if they can sign Demers, acquire another top 4 RHD, and maybe downgrade from Eberle to a cheaper RW for cap sake, i think that's a summer that pushes them towards playoff contention. Need healthy bodies this year though, out best centre for half the year and best D or 52 games

I don't hunk it's entirely fair to compare a proven winning team with experience to one who needed everything to go right just to gain back some semblance of confidence and get over the hump.
In fact it's pretty much apple and oranges.

And losing mcdavid, nuge, ebs, klefbom, yaks, pouliot, Davidson and evrn gryba all for extended periods (and all obviously simultaneously as we're talking long term injuries overlapping) isn't really an excuse. It's fact and near impossible to overcome

I do think the problems are deeper and there's far more to it than just health. But to minimize the degree those injuries hurt while comparing them to the lightning (different situation AND not as detrimental) is a weak comparison
- HB77

It's completely fair since Tanner stated the team will be a playoff and Stanley Cup contender next season (as is the team I'm comparing them against, TB), and because the stated reason they weren't a contender last season had mostly to do with injuries.

My point is, almost every team can rattle off a list of 6 or so guys that were out for extended periods as you just did (BUF=Ennis, ROR, Lehner, Kane, Bogo, etc), so if you're playing the injury card, while also forecasting playoffs and the cup for next year.......then the reality is that the next year is going to be really ugly for you and a real let down.

EDIT: If, on the other hand, the GM realizes where there are real deficiencies on the team, and fixes them via trade, FA, etc, then you may have a real exciting team on your hands. God help you if he takes Tanner's approach that you have nothing to learn from the past, it will have no bearing on the future, and past failings were due to injury and bad luck.

That's certainly optimistic.

appreciate that goaltending was horrendous to start the year and Talbot trended on elite starting in December (1 month into 4 month injury), Draisaitl cooled and RNH and Klefbom were injured when he came back.
those are cherry picked with no context
- TheNugeIsHuge

The team's record with/without McDavid in the lineup was intended to refute the blunt and totally unfounded claim that "you could put (McDavid) on any team and have a playoff team." The fact that you mentioned "context" and 4 other players by name in your response shows exactly why even great players still need a decent team and organizational environment to be successful.

what if the oilers are a bottom 5 team next year and haven't moved any of the core...... do u go into next summer with the same attitude of being patient?..... you can't continue to flip a coin with tails on both side hoping to get heads.... gotta get a new coin?
it is not that this core can't potentially develop... it is more that if the oilers management haven;t tried to improve and fail again they have done a disservice to the oilers fan base.

Oilers still have this stud in their farm ready to come up.

Oilers still have this stud in their farm ready to come up.
- SRam19

A message from Andrew Ference to all of you.

A message from Andrew Ference to all of you.




- EdmHockeyMan

He's pretty amazing

And as much as I wanna agree, remember that they lost more games than they won with him in the lineup.

Yes, as a rookie. And coming off a 35+ game absence, when the team was already out of it and didn't have their best (only ?) puck moving dman. So, saying "they didn't win when McDavid came back" isn't exactly saying a lot.

Just saying it's such a team game and so many parts need to be working. I fear for the oilers if opposing gms try and lowball chiarelli too much And they make it impossible to make some impactful moves. With or without Connor we could see the same.

But when I was apprehensive to overestimate how good connor was before he ever played in the nhl last summer, you weren't at all. And boy were you ever right. He's so Effin good. One of the best players in the world already
- HB77

And for sure he is.

The team's record with/without McDavid in the lineup was intended to refute the blunt and totally unfounded claim that "you could put (McDavid) on any team and have a playoff team." The fact that you mentioned "context" and 4 other players by name in your response shows exactly why even great players still need a decent team and organizational environment to be successful.
- khawk

You could put McDavid on any team in the NHL, they're a playoff team. I don't see why that is controversial, it seems stupid to think the opposite - especially when I mean 2016-17 McDavid, not the rookie.

He was a rookie who would have challenged for the scoring lead in the league, despite playing on a team with terrible puck moving defensemen. That pace also includes his first games in the NHL and his return from an injury.

So if he's that good, despite all those things, and considering there is a 100% chance he improves next year, I am totally confident that he will never miss the Playoffs again in any year he is healthy.

I am not sure how it's even possible, but somehow McDavid is being underrated.

