2023-24 NHL discussion thread

[Prime Minister Koivu]

39 minutes ago, Habs Fan in Edmonton said:

No doubt goaltending is a big part of the problem but when a high powered offence can only score 2 goals against a team like San Jose then you certainly have other problems. I think Woodcraft likely has to go. Getting rid of Holland solves nothing in the short term. A new GM comes in with no cap space to do anything.

Im not sure that I would want Holland making the decisions on fixing that mess. 
 

He has done nothing positive in the 4 years that he’s been there and the Oilers are prospect empty to boot. 
 

Fire them both 

[DON]

32 minutes ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

Im not sure that I would want Holland making the decisions on fixing that mess. 
 

He has done nothing positive in the 4 years that he’s been there and the Oilers are prospect empty to boot. 
 

Fire them both 

 

In October most talking heads had Oilers as one of most likely to win.

So not sure they will blow it up or if they should? I dont follow them at all, so just guessing.

 

[Prime Minister Koivu]

9 minutes ago, DON said:

 

In October most talking heads had Oilers as one of most likely to win.

So not sure they will blow it up or if they should? I dont follow them at all, so just guessing.

 

Yeah I don’t follow the Oilers either, outside of mainstream sports media. 
 

I think about Campbell, Nurse contract and empty prospect pool and cap hell and I’m not sure that’s a good record. 
 

I don’t think they need to blow it up but they do have to deal with some bad contracts to get help for their bottom 6 and a better goalie. 
 

At the very least Woodcraft needs to go as soon as possible. 
 

 

 

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

I think everyone would agree that Nurse is a bad contract and Campbell was a risk. Most GM's have at least 1 bad contract attached to their name. Holland's contract is up I believe at the end of this year so he is likely gone or retired anyway. Oilers are in win now mode as much as any team in the NHL. They need a goalie and I think a new coach. Tough to say without being around the team but they are way better than this.

[Plutarch]

3 hours ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

The concern is - what if Woodcroft is part of the problem? Is it ONLY goaltending, or are there deeper issues of system, player fatigue with the coach’s message, etc.? If the latter, then you’re stuck with him and the team continues to spiral. (Not unlike the Habs firing Bergevin and then being forced to fire DD owing to the latter’s incompetence). 

I'd say at least fire the goalie coach

[TurdBurglar]

On 11/10/2023 at 12:22 PM, Habs Fan in Edmonton said:

I think everyone would agree that Nurse is a bad contract and Campbell was a risk. Most GM's have at least 1 bad contract attached to their name. Holland's contract is up I believe at the end of this year so he is likely gone or retired anyway. Oilers are in win now mode as much as any team in the NHL. They need a goalie and I think a new coach. Tough to say without being around the team but they are way better than this.

The word last summer was Holland turned down the idea of an extension for GM.  Instead at the time there were rumblings of him getting moved somewhere else in the organization and the Oilers looking for a new GM at the end of this season.  I'm not sure where that stands now.

[dlbalr]

2 hours ago, TurdBurglar said:

The word last summer was Holland turned down the idea of an extension for GM.  Instead at the time there were rumblings of him getting moved somewhere else in the organization and the Oilers looking for a new GM at the end of this season.  I'm not sure where that stands now.

 

They had the in-house GM option ready to go once Holland's contract ended but he got hired away by Ottawa last month (Steve Staios).

[TurdBurglar]

Least surprising thing you’ll read all day.  Oilers have fired Woodcroft.

[GHT120]

McDavid's HC for his three years in the OHL.

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

17 minutes ago, TurdBurglar said:

Least surprising thing you’ll read all day.  Oilers have fired Woodcroft.

That is a shocker. 

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

8 minutes ago, GHT120 said:

McDavid's HC for his three years in the OHL.

 

The McDavid factor is interesting, but - WOW. Hiring a guy who has not coached a single NHL game to lead a team with aspirations to the Cup. That is either ballsy or bonkers.

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

22 minutes ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

The McDavid factor is interesting, but - WOW. Hiring a guy who has not coached a single NHL game to lead a team with aspirations to the Cup. That is either ballsy or bonkers.

Maybe Dominque Ducharme wasn't available?

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

4 minutes ago, Habs Fan in Edmonton said:

Maybe Dominque Ducharme wasn't available?

 

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA yes, DD would start by putting McDavid on the 4th line and demanding that he play a strong checking role 

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

31 minutes ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

The McDavid factor is interesting, but - WOW. Hiring a guy who has not coached a single NHL game to lead a team with aspirations to the Cup. That is either ballsy or bonkers.

