Sean Maloughney: Eliminated

Ivan Provorov and Carter Hart would help 2 areas of need.

To sum up this blog: All the Oiler's players were injured and could barely play while the VGK were 100% healthy. Okay sure.

Thought with the Avs gone the West belonged to the Oilers. Wowsa

To sum up this blog: All the Oiler's players were injured and could barely play while the VGK were 100% healthy. Okay sure.
- JRocknRoll

I’m sorry that you can’t read because that’s not at all what I wrote. Oilers had some injuries, I’m sure Vegas did too. What I actually wrote was Edmonton’s top six aside from Drai and McDavid no showed, the goaltending was brutal and the defense in front wasn’t nearly good enough.

Plenty of online classes if you want to bump that 1st grade reading level to a 2.

Oilers were badly outcoached. I like Woodcroft. But he's stubborn and incapable of making in game adjustments. Good coaches quickly recognize which guys are bringing it and who aren't. Did we see guys like McLeod, Foegele, Kostin get the odd shift with McDavid or Draisaitl? It was clear that Kane was hurt and Hyman and RNH and Yamo were ice-cold. So why not spot one of these guys a few shifts to see what happens?

Skinner was over-worked and faded by the playoffs. Should have looked for more opportunities to use Campbell down the stretch, or at the very least given the guy a start in the playoffs when Skinner clearly looked shaky.

You noted the poor matchups against Eichel's line. Huge mistake.

He insisted on using his 11/7 roster, despite having so little confidence in Broberg. Why bother then. Insert a guy like Holloway instead, especially with your top 6 wingers all struggling.

That has to be Yamo's last game. Give him away for cap space. A guy like Bertuzzi or Domi would be a way better fit. Can't have both Kulak and Ceci on the roster for cap reasons. One has to go. I'd probably go:

Ekholm-Bouchard
Nurse-cheap UFA
Kulak-Broberg

Thought with the Avs gone the West belonged to the Oilers. Wowsa
- Avsrchamps01

Avs had no shot at the cup this season to begin with

Vegas is deep and depth is the key in the playoffs.

Pretty good synopsis. Similar to the Leafs, the Oilers are top-heavy and need to try to move some of those players to balance out the roster. Nurse is un-tradeable but do you think they consider moving RNH and/or Yamamoto? That's 8+ million in cap room right there. Holland could get a goalie plus a D-man with that money.

Avs had no shot at the cup this season to begin with

Vegas is deep and depth is the key in the playoffs.
- deadpoulet

Agreed. Avs were not a legit contender. Neither was Tampa. The path opened with Boston being eliminated, and to a lesser extent Toronto. Carolina being decimated by injuries helps too. Vegas was likely the most difficult test remaining. They blew it.

Pretty good synopsis. Similar to the Leafs, the Oilers are top-heavy and need to try to move some of those players to balance out the roster. Nurse is un-tradeable but do you think they consider moving RNH and/or Yamamoto? That's 8+ million in cap room right there. Holland could get a goalie plus a D-man with that money.
- duxcup07

RNH has a NMC. Not going anywhere. Yamo is well-liked, but he has to go. At some point, production matters. Look accross the ice at the Barbashev pick-up. Bigger, stronger, wins battles, puts up points. Swap him for Yamo and its a different outcome.

Vegas is a better team. They're deeper. Not sure why this is such a disappointment. It's like some of you people have never watched playoff hockey before in your lives. Team depth generally beats top end talent in NHL playoffs.

Pretty good synopsis. Similar to the Leafs, the Oilers are top-heavy and need to try to move some of those players to balance out the roster. Nurse is un-tradeable but do you think they consider moving RNH and/or Yamamoto? That's 8+ million in cap room right there. Holland could get a goalie plus a D-man with that money.
- duxcup07

RNH has a NMC and is coming off a 100 point season. It was a disappointing playoff run but one year ago he had an excellent one. Yamo is a different story. Far too streaky and just hasn't shown any inkling of being a guy who ups his game in the playoffs.

hahahahahaha. I thought this was the year oilers.

