against elite opponents which was one of the highest of all the forwards in the NHL.

[Fast Tony DeNiro]

Very interesting. My question, though.... does this ever translate into bigger fantasy numbers for RNH? It looks like he's fairly capable of anchoring his own line.... the guy is still only what, 24? Or is he pretty much what he's going to be.... a very good middle 6 center who can shut down the other teams' best players while chipping in modest offense? He scored 52 points in 62 games as a rookie, the talent is (or was) there. That can't just go away, right?

[Poutine]

Excellent article and I like the approach of setting up a poll before sharing it. I thought it was some sort of joke, but clearly this is no joking matter.

I'm also wondering how Ryan Strome fits into this picture. I was under the impression/hope that RNH might get put on Draisatl or McDavid's wing, but clearly he's too effective a 3rd line two-way center for that to happel. Is that right?

[Axeman33]

Very interesting. My question, though.... does this ever translate into bigger fantasy numbers for RNH? It looks like he's fairly capable of anchoring his own line.... the guy is still only what, 24? Or is he pretty much what he's going to be.... a very good middle 6 center who can shut down the other teams' best players while chipping in modest offense? He scored 52 points in 62 games as a rookie, the talent is (or was) there. That can't just go away, right?

In Edmonton, I do not think it translates into big fantasy numbers unfortunately. He will still be a good option as a tweener so to say; he still gets PP time but also plays the hard minutes.

If/when he gets traded, he could be a very good player.

This is why the Oilers won't trade him this year. They lean on him and to be honest they don't need to trade him this year. They still have plenty of cap space because McDavid's new contract doesn't kick in until next year.

This is another reason why I laugh when people seem to think the Oilers are just going to deal him away for pennies on the dollar. He has legit value even though in our world of fantasy hockey, he may appear to be a disappointment. In the real NHL, he is far from a disappointment.

[pbj29]

In Edmonton, I do not think it translates into big fantasy numbers unfortunately. He will still be a good option as a tweener so to say; he still gets PP time but also plays the hard minutes.

If/when he gets traded, he could be a very good player.

This is why the Oilers won't trade him this year. They lean on him and to be honest they don't need to trade him this year. They still have plenty of cap space because McDavid's new contract doesn't kick in until next year.

This is another reason why I laugh when people seem to think the Oilers are just going to deal him away for pennies on the dollar. He has legit value even though in our world of fantasy hockey, he may appear to be a disappointment. In the real NHL, he is far from a disappointment.

This is bang on Axe!

[JagrBomb]

In Edmonton, I do not think it translates into big fantasy numbers unfortunately. He will still be a good option as a tweener so to say; he still gets PP time but also plays the hard minutes.

If/when he gets traded, he could be a very good player.

This is why the Oilers won't trade him this year. They lean on him and to be honest they don't need to trade him this year. They still have plenty of cap space because McDavid's new contract doesn't kick in until next year.

This is another reason why I laugh when people seem to think the Oilers are just going to deal him away for pennies on the dollar. He has legit value even though in our world of fantasy hockey, he may appear to be a disappointment. In the real NHL, he is far from a disappointment.

did you laugh when they traded eberle for pennies on the dollar?

they obviously won't just give him away but they are going to lose the deal because they need cap space. better cap management wouldn't put them in a situation where every gm knows they'll be cap strapped next summer.

i do agree they have no reason to move him this year, this is the season they need to go all in because their depth will take a significant hit for the next few years at minimum.

[Axeman33]

did you laugh when they traded eberle for pennies on the dollar?

they obviously won't just give him away but they are going to lose the deal because they need cap space. better cap management wouldn't put them in a situation where every gm knows they'll be cap strapped next summer.

i do agree they have no reason to move him this year, this is the season they need to go all in because their depth will take a significant hit for the next few years at minimum.

No, I didn't laugh at all, but I also felt they dealt him at the worst possible time so the return didn't surprise me considering his contract. In fact, I hoped they would have kept him because I feel they are still a tad shallow on the right side and this puts added pressure on Puljujarvi to make the roster out of camp. Something else I hoped doesnt happen but is looking more and more likely at thyis point.

Plus, wingers will never get the return that a center will.

[rataylor22]

I think right this second, RNH is a better player than Draisaitl. That doesn't mean he'll have a better career, but it's also not a hot taek.

[audiopile]

You don't need to watch too many Oilers games to see that RNH is a better hockey player than Drai.

[rataylor22]

I'm curious who the "other" is. Not the person that voted, but which player.

Jussi? Maroon? Those feel like the only two other candidates, unless we're getting really hot takey on Puljujarvi lol.