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If my choice and no cap I'd take Tanev and Hanifin not just because I'm a Flames fan but because they are the best out of that bunch for playoff purposes(defense)...adding Tanev and Hannifin to the Oilers would almost make them perfect in my opinion...if they could also add a goalie like Markstrom/Demko/Brobovski that would make it perfect in my opinion meaning only an all star team(Olympic) team would be better... Not sure how to erase quotes after accidently pressing quote too much...

Ok...if reading multiple posts is too onerous for you then yeah by all means I'll try to put it all into one post but seems odd that reading multiple posts would cause problems since we are on a posting forum afterall... As for your nit picking my posts and trying to pigeon hole me into Oilers can't play defense I really don't know how you got that from my posts...all I'm saying is other teams are better defensively than the Oilers and I think it's because of coaching/goaltending/defencemen...you are just trying to twist that into something more specific to fit your stats explain everything narrative...bottom line is nobody thinks the Oilers don't have goalie defensive issues but you so we'll just have to agree to disagree on that... And as for the so called wiff about man to man vs zone coverage I never said it's the be all end all so read or quote my posts better...we all know that nobody here is an NHL coach and you might be an NHL statistical analysis but that still doesn't mean the Oilers are fine defensively or in net...time will tell and like I said before results is what I care about so when the Oilers win the Cup we'll debate again whether it was more because of offence or defence or goaltending etc... Until then history has shown the Oilers haven't won enough in the playoffs for reason you and I disagree on...nothing matters much until that changes...

Not as much as Edmonton and ok if it's accounted for special teams that still doesn't change my mind because those stats don't match what I see every year...I mean is anyone taking your stats and concluding that Edmonton is just as defensively oriented team as any in the league?

If Holland adds to their defence like he did with Ekholm a defensive defensemen their chances obviously only go up...but I gotta say fantasy league has no bearing on real life haha don't you agree? I mean I've been watching hockey and playing fantasy leagues my whole life and even in a lifetime fantasy league and I never think that anything in fantasy will ever translate to championships in real life...out of all my years of existence it's almost a given that defence wins championships the exceptions being the Hall of Fame offenses of the Gretzky Oilers and Lemieux Penguins etc...

And it doesn't pain me at all that Las Vegas used zone defence to beat Edmonton since chasing McJesus around the rink isn't a solution either so all you've proven is that zone defense works against the Oilers doesn't mean it shouldn't be man to man against other teams...bottom line is the teams I've mentioned are more defensive teams than Edmonton and that's why I think they'll do better in the playoffs...

As for the goalies Skinner is doing better now obviously but there are ups and downs year to year even Markstrom sucked last year and Shertirken not bet e good this year same with Ullmark but that doesn't mean Skinner is anywhere in the same class as them...time will tell if sticking with Skinner and this defence will make a difference or if it'll be the same unsuccessful playoffs of old - but I'm of the opinion it'll be the same playoffs failures of old...

Regarding your stats for the top 6 months versus bottom 6 minutes might be skewed for not accounting for special teams...in either event despite what the stats says just watching Oilers games it's pretty obvious they only play the other lines more when the games aren't on the line whereas when they are behind or it's a tight game the majority of the minutes go to their Hall of Famers...

I care less about stats and more about results...what I see is Edmonton Hall of Fame offence not being enough to win in playoffs...while more defensive minded teams are going further without Hall of Fame offensive production...Cup wins and playoff wins are what counts...maybe it'll be different for Edmonton this year but history is against them whereas teams that consistently win in the playoffs have history on their side...

A good defensive team are like Vegas they can win in the playoffs with just mediocre goaltending...they don't just load the majority of minutes to their top 2 lines...basically coached old style like Sutter/McClelland/Bowness/Brindamoure/etc man on man instead of zone defense...the Oilers biggest defensive problems are not having a top ten goalie in this league and by playing their best players which are only on their top 2 forward lines most of the game that leaves the majority of the Oilers game time vulnerable defensively which when they are scoring isn't as noticable anddoesn't matter as much but like when in the playoffs these weaknesses show more...the teams I mentioned above are more balanced with their minutes for the entire team and roll their lines for the most part instead of the majority of the minutes going to only half their team...plus I just think Skinner isn't good enough to be a number one goalie like Campbell wasn't...

Added the pointers to the salary cap criticism I wanted to emphasise...