The Oilers have McDavid, Hall, RNH and Draisaitl. They are already contenders. It's ridiculous to the point of insanity that people make up every excuse in the book for why they'll continue to suck. Understandable, but still. This is a player who is going to make Sidney Crosby look ordinary.

I don't care who agrees with me, or if no one in the entire world does, the Oilers would have had a good team this year if they were healthy. Hence my misunderstood and much maligned coin flipping analogy - it doesn't matter what happened last year because that was one of the freakiest, most injury riddled seasons any team has ever had.

Everyone just wants to hate on the Oilers without ever stopping to realize they haven't ever dressed their optimal lineup. Not one single time.

You could put McDavid on any team in the NHL, they're a playoff team. I don't see why that is controversial, it seems stupid to think the opposite - especially when I mean 2016-17 McDavid, not the rookie.

He was a rookie who would have challenged for the scoring lead in the league, despite playing on a team with terrible puck moving defensemen. That pace also includes his first games in the NHL and his return from an injury.

So if he's that good, despite all those things, and considering there is a 100% chance he improves next year, I am totally confident that he will never miss the Playoffs again in any year he is healthy.

I am not sure how it's even possible, but somehow McDavid is being underrated.

The Oilers have McDavid, Hall, RNH and Draisaitl. They are already contenders. It's ridiculous to the point of insanity that people make up every excuse in the book for why they'll continue to suck. Understandable, but still. This is a player who is going to make Sidney Crosby look ordinary.

I don't care who agrees with me, or if no one in the entire world does, the Oilers would have had a good team this year if they were healthy. Hence my misunderstood and much maligned coin flipping analogy - it doesn't matter what happened last year because that was one of the freakiest, most injury riddled seasons any team has ever had.

Everyone just wants to hate on the Oilers without ever stopping to realize they haven't ever dressed their optimal lineup. Not one single time.
- James_Tanner

Ok but they had all of them last year too, and missed the playoffs. So how are they contenders and yet about to draft in the top 10 for the 8th straight season. For a team to be considered a contender, they have to make a playoff appearance first.

PS: People don't on this website don't hate on the Oilers, they hate on your warped opinion of the Oilers. Yes James, your opinions. For them to be considered facts, they actually have to pan out.

Ok but they had all of them last year too, and missed the playoffs. So how are they contenders and yet about to draft in the top 10 for the 8th straight season. For a team to be considered a contender, they have to make a playoff appearance first.

PS: People don't on this website don't hate on the Oilers, they hate on your warped opinion of the Oilers. Yes James, your opinions. For them to be considered facts, they actually have to pan out.
- tomburton99

he's definitely got a warped opinion but did they really have McDavid last year? and 18YO Draisaitl vs 19YO Draisaitl were not even close. Don't like that implication

he's definitely got a warped opinion but did they really have McDavid last year? and 18YO Draisaitl vs 19YO Draisaitl were not even close. Don't like that implication
- TheNugeIsHuge

You can certainly say that they didn't have McDavid for the whole year. But, you can't say they didn't have him for most the year because they did. He got in 45 games. Not a huge majority, but the majority of their games nonetheless.

A healthy McDavid would be great and very impactful. But they weren't remotely a playoff team with him in the lineup. Their record wasn't even that great at the end of the season and he was there and playing.

They'll be a better team sure. Guys will be older, and better. But same for a lot of the teams they are competing against. Internal improvement won't put them in the playoff picture. The Oilers need to be willing to make massive change for the sake of McDavid and the core that is staying.

James Stuart Tanner...

James Stuart Tanner...


- MnGump

If I was in any way the pandering type, this would be funny.

While much of the criticism is reasonable throughout the thread, it's nonsense like this where the discussion goes off the rails.
They don't deserve it? They went about it the wrong way ? Huh?

I can already see all the tired narratives that lack any substance beyond easy answers and false assumptions ...
- HB77

Nonsense? They drafted the same player (high offensive talent) year after year without worrying about defense or goaltending. They seemed to have the opinion that if you can create offense, nothing else matters. And that viewpoint has gotten them beaten up and top 5 draft position year after year. That is going about it the wrong way. So no, if they haven't done their homework and put together a complete team, then they don't deserve to be considered a top contender.
That is called logic (an unfamiliar word around here, I know), not nonsense.
McDavid is amazing, and will continue to be. That is why I stayed up late to watch every game they televised. And do you know what I saw? Oilers players missing defensive assignments that lead to goals that erased leads and ended in losses. There is more to winning games than having talent. And many of the Oilers players display traits that end up in lost games. Look at Eberle. The kid has better hands and vision than 99% of the league, but he back-checks about once a game. That is how you stay a losing squad.

