Oilers win Stanley Cup

[othicx]

the Oilers don't need Hopkins, they need a really solid D man or a number one center. And then they need someone with experiance and drive like Ryan Smyth to lead all the young guys and show them how to play. We already have a ton of good forwards, don't really need another

[MMAX]

Originally Posted by othicx

the Oilers don't need Hopkins, they need a really solid D man or a number one center. And then they need someone with experiance and drive like Ryan Smyth to lead all the young guys and show them how to play. We already have a ton of good forwards, don't really need another

They need a #1 center and Nugent-Hopkins is the guy.They have a #1 D-man in Ryan Whitney. Typically, defencemen take longer to develop that forwards. Yes, Adam Larssen is a great young d-man but may not fit in right away. Should be interesting to see what happens.

[68shelby]

Yes there d is there weakness but the can trade a super talented forward for a d all day long.

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by 68shelby

Yes there d is there weakness but the can trade a super talented forward for a d all day long.

no no no, trust me, I play goal in a rec league out here and when I have bad defence we lose more than win, when we have good defence we win more than lose. good defence make the difference in the goaltending and win close games by forcing the majority of shots to areas where they are easier for the goalie to stop.

Steve

[StirCrazy]

I don't think Ryan Nugent-Hopkins would be a good choice, the oilers already have a tone of fire power, and getting rid of Hemsky would be an even bigger mistake. he lead the team with his shoulder still not even close to 100% and is an amazing set up guy. Hall would have won the rookie race if he didn't sprain his ankle but on the good not both have a good reast time to heal.

with Magnus, omark, omarra, jones, eberly, and the others they actualy have a hell of a forard line up for most lines which has showen.

what I think they need to do is let habby go (isn't his contract up this year?) bring gerber up as the starter and give Dubby more play as he has been very impressive this year and is almost ready to be the starter. Gerber in his 4 showings this year had 4 wins 2 of them shutouts.

what they need to do is get a good defence so they can have more than 1 top blue line pair. by adding Adam Larsson (who in the final NHL rankings is #1 overall, Ryan nugent is #1 for northamerican skaters) brings a 6'3", 200lbs blue liner who can do it all.

here is a quote from the scouting report on him

“Adam is one of the best skater’s in this year’s draft -- he has excellent speed and mobility. He also has patient puck handling abilities and can surprise an opponent with a solid hit. His size and skating ability make him comparable with Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman.”


he is also being compared to Calle Johansson. could you imagin the oilers with 3 solid scoring d lines?

Steve

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by othicx

the Oilers don't need Hopkins, they need a really solid D man or a number one center. And then they need someone with experiance and drive like Ryan Smyth to lead all the young guys and show them how to play. We already have a ton of good forwards, don't really need another

I totaly agree, but they have the "ryan smith" in Hall, but with a lot more talent. the hard part is going to be toning halls drive down a tiny bit.

Steve