Goose wrote on Fri, 12 March 2021 14:09

Kr55 wrote on Fri, 12 March 2021 12:45 That last point is the only non-stubbornness reason I can think of for why Tippett refuses to play Nuge on Drai's wing. We're trying to manage his value. I guess if we are conceding that #1 in the division is unreachable, we may have time to show Nuge how weak he is 5v5 without Drai and he can just totally ignore his DRY line performance last year while he argues his value :) The numbers definitely bear out your point, but it's pretty funny to me to think about the Oilers trying to decrease RNH's value by playing him with McDavid all the time

hehe, indeed. There was a point a month or so back where it was getting pretty clear that line was not working as much as one would dream. And on and on it went.

I made the last post mainly as a joke. I know Tippett has been hoping for Nuge and McDavid to blow the doors off together. He firmly believed that was better than putting the DRY line together. Now I guess he's kinda stuck if he really insists not giving into the pressure to give DRY a long run again. And to be fair, maybe there is some pressure that he's going to be annoying McDavid if McDavid is going to be playing with no vets on his wings against top competition. Maybe there is a belief in the org that you need to be playing one of Nuge or Drai with McDavid.



3rd only partially serious explanation for how Nuge is being handled. Tippett is getting him ready to be our #2C with Hall on his wing :)

[Updated on: Fri, 12 March 2021 17:27]

"We need to get better immediately. That starts today"
- Lowe, 2013

"Next year I would forecast as another developmental year"
- MacT, 2015

5 x $5,000,000