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Speculation » Who Replaces Knoblauch?

Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch? [message #850148 is a reply to message #850147 ]	Wed, 11 February 2026 22:35

Kr55
Messages: 12926
Registered: May 2002
Location: Edmonton

6 Cups

Skookum Jim wrote on Wed, 11 February 2026 22:13

Kr55 wrote on Wed, 11 February 2026 15:19

Saddest thing with his team right now is McDavid has been absolutely on fire for almost 3 months straight now. I guess Bouch too offensively. Drai playing pretty well too. And almost no one else is along for the ride. The captain leading by example seems to mean absolutely nothing with this team.

Personally I think a lack of a 3rd line C that can actually make plays is a big handicap for our depth now. Henrique can barely do a thing 5v5 now. Roslovic is a winger, and plays like a winger even when he lines up at C. And there is nothing else. Nuge can't drive a line, so he just stays on the wing, and is having a pretty off year so far anyways. There is no good opportunity for these young wingers we have to learn their NHL game against medium/low end competition with a decent center. If they play with McDavid or Drai, they are going to be up against top comp, and think they are making it clear they can't handle it yet.

As for our defensive methods/results. Someone needs to figure something out there. The results are just abysmal.

5v5 GA/60 is our highest since 14/15, and it's not just bad luck. Last few years we had runs of being scored on like crazy when we weren't giving up lots of good chances, so our xGA was way lower than our actual GA. But this year, almost the same, we are getting pretty close to what we deserve based on the chances we're giving up.

There is no season going back to 2007 where our 5v5 xGA/60 was worse than it is this year. This is likely our worst xGA/60 season in the cap era right now. Somehow this team finds a way to battle any narrative about what could have been the problem with the team. Skinner sucks, yay, we got rid of him. Oh yeah? Well, let's play the crappiest defense ever now to try to prove Skinner was never the issue! Such an annoying team, seriously.

I think its D personnel.. #1 lack of smarts (turnovers), #2 lack of speed and agility, #3 lack of skill #4 just weak .. can't break a cycle, win pucks, tie up ab open man, and have zero intimidation

Seravalli called it on Stauffer's show..

Quote:

“Darnell Nurse is this team’s biggest problem, start and finish.
Like, you could end it right there.
At nine and a quarter million bucks, he needs to be an impact piece, and the Oilers are trying to survive in spite of him.”

Forwards probably take some responsibility too. How bad we are this year defensively needs some serious study from the org.

I would agree though, this may be the weakest performing D group we have had in some time.

Ekholm has taken a big step back in his defensive ability since his injury. Maybe age is a part too.

Bouch is Bouch. Regular season his effort in his end goes up and down all year long. Wait for playoffs for him to up his defensive game. His defensive game last 2 playoffs was better than what anyone on this current roster is showing.

Walman has had a very tough season in his own end. I'm not sure if Walman was ever that good at actual defending either, he seemed to be another guy that needs to just push offense to reduce time in his own end. Knowing his 3th biggest D contract was going to have to play with Nurse, I think Bowman didn't think this through very well. This could be a nightmare D pair for some time now if Walman doesn't elevate his game a lot. I hope him getting his retirement deal already doesn't kill his motivation.

Nurse ... what more can we say. Always needs a babysitter, and we traded away the only 2 guys we had to start the year that have successfully done that job with him for any period of time. We were forced to trade Kulak because of terrible cap management, and Bowman not addressing goaltending in the summer and doing a mid-season panic trade. Maybe a bit scary to think Nurse may be slowing down with each year now too. He needs his skating to have a chance to get out of the trouble he constantly finds himself in. He has never been a good passer, so his ability to skate pucks diminishing moves him to being a Dman that can't help at all to get pucks out of our end.

3rd pair is just total meh. We have destroyed our D depth. We have 0 D in his org outside the top 4 that play like they should be anywhere near a top 4 D spot (can argue we also have 2 guys in the top 4 that don't look like they should be in a top 4 too). They are questionable to even be in a bottom pair in the NHL.

Mistakes have been made it seems. Again, by another new incompetent manager.

[Updated on: Thu, 12 February 2026 09:35]

"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

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Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: Skookum Jim on Wed, 04 February 2026 22:51
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: HamBlaster on Wed, 04 February 2026 22:56
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: Kr55 on Wed, 04 February 2026 23:50
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: inverno76 on Thu, 05 February 2026 11:59
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: PlusOne on Sat, 07 February 2026 17:43
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: Skookum Jim on Sat, 07 February 2026 18:33
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: Kr55 on Sat, 07 February 2026 20:17
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: Rocksteady on Mon, 09 February 2026 14:16
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: Skookum Jim on Mon, 09 February 2026 14:30
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: Adam on Tue, 10 February 2026 17:22
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: Skookum Jim on Wed, 11 February 2026 01:09
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: Adam on Wed, 11 February 2026 12:11
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: Kr55 on Wed, 11 February 2026 14:47
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: Adam on Wed, 11 February 2026 15:16
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: Kr55 on Wed, 11 February 2026 16:19
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: Skookum Jim on Wed, 11 February 2026 22:13
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: Kr55 on Wed, 11 February 2026 22:35
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: Skookum Jim on Wed, 11 February 2026 23:09
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: Skookum Jim on Sat, 14 February 2026 18:34
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: Kr55 on Sat, 14 February 2026 18:53
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: Kr55 on Mon, 04 May 2026 13:03
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: Adam on Tue, 05 May 2026 10:56
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: Kr55 on Tue, 12 May 2026 08:30
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: Rocksteady on Tue, 12 May 2026 12:05
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: Kr55 on Tue, 12 May 2026 12:09
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: Skookum Jim on Tue, 12 May 2026 12:28
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: nullterm on Tue, 12 May 2026 16:15
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: Kr55 on Tue, 12 May 2026 16:34
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: Skookum Jim on Tue, 12 May 2026 18:21
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: Adam on Tue, 12 May 2026 21:46
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: Kr55 on Tue, 12 May 2026 22:25
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: Jay on Wed, 13 May 2026 09:07
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: Kr55 on Wed, 13 May 2026 10:21
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: Jay on Wed, 13 May 2026 21:24
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: inverno76 on Mon, 08 June 2026 13:39
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: Jay on Mon, 08 June 2026 14:22
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: oilfan94 on Mon, 08 June 2026 14:59
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: Rocksteady on Mon, 08 June 2026 15:56
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: NZ Oiler Fan on Mon, 08 June 2026 18:07
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: JPro on Mon, 08 June 2026 18:08
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: Adam on Mon, 08 June 2026 23:20
Re: Who Replaces Knoblauch?	By: Rocksteady on Tue, 09 June 2026 10:49

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