Keep your blinders on!

As any half-way intelligent person can tell you, if you flip a coin and get heads ten times in a row, there is no higher chance of flipping tails on the next toss. You aren't "due" for tails because the past has no bearing on the future. If you follow this analogy and apply it to the Oilers, what it means is that years of failure have nothing to the future of this team.

Tanner, your analogy is really wrong. The outcome of the heads/tail game is independent probability because nothing about the coin changes after each flip to alter or favor the next flip.

The same cannot be said for human behavior or performance. Bodies get stronger and weaker, people age, confidence rises and falls in addition to a million other factors. Humans do not live in a vacuum and as such are extremely "dependent" beings.

So, applying the rules of independent probability to the Oilers (or any hockey team) just isn't sound logic.

Nonsense? They drafted the same player (high offensive talent) year after year without worrying about defense or goaltending. They seemed to have the opinion that if you can create offense, nothing else matters. And that viewpoint has gotten them beaten up and top 5 draft position year after year. That is going about it the wrong way. So no, if they haven't done their homework and put together a complete team, then they don't deserve to be considered a top contender.
That is called logic (an unfamiliar word around here, I know), not nonsense.
McDavid is amazing, and will continue to be. That is why I stayed up late to watch every game they televised. And do you know what I saw? Oilers players missing defensive assignments that lead to goals that erased leads and ended in losses. There is more to winning games than having talent. And many of the Oilers players display traits that end up in lost games. Look at Eberle. The kid has better hands and vision than 99% of the league, but he back-checks about once a game. That is how you stay a losing squad.

Keep your blinders on!
- Tonybere

Sigh

Just as I thought. Pretty typical I guess

And before we start, let's also remember that you cant just use hindsight after the fact. There are only a small amount of prospects considered at 1. By every gm.


So that said, which defender should they have drafted instead of hall in 2010?
Gudbranson or fowler would've made the oilers better?

2011
Larsson over nuge?
Larsson was a slow developer and maybe that would've been a prudent pick from last year going forward. But far less change or improvement to the roster thus far had the oilers gone in that direction. And let's not forget they also needed a 1 center every bit as bad as a defender at this point as well.
AND they drafted klefbom at 19 that same year !

2012
This is the only year where u have a leg to stand on. Ryan Murray over yakupov. But again, probably only improvement going forward from now. His first two years he was pretty injured the whole time. While yaks actually led rooks in goals in points. No difference whatsoever up till today really.

2013
Nurse

2014
Fleury or sanheim over draisaitl ?

2015
Hanifin or mcdavid?

Not trying to be a dik, but don't use the term logic when you really don't know what you're talking about.

So now that we've cleared that nonsense hockeybuzz narrative up, I don't really understand the rest of the point.

Eberle is actually a pretty typical secondary sniper. Does he shirk his defensive responsibilities at times ? Sure. But it's no different than many players of his ilk. I don't think it's neccesarily just an "oiler" problem.
Nuge is good defensively.
Or a step Furthur, one of the many complaints surrounding yakupovs struggles are that coaching actually pushed defensive play down his throat TOO much and stifled his offence after a great rookie year

As I said, I just think most of your contention was based around the same ole nonsense from writers who told you what to think. But don't really know the facts of the oilers themselves

Sigh

Just as I thought. Pretty typical I guess

And before we start, let's also remember that you cant just use hindsight after the fact. There are only a small amount of prospects considered at 1. By every gm.


So that said, which defender should they have drafted instead of hall in 2010?
Gudbranson or fowler would've made the oilers better?

2011
Larsson over nuge?
Larsson was a slow developer and maybe that would've been a prudent pick from last year going forward. But far less change or improvement to the roster thus far had the oilers gone in that direction. And let's not forget they also needed a 1 center every bit as bad as a defender at this point as well.
AND they drafted klefbom at 19 that same year !

2012
This is the only year where u have a leg to stand on. Ryan Murray over yakupov. But again, probably only improvement going forward from now. His first two years he was pretty injured the whole time. While yaks actually led rooks in goals in points. No difference whatsoever up till today really.

2013
Nurse

2014
Fleury or sanheim over draisaitl ?

2015
Hanifin or mcdavid?

Not trying to be a dik, but don't use the term logic when you really don't know what you're talking about.