There are lots of examples of guys who won a Stanley Cup in their 1st year coaching in the NHL, Jean Perron comes to mind. Plus this early in the year there aren't many good coaches with NHL experience looking for work. I guess there is always a guy like Bruce Boudreau.

[GHT120]

2 minutes ago, Habs Fan in Edmonton said:

There are lots of examples of guys who won a Stanley Cup in their 1st year coaching in the NHL, Jean Perron comes to mind. Plus this early in the year there aren't many good coaches with NHL experience looking for work. I guess there is always a guy like Bruce Boudreau.

I expect veteran coaches may be looking at Edmonton and see Holland as a "dead GM walking" ... perhaps not a situation to which they wish to hitch their wagons.

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

21 minutes ago, GHT120 said:

I expect veteran coaches may be looking at Edmonton and see Holland as a "dead GM walking" ... perhaps not a situation to which they wish to hitch their wagons.

Perhaps or they might get excited about the opportunity to work with the best player in the world and the challenge of turning a talented team around. 

[DON]

Some of Slafkovski's peers, AHL news;

 

"Coachella Valley Firebirds forward Shane Wright got the call on Wednesday, joining the Seattle Kraken along with rookie forward Ryan Winterton, who made his NHL debut. Wright was off to a hot start with the Firebirds, producing six points (four goals, two assists) in his first seven games.

Returning to the AHL was 19-year-old defenseman David Jiricek, who had stuck with the Columbus Blue Jackets coming out of training camp, going on to play 10 games and contribute a goal and two assists. But he had sat out the past two games, and the Blue Jackets need him to play, so he was assigned to the Cleveland Monsters on Saturday. Jiricek can get plenty of ice time with the Monsters, who have a stretch of seven games in the next 15 days beginning this afternoon at Belleville.

The New Jersey Devils saw enough in Simon Nemec, the second overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, to put him in the AHL last season as an 18-year-old with the Utica Comets. He handled that challenge and churned out 34 points (12 goals, 22 assists) in 65 games, and also captained Slovakia at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship.

And with a strong blue line established in New Jersey and plenty of time to develop Nemec, the Devils have opted to give him additional seasoning with Utica. Nemec missed time after an injury on opening night, but he returned Oct. 28 and has totaled six points in seven games; Saturday night saw him register an AHL career-high four points (two goals, two assists) as the Comets routed Rochester, 6-0.

 

Sunday notebook: Riding the NHL-AHL shuttle | TheAHL.com | The American Hockey League

 

[hab29RETIRED]

5 hours ago, Habs Fan in Edmonton said:

That is a shocker. 

What’s not a shocker is Coffey as an assistant coach - this owner seems to love handing out jobs to the old dynasty team whether they are what’s needed or not!

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

4 minutes ago, hab29RETIRED said:

What’s not a shocker is Coffey as an assistant coach - this owner seems to love handing out jobs to the old dynasty team whether they are what’s needed or not!

I just don't see Coffey as a good coach. As a player he relied on pure speed (maybe the best skater I ever saw) but never thought his hockey IQ was that great. He just doesn't seem like coaching material to me 

[GHT120]

35 minutes ago, Habs Fan in Edmonton said:

I just don't see Coffey as a good coach. As a player he relied on pure speed (maybe the best skater I ever saw) but never thought his hockey IQ was that great. He just doesn't seem like coaching material to me 

But he has two partial seasons of OJHL coaching experience ... that qualifies him ... right?

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

11 minutes ago, GHT120 said:

But he has two partial seasons of OJHL coaching experience ... that qualifies him ... right?

Absolutely!

[DON]

What was that Turgeon thing about?

He had a cup of coffee in Montreal, assume is 100% just a Quebec thing.

[hab29RETIRED]

16 minutes ago, DON said:

What was that Turgeon thing about?

He had a cup of coffee in Montreal, assume is 100% just a Quebec thing.

We’ll he was captain (not sure why), and was the captain for the forum closing and opening of the cursed bell centre.

[Commandant]

46 minutes ago, DON said:

What was that Turgeon thing about?

He had a cup of coffee in Montreal, assume is 100% just a Quebec thing.

 

Everyone who has played for.the Habs and is in the HHOF has a spot on the ring of honour.  Even guys who were only Habs for a short time.

[huzer]

1 hour ago, Commandant said:

 

Everyone who has played for.the Habs and is in the HHOF has a spot on the ring of honour.  Even guys who were only Habs for a short time.

 

Heck, Gilmour actually played in more Habs games than Turgeon. I guess having the C makes the difference, there.