Edmonton Oilers: Does New-Look Team Translate to Playoffs
By Sammi Silber
The Edmonton Oilers made a lot of moves this offseason, making changes not only in the locker room, but in the front office as well. However, according to NHL.com’s 30-on-30 outlook on the Oilers going into this season, the team will hit around 85 points, and again, will miss the playoffs.
Which rings the question: why is it, with the Oilers changing the look of their team, from their defensive corps, to their top lines, to hockey operations, are they still not projected to make the playoffs? Well, there are reasons that Edmonton could prove everyone wrong, and end up making it into the postseason; however, the Oilers could again be set in their ways, and fail to make the playoffs.
That being said, let’s look at the pros and cons of this team, and why they can – and cannot – make it to the postseason after all these years.
Pro-Playoffs: Edmonton Got a Lot Tougher
With the addition of Milan Lucic, the Oilers walked away this off-season looking much bigger, and much tougher. As Lucic himself pointed out, the Oilers aren’t exactly the most intimidating team to paly. In fact, he said that teams aren’t scared to play them, and he will look to change that.
That will absolutely change this coming season. The Oilers not only ahve Lucic, but have Patrick Maroon, Zack Kassian, Matt Hendricks and Darnell Nurse lining out their rough-and-tough lineup, and they can not only bring size, but physicality, pain, fists and grit. Teams will fear the Oilers now that they have one of the toughest rosters in the NHL.
Con-Playoffs: They Lost Their Top Scorer
Sure, Edmonton looks a lot more physical, but every gift comes with a steep price. In order to make a change, one that will improve the culture and the blue-line, they had to give up Taylor Hall. Hall led the team in goals, assists, points and average time on ice this past season, and had one of the best Corsi-for percentages on the team and the best offensive stride. Hall’s performance also led the Oilers to many wins, and also helped his line-mate, Leon Draisaitl, advance to great heights.
However, we all need to realize that this wasn’t working. He wasn’t the answer to the Oilers rebuild, and though an impressive point scorer, we need to note some things. His exit interview revealed that he couldn’t necessarily “see the light at the end of the tunnel,” and we can only wonder if that pessimism was temporary or if that passionate comment was something that had been brewing.
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It’s easy to see that Hall has been one of the most dedicated players on the Oilers roster for all of these years, but with the unrelenting losses and failures, something had to be done to shake up the culture and get a good return on the right side of the defensive corps. Either way, what’s done is done, and the Oilers walk away with an upgrade on defense and a change in culture.
Pro-Playoffs: Blueline Looks Better
Hall brought back a return for Adam Larsson, a player who many have severely underrated. He is a strong-performing right-handed defender, who knows how to play a shutdown game and can start a breakout. He also has a booming shot from the point, but doesn’t use it too often.
Take Larsson, and that makes a huge upgrade to our defense. He can work on the top-pairing with fellow country-mate Oscar Klefbom, and they can play a game where they take care of the puck and keep it out of the Oilers’ zone.
With Andrej Sekera, Brandon Davidson and Darnell Nurse filling depth on the right side, as well as Mark Fayne said to have improved greatly this offseason, Edmonton looks a lot better on the blueline. Sure, there are still holes on the right side, ones that the team will likely fill with additions in free agency and player tryouts, but right now, the defense looks stronger, and the Oilers have a legitimate right-handed defenseman now.
Cam Talbot is also the team’s go-to number-one netminder, and has proven to do a lot better
Con-Playoffs: Unproven Players Lack Assurance
While it’s fantastic that the Oilers are giving players like Iiro Pakarinen and Zack Kassian chances to thrive, the team still lacks assurance when it comes to certain areas. So far, Jordan Eberle is the team’s only proven option on the right wing. Nail Yakupov continues to struggle, and shows no signs of going on an upward trend (unless wth the right centre). The team needs reassurance and players to reach expectations if they want to return to the playoffs.
When it comes to the blueline, Darnell Nurse and Mark Fayne are just two of the names that are not yet fully proven, it’s concerning, especially when one of those players makes up jusat one of two NHL-calibre right-handed defenders.
If Edmonton wants to make the postseason, they need proven NHL guys. Luckily, these outnumber the unproven men on the roster.
Bottom-Line
The Oilers definitely hit at least 80 points this season. That’s 40 wins, and wth the talent and culture change, from the dressing room to the front office, it should honestly be more than that. The winning percentage does go above .500 in my opinion, but whether or not they make the playoffs is still unknown.
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If they do, they squeak in, or come in as a lower seed. They will not win the Western Conference anytime soon, but with the direction they’re headed in, they’re on their way to success.