So now that we've cleared that nonsense hockeybuzz narrative up, I don't really understand the rest of the point.

Eberle is actually a pretty typical secondary sniper. Does he shirk his defensive responsibilities at times ? Sure. But it's no different than many players of his ilk. I don't think it's neccesarily just an "oiler" problem.
Nuge is good defensively.
Or a step Furthur, one of the many complaints surrounding yakupovs struggles are that coaching actually pushed defensive play down his throat TOO much and stifled his offence after a great rookie year

As I said, I just think most of your contention was based around the same ole nonsense from writers who told you what to think. But don't really know the facts of the oilers themselves
- HB77

Please spare me your over the top patronizing tone.
You throw up a few statistics like they cover the entirety of my argument.
Nurse is the only D-man selected with your top pick in the last ten years. Tell me how they have been addressing the need.
Of course in those drafts some of the top selections have been no brainers - McDavid (obviously) and even RNH, since at the time they still needed the Center. I am not going to call Hall a mistake, even though (if I remember correctly) they knew at the time Gudbranson was going to be a stud. But Yak's draft was one of the most talent-leaden defenseman drafts in history, period. Forget Murray, about 8 of the 13 D selected in the 1st round would have been making strides WAY more than taking a talented guy who cared so little about defense that he had to "have it pushed down his throat."
Here's the thing, though. There is no rule in place saying a team must select the most talented player regardless of position or team need. Or that they must draft at all. You don't think they could have received an NHL defenseman for the pick that landed Drai? Even if they had to sweeten the pot, it would have made more sense than drafting another forward just because.
And Eberle's lack of effort on defense should get a pass because other wingers do it too? Guess what, some other wingers might be able to get away with it because they have teammates that cover for them. He doesn't. And don't think their coaches are giving them a pass either. Jordan's attitude toward doing the little things without the puck has been noted around the league and discussed on national television. He has had plenty of time to show he cares about more than putting up points.
Don't tell me I don't know what I'm talking about just because we disagree.
As I said, I want to see the Oilers succeed. But you can't ignore some aspects of the game for YEARS and expect a top calibre squad to magically appear.
Enjoy the new rink!

Please spare me your over the top patronizing tone.
You throw up a few statistics like they cover the entirety of my argument.
Nurse is the only D-man selected with your top pick in the last ten years. Tell me how they have been addressing the need.
Of course in those drafts some of the top selections have been no brainers - McDavid (obviously) and even RNH, since at the time they still needed the Center. I am not going to call Hall a mistake, even though (if I remember correctly) they knew at the time Gudbranson was going to be a stud. But Yak's draft was one of the most talent-leaden defenseman drafts in history, period. Forget Murray, about 8 of the 13 D selected in the 1st round would have been making strides WAY more than taking a talented guy who cared so little about defense that he had to "have it pushed down his throat."
Here's the thing, though. There is no rule in place saying a team must select the most talented player regardless of position or team need. Or that they must draft at all. You don't think they could have received an NHL defenseman for the pick that landed Drai? Even if they had to sweeten the pot, it would have made more sense than drafting another forward just because.
And Eberle's lack of effort on defense should get a pass because other wingers do it too? Guess what, some other wingers might be able to get away with it because they have teammates that cover for them. He doesn't. And don't think their coaches are giving them a pass either. Jordan's attitude toward doing the little things without the puck has been noted around the league and discussed on national television. He has had plenty of time to show he cares about more than putting up points.
Don't tell me I don't know what I'm talking about just because we disagree.
As I said, I want to see the Oilers succeed. But you can't ignore some aspects of the game for YEARS and expect a top calibre squad to magically appear.
Enjoy the new rink!
- Tonybere

