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Oilers » Review: New Jersey @ Edmonton (Game #25)

Re: Review: New Jersey @ Edmonton (Game #25) [message #828051 is a reply to message #828048 ]	Tue, 12 December 2023 06:28

Steve
Messages: 128
Registered: October 2006
Location: Ottawa

No Cups

Adam wrote on Mon, 11 December 2023 17:52

Steve wrote on Mon, 11 December 2023 15:15

RDOilerfan wrote on Mon, 11 December 2023 12:23

smyth260 wrote on Sun, 10 December 2023 20:51

I would say absolutely not. Playing Skinner for 90% of games is not a long term solution.

If I was the Oilers I call up Rodrigue and send down Pickard, and keep on the search for a starting or 1B goalie.

Pickard is 31. At this point, he is what he is. So if he sits for long stretches in the NHL not playing, it doesn't stun his development.

Rodrique is 23 and not very far along in his pro career. He needs to be in an environment where he can play and continue to work on his game. He has a chance to be an NHL goalie. A dream scenario would be in a couple of years, your starter and back up are young, home grown, goalies in Skinner and Rodigue. I would keep Rodrigue in the minors and let him continue to develop.

Agreed. I would like to see him getting more time in the AHL. The current problem is that he's been riding the bench in favour of trying to get Campbell back into form. I think that's short term though. If he can outplay Campbell, he'll get more time. At the end of the year, either the Oilers will buy out Campbell or trade him for assets that are less expensive than the buyout penalty. It's going to hurt either way. Then Rodrigue can be the AHL starter next year.

For this year, I still want the Oilers to bring in someone who can start playoff games if Skinner is having trouble with a particular opponent, like Vegas.

Currently it looks like Skinner-Pickard may be able to get them to the deadline, but I'm not comfortable with that duo for the playoffs.

It would be sheer insanity to go in to the playoffs without getting a goaltender - preferably, someone who ranks above Skinner on the depth chart. I was happy for Pickard getting the win and playing well last night, but I've seen a bunch of Oilers fans declaring the goaltending fixed, and it's just so not. The recent winning streak is a tiny sample size, and includes a couple performances from Skinner where the team outscored the goaltending issue - something that they couldn't do earlier in the year.

And Pickard has a long history as an okay AHL goalie and a not-very-good NHL goalie. He's not changed just because of one good game, just like Campbell playing well in the pre-season wasn't an indication that he'd re-found his game.

As to Campbell, the team needs to put a bullet in that problem sooner than later. There is a solution there, and it's one that gets us back much-needed cap space. He's not tradeable, and I don't believe he's recoverable at this point so someone needs to have the conversation with him.

With the team's recent surge, it is entertaining to see fans trying so hard to believe in management - thinking that the coaching change was the catalyst and not McDavid returning to health and the shooting percentages returning to a more normal level that's driven most of our recovery. Maybe there's a few tweaks, and it's possible some have some positive outcome, but this is the same team with virtually the same systems. There's no way for Knoblauch to overhaul the team in a month while they're playing almost every other night.

We were due for a stretch like this. Now we just need to continue it, because it's a deep dark hole that we're fighting our way out of. Even with a seven game winning streak, we're still 10th in the conference, three points out of the last playoff spot. We're still a whopping 11 points back of the LA Kings who sit in the last of the three Pacific Division spots, and we're 18 back of the Vegas Golden Knights atop the conference.

The 'new coach bump' was a bit delayed in its arrival, but I think that's what we are seeing now. KK has introduced some tweaks, the team has bought in, and they are trying to impress the coach to make a good impression and garner playing time. Health and luck are also on their side now, which has made a huge difference, and they have been able to outplay the other teams to such a degree that the goaltending has not been the same issue as earlier in the season. That doesn't mean the goaltending is any better. I still have issues with Skinner's lateral movement and he can easily be exposed if the defense in front of him is being outplayed. But he's huge and can stop most pucks that he has a chance to get squared up on. If the Oilers continue to play at a high level, Skinner can get them into the playoffs. I don't think he gets you a Stanley Cup though.

Agreed that a better goalie will go a long way to success in the playoffs. Bringing in a Roloson would be huge. I'm not sure who that goalie is though.

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."

- Calvin

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Review: New Jersey @ Edmonton (Game #25)	By: OilFans on Sun, 10 December 2023 16:30
Re: Review: New Jersey @ Edmonton (Game #25)	By: tardigrade81 on Sun, 10 December 2023 16:37
Re: Review: New Jersey @ Edmonton (Game #25)	By: NetBOG on Sun, 10 December 2023 16:39
Re: Review: New Jersey @ Edmonton (Game #25)	By: inverno76 on Sun, 10 December 2023 16:41
Re: Review: New Jersey @ Edmonton (Game #25)	By: K.McC#24 on Sun, 10 December 2023 16:49
Re: Review: New Jersey @ Edmonton (Game #25)	By: Kr55 on Sun, 10 December 2023 16:57
Re: Review: New Jersey @ Edmonton (Game #25)	By: smyth260 on Sun, 10 December 2023 16:59
Re: Review: New Jersey @ Edmonton (Game #25)	By: NZ Oiler Fan on Sun, 10 December 2023 17:08
Re: Review: New Jersey @ Edmonton (Game #25)	By: Suomalainen on Sun, 10 December 2023 17:31
Re: Review: New Jersey @ Edmonton (Game #25)	By: nullterm on Sun, 10 December 2023 19:14
Re: Review: New Jersey @ Edmonton (Game #25)	By: smyth260 on Sun, 10 December 2023 20:51
Re: Review: New Jersey @ Edmonton (Game #25)	By: inverno76 on Sun, 10 December 2023 21:01
Re: Review: New Jersey @ Edmonton (Game #25)	By: Skoobz on Sun, 10 December 2023 21:28
Re: Review: New Jersey @ Edmonton (Game #25)	By: smyth260 on Sun, 10 December 2023 22:30
Re: Review: New Jersey @ Edmonton (Game #25)	By: Adam on Mon, 11 December 2023 18:53
Re: Review: New Jersey @ Edmonton (Game #25)	By: RDOilerfan on Mon, 11 December 2023 13:23
Re: Review: New Jersey @ Edmonton (Game #25)	By: Steve on Mon, 11 December 2023 15:15
Re: Review: New Jersey @ Edmonton (Game #25)	By: RDOilerfan on Mon, 11 December 2023 16:32
Re: Review: New Jersey @ Edmonton (Game #25)	By: Adam on Mon, 11 December 2023 18:52
Re: Review: New Jersey @ Edmonton (Game #25)	By: Steve on Tue, 12 December 2023 06:28
Re: Review: New Jersey @ Edmonton (Game #25)	By: Adam on Tue, 12 December 2023 10:12
Re: Review: New Jersey @ Edmonton (Game #25)	By: NCREDiBLE on Sun, 10 December 2023 20:57
Re: Review: New Jersey @ Edmonton (Game #25)	By: RDOilerfan on Mon, 11 December 2023 09:40

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