Article copied and pasted from the internet: 5 takeaways from Nylander's extension with Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs signed winger William Nylander to a franchise-record eight-year, $92-million extension Monday. Several ramifications from the deal affect the Leafs and the rest of the league. Let's dive in. Leafs pay top-end value for another star player Mark Blinch / National Hockey League / Getty Nylander is amid his best season, tallying 21 goals and 33 assists through 37 games, tying him with Connor McDavid for the fifth-most points in the league. Leafs fans should be ecstatic that a homegrown star wants to spend his entire career in Toronto. But the Leafs aren't exactly getting any hometown discount here. Nylander entered this season having never finished higher than 20th in league scoring. Since his emergence in 2021-22, he ranks 14th in points. Still, Nylander's $11.5-million cap hit will tie him for the fifth-highest-paid player in the league. The most recent comparable is David Pastrnak - he and Nylander are the same age and play the same position. Signed 10 months ago, Pastrnak's deal with the Boston Bruins was also for eight years but with an $11.25-million cap hit. However, Pastrnak already had a 48-goal, 95-point campaign under his belt and was amid a season in which he finished as the Hart Trophy runner-up. Pastrnak's pact was worth 13.64% of the cap ceiling when he signed the contract (13.5% of 2023-24's cap). Nylander's deal is worth 13.77% of this season's cap ceiling and 13.1% of 2024-25's projected cap. In a nutshell, the contracts are mighty close despite Pastrnak's longer track record of elite production. Perhaps the Leafs could've saved about a million dollars per year had they reached an agreement with Nylander in the offseason. But this has been a consistent theme for an organization that hasn't been able to win negotiations with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, either, relative to other superstars around the league. Getting Nylander signed is still far better than the alternative of trading him or letting him walk, and it shouldn't be a poor contract by any stretch. However, Nylander's camp clearly didn't do the Leafs any favors given that the deal also contains a full no-movement clause and bonus-heavy structure. No one should blame Nylander considering Marner and Matthews did the same thing, though. Why should he be the one to cave? Toronto just doesn't have the cap culture other teams do in which stars are open to taking slightly less for the group's betterment. What does this mean for Marner? Claus Andersen / Getty Images Sport / Getty Speaking of Marner, he's up next for the Leafs. Marner and John Tavares will be eligible to sign extensions on July 1 before becoming unrestricted free agents in 2025. Tavares will be in his mid-30s and likely sign for far cheaper than his current $11-millon cap hit if he stays in Toronto. The same can't be said for Marner. Marner took the Leafs for every dollar on his current contract, receiving a $10.9-million cap hit over six years. His next deal may not be much higher considering the cap has barely increased since then. If Nylander continues at his current pace for the rest of the season and finishes with around 120 points, it'll be tough for Marner to justify exceeding Nylander's cap-hit percentage. Marner has never recorded 100 points in a campaign. Marner is a better defensive player than Nylander, but contracts are often based on production. Marner could go off in the second half or have a torrid start to 2024-25, but if he doesn't, his next contract should come with a cap hit far closer to Nylander's than to Matthews' $13.25M AAV. Reports indicated that Marner wanted his current deal to be paid closer to Matthews' previous contract. That's difficult to imagine this time around, with Nylander pulling himself ahead of Marner this season. Pettersson seeing dollar signs Derek Cain / Getty Images Sport / Getty Vancouver Canucks superstar Elias Pettersson is likely next in line to cash in. Pettersson won't be a UFA until 2025, but he's a pending restricted free agent eligible to sign an extension at any time. Nylander's deal should be music to the ears of Pettersson's camp. Pettersson is coming off a 102-point season and is on pace for triple-digit points again. Not only is Pettersson two years younger than Nylander, but he also plays the much more valuable position of center. And Pettersson has a strong two-way game that resulted in a seventh-place finish in Selke Trophy voting last year. If Pettersson signs for the maximum eight-year term on his next deal, the cap hit should start with a 12. He deserves it. 2024 UFA class gets weaker Megan Briggs / Getty Images Sport / Getty Nylander was the cream of the crop among the 2024 UFA class. There are some intriguing names after him, but Nylander was the one star player who could've single-handedly transformed a franchise. While nobody else in the class deserves to reach Nylander's $11.5-million cap hit, his contract should help other pending UFAs maximize their full earning potential. Players like Sam Reinhart and Jake Guentzel, both in their primes, should see handsome paydays. The same goes for productive veterans Steven Stamkos, Matt Duchene, and Jonathan Marchessault on shorter-term deals if they test the market. Hard salary cap remains bad for hockey Jeff Bottari / National Hockey League / Getty Fans and media members are guilty of analyzing and debating the salary when a contract like Nylander's is signed. But it's a fair thing to want to do in a league with a hard cap where every $100,000 is mightily important. It shouldn't be that way, though. Fans, in particular, should be able to enjoy a player committing to their favorite team instead of nitpicking over the details. The NHL is the only major sports league with a hard salary cap, and it lags significantly behind the NFL, NBA, and MLB when it comes to player salaries. Poor marketing is partly to blame, but there are other reasons. For example, the aforementioned notion that star players should take slightly less for the group's betterment wouldn't be a thing if it weren't for the hard cap. Although highly unlikely under current commissioner Gary Bettman, adding a luxury tax system would be a great starting point to allow stars to get their full worth, reward successful franchises, and allow teams greater cap flexibility. Greater cap flexibility could lead to more player movement and, thus, more fan engagement.

That'll probably their downfall again during playoffs same as last year thinking the goalie/defence problems fixed themselves...

It's almost impossible for a goalie to make it back after being sent down especially with that contract...he'll have to play for league minimum for another team to give him a chance sadly...

Literally worse lineup and worse team on paper in NHL history this 2024 team looks like a farm team...so no reason for hope at all...

Whoops wrong thread..

Literally worse lineup and worse team on paper in NHL history this 2024 team looks like a farm team...

Can't break up the big guys ever...they just have to do better at improving goaltending and defence...they changed nothing and are still going to get back up to top 3 in the Pacific so I'm curious to see what they do to improve before the deadline...

Too much pressure for Campbell...hopefully he'll straighten out in the minors and return better...

Haha I say maybe...

Totally agree they need goaltending desperately...

Scoranato going to the All Star game...AHL All Star game that is haha

They call him Connor McZary...according to his teammates at least haha

This is more like it haha

Yeah I like Hathaway ever since we had him in Calgary but anyways I seen the replay and even being a Calgary fan the slow motion replay showed him getting mugged and not much else haha...

Copied and pasted from a hockey Discord server: https://fxtwitter.com/TJBennettt37/status/1743685267288973793 Luke Richardson perfectly explains the hit on Bedard and kudos to him for it