As the holiday season approaches, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for as the season passes the one-quarter mark. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Edmonton Oilers.
What are the Oilers thankful for?
Being in a win-now situation.
While that doesn’t hold up the greatest at the moment with them currently being on a six-game losing streak, this is a team that’s built to try to contend now. Not a couple of years from now but right away. GM Ken Holland brought in several veterans over the summer and paid big money to ensure Ryan Nugent-Hopkins isn’t going anywhere anytime soon either. There will come a time where the cap consequences of those moves will be problematic but in the short term, Edmonton is going for it which is usually fun for both the players and the fans.
Who are the Oilers thankful for?
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
Really, it’s hard to pick just one here. One leads the NHL in scoring with 45 points and the other, well, also leads the league in scoring with 45 points. There is no other duo as dominant as McDavid and Draisaitl are around the league. Both can dominate their own lines and when they’re put together, they’re even more potent. Both are franchise players in their own right and when many teams don’t have any, they have two.
To that end, Edmonton is also quite thankful that both are signed long term. McDavid has the richest deal in the league at $12.5MM but many would argue that’s below market value and he’s signed through 2025-26. Meanwhile, Draisaitl is definitely on a below-market contract; his $8.5MM AAV doesn’t crack the top-30 league-wide. He’s locked up through 2024-25 meaning the Oilers will have their superstar pairing intact for at least three years after this one.
What would the Oilers be even more thankful for?
More secondary scoring. Zach Hyman has certainly helped in that regard as he already has 11 in his first season with the team. It goes downhill after that, however, as only one other player on the team has more than five tallies. Nugent-Hopkins, who admittedly is more of a playmaker than scorer, only has three goals, their defense has just ten combined (including only one from Darnell Nurse whose big extension kicks in next season), and their bottom six have pretty much all vastly underachieved. This is how a team that has the two top offensive players in the league is barely in the top ten in goals scored. If even one or two players can pick up the pace, Edmonton would become a lot more dangerous in a hurry.
What should be on the Oilers’ Holiday Wish List?
After reading the last paragraph, secondary scoring might seem like it should be atop their list but there are other areas of concern. Mikko Koskinen has done better than expected this season but he and the currently injured Mike Smith are a tandem that would appear to be on the weaker end heading into the playoffs. Adding another capable veteran – even if it’s one that just raises the floor of their goaltending group – would certainly help.
So, too, would bringing in another defenseman. Injuries to Duncan Keith and Slater Koekkoek have thinned them out and their younger prospects aren’t quite ready for full-time NHL duty. Another veteran to serve as injury insurance and bridge the gap to the youngsters would be beneficial while a top-four addition would be a critical addition.
However, wishing for this is a lot easier than actually getting it done. Edmonton is well into LTIR and by the time they get their players back, cap space will be at a premium. They won’t be able to bank any space as they will still be in LTIR thanks to Oscar Klefbom, Josh Archibald, and Alex Stalock so it’s going to be pretty close to a money in, money out situation. Accordingly, it’s far from a guarantee that they’ll be able to add anything on their list.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Koskinen was good for a bit but his glove hand is clearly terrible and being exploited. Edmonton needs a top 6 winger and a goalie, wonder if they go after an established goalie having a rebound season like Quick. Problem would be fitting him in under their cap next season
Problem is fitting one under the cap NOW. They’ve got exactly one million in cap space available, and they’re in complete cap hell if any of the guys on LTIR now come off of it. If Mike Smith comes off, they have to waive Skinner AND another guy to afford it. As Brian says, they have to send out salary for anyone they get: you’re not going to get a Quick — presuming Los Angeles wants to kiss their season goodbye by dealing him — for stable sweepings and picks. (Quite aside from that Quick comes with nearly $6 million cap on the books.)
Nah, this is the season that GMs wanting to improve their teams on deals really face up to the realities of handing out $6 million contracts to second-liners and $4 million to third-liners; they’ve boxed themselves into a corner for which there’s no escape.
Still same team. If mcdavid and Draisaitl don’t out score other team they are in trouble. Reality they only have three other players anyone wan ts Hyman , nurse , nugent-hopkins if their salaries was lower. While I believe players should get as high salary possible. Mcdavid did choose unlike C rosby to get max salary
Any team would be happy to take Puljujarvi or Bouchard off the Oilers hands.
Max Salary for McDavid at the time was 15 million annually. He was offered a 13.5 million salary and negotiated his own salary down to 12.5 million. He did not take max. He took alot but could have got more