TL;DR

Please spare me your over the top patronizing tone.
You throw up a few statistics like they cover the entirety of my argument.
Nurse is the only D-man selected with your top pick in the last ten years. Tell me how they have been addressing the need.
Of course in those drafts some of the top selections have been no brainers - McDavid (obviously) and even RNH, since at the time they still needed the Center. I am not going to call Hall a mistake, even though (if I remember correctly) they knew at the time Gudbranson was going to be a stud. But Yak's draft was one of the most talent-leaden defenseman drafts in history, period. Forget Murray, about 8 of the 13 D selected in the 1st round would have been making strides WAY more than taking a talented guy who cared so little about defense that he had to "have it pushed down his throat."
Here's the thing, though. There is no rule in place saying a team must select the most talented player regardless of position or team need. Or that they must draft at all. You don't think they could have received an NHL defenseman for the pick that landed Drai? Even if they had to sweeten the pot, it would have made more sense than drafting another forward just because.
And Eberle's lack of effort on defense should get a pass because other wingers do it too? Guess what, some other wingers might be able to get away with it because they have teammates that cover for them. He doesn't. And don't think their coaches are giving them a pass either. Jordan's attitude toward doing the little things without the puck has been noted around the league and discussed on national television. He has had plenty of time to show he cares about more than putting up points.
Don't tell me I don't know what I'm talking about just because we disagree.
As I said, I want to see the Oilers succeed. But you can't ignore some aspects of the game for YEARS and expect a top calibre squad to magically appear.
Enjoy the new rink!
- Tonybere

And the obligatory hindsight argument

Jesus, I could've wrote out both parts of your posts before you even did.
You need to think critically. Not search for easyt answers and solutions.

Again, hall was absolutely unequivically the right choice over gudbranson or fowler.

Nuge while also taking klefbom (who himself is comparable to larsson) was the right choice over larsson.

And to the 2012, you don't get to just pull out whichever defender has worked out and try and use it as evidence of 'oiler failures'. It doesn't work that way.
Even trouba or Lindholm weren't considered a rational choice at pick 1 By anybody or any gm. Let alone some late first and beyond pick. Hindsight in this case just doesn't work.
I was actually waiting for you to imply as such, so I could respond with the fact remains that it was Murray or yakupov.
Butt Just for argument sake, I'll even throw your false contention a bone and say galchenyuk was in the mix too. but again, he's not a defender.

Nurse
Drausaitl
Mcdavid

Essentially, out of 7 first rounders;
2 defenders (nurse/klefbom),
2 no brainers over the available defender (hall/Connor),
Nuge who has been the better choice over larsson thus far and as much of a need at the time. (slam dunk with getting klefbom)
1potential mistake. But no difference up until today anyway. In fact, wedve been worse those initial years

Also, drausaitl at 2c might be exactly the big bodied talent we need behind Connor. Drafting him was ANYTHING BUT a mistake. Are you sure you watch the oilers ?


The bottom line is the drafting narrative you tried to sell is wholly without validity. Like not an ounce of it.

Now if you had said inability to sign quality free agents or tambellini in those first two rebuild years failing to insulate hall or nuge certainly hurt them and the organization going forward, Both of those would've had relevant meaning.

And who said Jordan gets a pass? Certainly not. You just tried to frame it like its a systemic oilers issue and he's proof. So I disproved that assumption by mentioning nuge or the strategy they employed with yaks. Eberle has some deficiencies and unwillingness to play a certain way no doubt.
But he does score at an elite clip, so he's been tolerated. But don't assume coaching likes it.

Dude, it's not me being obtuse just to disagree.
The draft records and false oiler narratives aren't up for debate. They're just flat out untrue.
There's a whole host of issues the organization has had, but the easy ones you pointed to missed the mark

Hahahahaha! Thanks for the laugh James. Here let me help you.

As any half-way intelligent person can tell you, if you flip a coin and get heads ten times in a row, you know you will get tails eventually. If you follow this analogy and apply it to the Oilers (who coincidentally have missed the playoffs for ten straight years), what it means is that if you keep guessing this is the year they make the playoffs you will eventually be correct.

Keep hope alive....keep guessing Oilers!

BTW, Nurse is going to be good, if he gets proper coaching.
- yzermaneely

Post of the year so far

And the obligatory hindsight argument

Jesus, I could've wrote out both parts of your posts before you even did.
You need to think critically. Not search for easyt answers and solutions.

Again, hall was absolutely unequivically the right choice over gudbranson or fowler.

Nuge while also taking klefbom (who himself is comparable to larsson) was the right choice over larsson.

And to the 2012, you don't get to just pull out whichever defender has worked out and try and use it as evidence of 'oiler failures'. It doesn't work that way.
Even trouba or Lindholm weren't considered a rational choice at pick 1 By anybody or any gm. Let alone some late first and beyond pick. Hindsight in this case just doesn't work.
I was actually waiting for you to imply as such, so I could respond with the fact remains that it was Murray or yakupov.
Butt Just for argument sake, I'll even throw your false contention a bone and say galchenyuk was in the mix too. but again, he's not a defender.

