Did the Oilers Build Their Roster Wrong?

Did the Oilers Build Their Roster Wrong?

When do we start calling it roster construction? When will you guys start seeing it that way? Well, explain it to me. Yeah, like I want I want more context into what you don’t like with the roster construction. We don’t have the goods. 2020. Everyone’s drinking the Kool-Aid thinking we had the third best defensive core in the league. Everyone still, you know, the world was divided on trying to manufacture Steuart Skinner into a Vzna caliber goalie even though he’s probably not. And who is Yeah, he gets paid 2.6. Well, you would always push the Skinner’s a good goalie narrative. Like this is this is not this year. Last year, you’re advocating for him. Beginning of last season, I definitely But like you’re not, and I’m not trying to isolate you. Like there’s a lot of people that thought like that. He also hasn’t been a problem this season. Well, everyone’s a problem. May not be a problem this season. He’s not the biggest problem. That is maybe the way I should part of the problem just like everyone else is part of the problem. And you’re finding out how much Dry Style and McDavid can actually do. Are they playing their best right now? No. That I’m not feeling the jam from them yet. But they’re exhausted. They’ve been dragging this team to the playoffs two years in a row. And clearly they don’t have enough of a supporting cast. My you think this roster is fantastic right now? I I I’m just saying when do we call it? But okay, so my counterpoint to that would be I’d be more concerned about the construction of this roster if guys were playing well and they were losing. But maybe this is the team that’s like we we keep I I really hope like you think this is the best Brett Kulak can play. I I I don’t know. Maybe maybe now maybe now this is where he’s at. I don’t know. Like it’s it’s the sample size is only getting bigger. Yeah. and the deficit in the whole like the mushy middle of the NHL right now like this season could and I’m not trying to be alarmed this but like this and I think we already feel this could be off the rails and not be able to be on repair relatively quickly like we got to we have to come out of this soon I and if this if this team like is showing no indication right now that they can I don’t think so. I’m not I’m not going to panic anytime soon because the league is so But when will you call it that it’s the roster and not like whatever this other you know other team I don’t really want to put I don’t really want to ponder a number on it. I just need to watch them and be like oh this team isn’t it? Are are they right now? No, definitely not. But I also think it’s because everyone is playing the worst they could possibly play. And I think we’ve seen many of these players play at a higher level in the past year than they’re playing right now. Like Bousard and Ekkom started the season poorly. I think over the last few weeks, the last couple weeks, whatever, it’s been, they’ve been a lot better. Like Nurse and Warman, like Nurse is nothing special, but he’s definitely not this bad. I feel like he’s played a lot better. And I think this defensive group has a lot to show of what they’re capable of doing, and they just haven’t been able to put it together yet. But I think that’s more of like they’re just playing bad. I don’t think you’re necessarily wrong on like like Trent Frederick’s not working out. But also for a guy to have one goal that seems like he’s just at the lowest of lows right now. I think it’s a more of a confidence issue than necessarily a roster construction issue. Like everything’s just going wrong at all at the same time collectively. Like everyone’s at a low. Yep. But the top six has been relatively fine. It even feels like an over. But they’re playing okay. You know what I mean? It’s on the up. I’m not. I think it is. I think it’s Pod Coulson’s playing good hockey. Ros’s playing really good hockey. Seavoy seems to be establishing themselves. What about the other 12 guys or six guys? Well, no, 12 cuz I think you can lump the blue line into it. Um, here’s why like I I they can only they can only drag the rest of the team so much. So, if the rest of the team is duds Mhm. here’s why I’m not going to hit my meter won’t hit true panic until the probably until the Olympic break if I’m being honest with you. This team, as much as I I do not want to make excuses for them because I hate making excuses for a struggling team where it’s effort. And I think a lot of it is still effort with this team. And maybe it’s coaching. I I still don’t think Chris Knobblock sitting there being like, “Guys, don’t hit anybody on the forch check. Guys, don’t go to the net now. Like, stay on the perimeter.” What’s fueling all this? I know. So, I don’t want to make excuses for them. But the reality of the situation is that their schedule has been tough. It’s been daunting. They’re on their second extended Eastern road trip and the season’s 5 weeks old. They will not play a game out or they will not play a game in the Eastern time zone after December 19th this year. There’s something to that. This is a team without a doubt. Like there’s some circumstance for sure. They haven’t played good enough. Are they fatigued from another long season? Probably. They’ve played eight home games this year. There’s a couple of teams who’ve played seven and then it’s the teams with eight. And I mean, the fact that this road trip continues for another week, few days, it’s epic. By the end of this weekend, I believe they will have played the fewest home games in the entire NHL. This is a team that traditionally is average on the road, dominates on home ice. You’re going to have fewer road trips in the back half. Like they might just have to gut through this and then they’ll be back on home ice and they’ll go on a run at some point. Like they’ve only lost once in regular plausible. It’s just it their home record is 51 and2 this year. They only lost at home. When have they showed that they’ve had it this season? We actually discussed this in the the the after the second period of Utah the Vancouver game is really No, we actually we did this on ONR. We I said two and it was those two but we just said Utah and Vancouver. The rest of them have just been like well maybe Chicago but none of us watched it cuz the Blue Jays were playing but the rest of them yeah they’ve been very below average but also too they’ve been below average and they are currently one point out of a playoff spot and that’s my whole thing lucky they’re not they are lucky that they’re in that circumstance they’re lucky but I just think everyone else is all the same like and I don’t watch many other teams I just look at the records for the most part and it’s just like if they win tonight they would be tied for second in the division. Games played all that. I get it. But that’s kind of the point is like they’re slumping right now and a lot of other teams have the same record as them in the last 10 games. Like they’re 44 and two in the last 10. Seattle’s 4-3 and three. Vegas is 43 and three. And that’s why like I’m not willing to panic at all right now. I’m very frustrated, don’t get me wrong, but like let’s not overreact to the extent of the season is over on November 19th. You know what I mean? I know. No, no. And I’m not trying to like and and that’s why I’m saying like I’m like when do you call it this? cuz if it if it continues like this then it has to be a roster issue. I I think if we start seeing other teams pull away and New Orleans just kind of stay in this inconsistency that’s when I would start to be like oh So I don’t can’t really put a game number on that but that would be what I would evaluate it. Yeah. I I you can even like Connor finally celebrated a goal in Carolina. Yeah. like finally I was like finally he’s cheering for like so maybe that’s a sign that he’s coming out of the fog and like and he’s been playing great as of late too but like that it’s it’s it’s an emotional fog too cuz we’re not we’re just we’re the free space in the bingo card when it comes to the calendar like it’s an easy night when you play the Oilers. What’s up nation citizens? If you enjoyed today’s episode of Oilers Nation Everyday, make sure you hit the subscribe button here on our YouTube to not miss any of our content. We got you covered from interviews, insight, analysis, everything you need to stay up to date on everything around the team. Hit that subscribe button so you don’t miss a video.

Tyler, Liam, and Jay dive into a big-picture debate about the real root of the Edmonton Oilers’ struggles. Are the issues simply a matter of key players not performing to their usual standard? Or is the roster construction itself the bigger problem holding this team back?

The guys break down individual performances, lineup balance, depth concerns, and whether management deserves more of the blame than the players.

Is this a slump… or a structural issue? Tyler, Liam, and Jay tackle the question from all angles.

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