Nathan Horton is one guy that has had some shoulder issues on a long-term basis. To be fair, Nugent-Hopkins has only had 1 single injury that hopefully has been rectified (similar to Taylor Hall).Originally Posted by metaldude26
I guess we'll see though.
Yeah, my biggest concerns are that he has never been healthy and that this season is getting punted anyway so why risk it? I guess if all goes well for the Nuge and Gagner comes back sooner than expected (which he almost certainly will) they will have a chance of getting competitive before they dig too deep of a hole but I've just got no optimism left for this team.
Even if RNH comes back healthy, looks like another year of bottom-feeding for the Oil. That D is just abysmal.
Must be depressing being an Oilers fan.
As bad as the Oilers have looked in the first two games, there is still a glimmer of hope. The Hall at center experiment is hopefully over for ever as he lacks the hockey IQ to play center. RNH, assuming he is 100% and I have no reason to believe he isn't, will definitely help the team a great deal as he his hockey sense if off the charts. His return will help the team in the d zone more than most people are thinking. A center in the right position helps a great deal on the break outs as it gives both d men and wingers an easy option.
The team is also playing its 3rd defensive zone system in the past 3 years. It will take some time to learn it thoroughly as this system appears to be new to all the players on the team (except Acton and likely Hamilton). Their dmen are good enough to get the job done if the forwards help out like they should.
The concern I have right now is the total lack of effort and the inability to recover from a bad event. If the Oilers can eliminate these 2 things, they should be competing for a playoff spot over the next 80 games.
What he said.
The last couple of games have been painful to watch....but the key word is 'couple'. Ive got too much cash riding on the Oilers spanking the Flames to give up on the season just yet! Give it a few weeks...then throw in the towel with disgust.
But....I also had cash on the Oilers beating the Canucks the other day...
I honestly think that the Oilers are making a serious effort at becoming the most pathetic franchise in NHL history.
Considering the salary cap and other tools that an NHL team has at their disposal to balance the field, it's actually astonishing that one team can be this bad for so long.
Getting the crap kicked out of them in the 1st period by the Devils.
This is going to be yet another very long season of disgusting Oiler hockey
Doesn't a team need to show up to the rink in order to be mocked out of it?
RNH looks decent out there tonight, but they likely rushed him back, especially after the Gagner injury.
Will be interesting to see what they can do with a full line-up. If they hang around the playoff race until mid-season, they should only get better as the year goes by.
RNH does look good tonight. But what is wrong with Taylor Hall? The kid is giving the puck up way too much, trying to do way too much with it, missing the net from point blank way too often... something has got to be up with him.
If I may add...
The more I watch the more I realize that their poor play comes down to one of two things:
A) Terrible systems - they seem to be losing too many battles, terrible puck support, and always seem to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and their system in the d-zone isn't working, looks a lot like they're on the PK when the puck is in their zone.
B) No heart/real effort/leadership - they just don't seem to care, usually after going down 2 or 3 goals someone steps up and does something to get the team going but, other than Brown, no one seems to care out there.
If things don't change I really wouldn't be surprised if someone is moved by Christmas. My guess would be Hemsky or Yakupov - the latter only because they don't seem to be utilizing him at all and aside from 1 or 2 shifts a game he seems absolutely invisible. But it is very early in the season... give it a couple more games.
Last edited by VintageVibe; October 7, 2013 at 10:51 PM.
The League in London (20 Team Multi-Cat H2H $100 Dynasty League) - Season 11
... In memory of "The Net Detective"
C Pinto kDach Hayton Roy / Lowry Bjugstad Blueger Carrick
LW Lehkonen Knies kJohnson Greenway / Laferriere Reichel Luostarinen Kartye Grebyonkin Buchelnikov
RW Quinn Joseph Roslovic Chinakhov / Kakko Glass Brink O'Connor Holmberg Berggren Tuomaala
D Werenski Hronek Power Guhle McCabe Roy / Gudas Raddysh Pachal Evans Cormier
G Swayman / Hill Mrazek Ivanov Kokko
Schultz is not an nhl calibre defenceman. I think he is actually worse defensively than MAB.
He's not on the team for his defensive abilities. He is on the team because he has elite offensive ability. The kid can make goal line to far blue line passes I've only seen Karlsson make. He hit the cross bar three times last game... the last couple pages of this thread would look a lot different if just one of them went in.
The League in London (20 Team Multi-Cat H2H $100 Dynasty League) - Season 11
... In memory of "The Net Detective"
C Pinto kDach Hayton Roy / Lowry Bjugstad Blueger Carrick
LW Lehkonen Knies kJohnson Greenway / Laferriere Reichel Luostarinen Kartye Grebyonkin Buchelnikov
RW Quinn Joseph Roslovic Chinakhov / Kakko Glass Brink O'Connor Holmberg Berggren Tuomaala
D Werenski Hronek Power Guhle McCabe Roy / Gudas Raddysh Pachal Evans Cormier
G Swayman / Hill Mrazek Ivanov Kokko
I've seen another guy on Ottawa make more of those passes than Karlsson
Anyway you're right on Schultz but he just doesn't appear good enough to be labelled elite offensively yet.
that may be, but winning teams don't roster players like schultz. he is very likely the worst defensive defenceman in the league and no amount of offence can compensate for that.
It appears to that the owners need to clean house at the top level. That's where it all starts.
They already have franchise players and trade chips - they need to install the mind trust who will know how to play the hands properly.
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