Nurse
Drausaitl
Mcdavid

Essentially, out of 7 first rounders;
2 defenders (nurse/klefbom),
2 no brainers over the available defender (hall/Connor),
Nuge who has been the better choice over larsson thus far and as much of a need at the time. (slam dunk with getting klefbom)
1potential mistake. But no difference up until today anyway. In fact, wedve been worse those initial years

Also, drausaitl at 2c might be exactly the big bodied talent we need behind Connor. Drafting him was ANYTHING BUT a mistake. Are you sure you watch the oilers ?


The bottom line is the drafting narrative you tried to sell is wholly without validity. Like not an ounce of it.

Now if you had said inability to sign quality free agents or tambellini in those first two rebuild years failing to insulate hall or nuge certainly hurt them and the organization going forward, Both of those would've had relevant meaning.

And who said Jordan gets a pass? Certainly not. You just tried to frame it like its a systemic oilers issue and he's proof. So I disproved that assumption by mentioning nuge or the strategy they employed with yaks. Eberle has some deficiencies and unwillingness to play a certain way no doubt.
But he does score at an elite clip, so he's been tolerated. But don't assume coaching likes it.

Dude, it's not me being obtuse just to disagree.
The draft records and false oiler narratives aren't up for debate. They're just flat out untrue.
There's a whole host of issues the organization has had, but the easy ones you pointed to missed the mark
- HB77

I didn't say Larsson over RNH. Actually, I said he was the right choice. Although, even at the time people were saying his body might not be able to take the pounding and he was a risk.
And it's not whatever Dman worked out over Yak in hindsight. It was virtually any of the top d prospects over Yak.
Who cares what other GM's think is the top pick. You have to address what your team needs. And your team (still) needs someone to stop the other team from scoring.
And, IN MY OPINION, drafting Leon and waiting years for him to develop rather than trading the pick to acquire someone who could help defend/lead/mentor immediately was definitely a mistake.

You could put McDavid on any team in the NHL, they're a playoff team. I don't see why that is controversial, it seems stupid to think the opposite - especially when I mean 2016-17 McDavid, not the rookie.

He was a rookie who would have challenged for the scoring lead in the league, despite playing on a team with terrible puck moving defensemen. That pace also includes his first games in the NHL and his return from an injury.

So if he's that good, despite all those things, and considering there is a 100% chance he improves next year, I am totally confident that he will never miss the Playoffs again in any year he is healthy.

I am not sure how it's even possible, but somehow McDavid is being underrated.

The Oilers have McDavid, Hall, RNH and Draisaitl. They are already contenders. It's ridiculous to the point of insanity that people make up every excuse in the book for why they'll continue to suck. Understandable, but still. This is a player who is going to make Sidney Crosby look ordinary.

I don't care who agrees with me, or if no one in the entire world does, the Oilers would have had a good team this year if they were healthy. Hence my misunderstood and much maligned coin flipping analogy - it doesn't matter what happened last year because that was one of the freakiest, most injury riddled seasons any team has ever had.

Everyone just wants to hate on the Oilers without ever stopping to realize they haven't ever dressed their optimal lineup. Not one single time.
- James_Tanner

In my opinion it will be tough for McDavid to produce at the same pace as his did last year if he plays the entire season. To me the long grind of a full NHL will inevitably take its toll on McDavid (as it does with every player) and his will experience a significant slump. Hell, it happens to everyone! To me its much easier to come in (even as a rookie) and produce well over 40 games than it is as a sophomore to produce over the course of 82 games. To state unequivocally that he will improve his PPG pace is asinine, there's always a chance (and I think a fairly significant one) that it will decline.

In my opinion it will be tough for McDavid to produce at the same pace as his did last year if he plays the entire season. To me the long grind of a full NHL will inevitably take its toll on McDavid (as it does with every player) and his will experience a significant slump. Hell, it happens to everyone! To me its much easier to come in (even as a rookie) and produce well over 40 games than it is as a sophomore to produce over the course of 82 games. To state unequivocally that he will improve his PPG pace is asinine, there's always a chance (and I think a fairly significant one) that it will decline.
- The-O-G

I think he's going to be better, idk if the Oilers will. Espeically with a blue line that consists of Davidson, Ference, Sekera, Fayne, Klefbom, Reinhart, Nurse.