Vegas is a better team. They're deeper. Not sure why this is such a disappointment. It's like some of you people have never watched playoff hockey before in your lives. Team death generally beats top end talent in NHL playoffs.
- jfkst1

This is a team with Cup aspirations. No one (at least anyone who should be taken seriously) is suggesting that Vegas was at team the Oilers should have walked over on route to an easy Cup. Edmonton has two of the best players in the NHL in their prime and they have yet to win a Conference Final game, let alone be in a Cup Final. They lost to a good opponent. It's still disappointing.

Ivan Provorov and Carter Hart would help 2 areas of need.
- hello it's me 2050

uh

Anyone want to swap Seth Jones for Darnell Nurse. They are pretty much the exact same player, but at least we could complain about a different guy for a while.

Leafs and Oil in the finals in 2024!

Tough loss. At least you got a game 6.

Avs had no shot at the cup this season to begin with

Vegas is deep and depth is the key in the playoffs.
- deadpoulet

Yet somehow they were 2-0-1 versus the mighty Oilers with every game going to OT and the Avs pretty beaten up every time they played. When I saw each of those games and how gutless the Oilers played in them against an undermanned Avs team (EDM was ahead 4-2 and 5-3 in one of them) I really didn't believe the Oilers would go very far.

Vegas only got deep when Stone came back and they had their full $96 million roster available. I guess we'll see if Adin Hill is a Cup winning capable goalie. I sort of have my doubts but had them about Skinner also. Come to think of it the Avs were 2-1-0 against VGK this season. They probably weren't going to win a cup without Landy but if Nichushkin had stuck around they weren't that far off of any team in the West and had a puncher's chance against all of them.

I’m sorry that you can’t read because that’s not at all what I wrote.

If he can’t read why did you respond to his post in writing?

I’m sorry that you can’t read because that’s not at all what I wrote.

If he can’t read why did you respond to his post in writing?
- ChrisMS

Used small words. Or hoped someone could read it to them.

This is a team with Cup aspirations. No one (at least anyone who should be taken seriously) is suggesting that Vegas was at team the Oilers should have walked over on route to an easy Cup. Edmonton has two of the best players in the NHL in their prime and they have yet to win a Conference Final game, let alone be in a Cup Final. They lost to a good opponent. It's still disappointing.
- freelancer

Sure and PIT went six straight postseasons during the Malkin and Crosby prime (2010-2015) without winning a single Conference Final game as well. It was primarily because the surrounding talent wasn't good enough to win. Rutherford corrected that and they won two back to back. Same issues EDM has now. So while disappointing for a contender, I wouldn't put this EDM above a full lineup of this year's CAR, COL, VGK, BOS, NJD. In the mix with NYR, TOR, TBL. I suspect it is more painful because the west was so weak this year.

This is a team with Cup aspirations. No one (at least anyone who should be taken seriously) is suggesting that Vegas was at team the Oilers should have walked over on route to an easy Cup. Edmonton has two of the best players in the NHL in their prime and they have yet to win a Conference Final game, let alone be in a Cup Final. They lost to a good opponent. It's still disappointing.
- freelancer

Do you think the team was better constructed last year or this year?

This is a team with Cup aspirations. No one (at least anyone who should be taken seriously) is suggesting that Vegas was at team the Oilers should have walked over on route to an easy Cup. Edmonton has two of the best players in the NHL in their prime and they have yet to win a Conference Final game, let alone be in a Cup Final. They lost to a good opponent. It's still disappointing.
- freelancer

Oilers really got some below average goaltending. Vegas has a pretty good team, but the coach really should have give a start to Campbell at some point. Maybe they relied too much on their pp as well and should have done more at 5 on 5.

Do you think the team was better constructed last year or this year?
- Chunk

Absolutely better constructed this season. Bottom six offered far more this season. Ekholm is a massive upgrade. Skinner was better than Smith was for the whole regular season but fell off a cliff in the playoffs.

I’m sorry that you can’t read because that’s not at all what I wrote. Oilers had some injuries, I’m sure Vegas did too. What I actually wrote was Edmonton’s top six aside from Drai and McDavid no showed, the goaltending was brutal and the defense in front wasn’t nearly good enough.

Plenty of online classes if you want to bump that 1st grade reading level to a 2.
- freelancer

Insult me all you want bud. I'm sure you are having a bad day.