The Edmonton Oilers Have a New Look But Are They Better?

Edmonton Oiler fans didn’t have to wait long when free agency began to hear confirmation of several rumours regarding additions to a roster that saw them finish second in the 2020-21 regular season, but failed to win a single playoff game. There were some subtractions too, and the overall merits of the moves Oilers’ general manager Ken Holland has made will be uncertain until the players hit the ice again in the fall, but let’s take an early look at the new lineup.

Forward Group is Better

Adding Zack Hyman, regardless of the term or dollars, makes Edmonton’s top six better today. He’s a big body (6’1″, 211lbs) who had consistently proven he can play with elite talent. Observers in Toronto will tell you that he is skilled at both ends of the ice, and that the Maple Leafs will have difficulty filling the hole he leaves in their lineup. Training with Connor McDavid already, Hyman hopefully won’t need a lot of runway to get up to speed, and so long as he can stay healthy, should be a great addition.

Warren Foegele, acquired in exchange for young, right shot defenseman, Ethan Bear, might not have Hyman’s offence, but will make Edmonton’s middle (or bottom) six harder to play against anytime he’s on the ice. With players like Jujhar Khaira, Dominik Kahun, and Alex Chiasson out of the mix, Foegele, along with youngsters like Ryan McLeod, and the recently added Brendan Perlini, need to do what the past group simply could not, prevent the other team from outscoring Edmonton when McDavid and Leon Draisaitl aren’t on the ice.

Oilers Back End is Full of Question Marks

One certainty is that people can’t say Holland didn’t change things up. Darnell Nurse will be an Oiler for a while. Adam Larsson is off to Seattle, Caleb Jones will be playing with his brother in Chicago, and Bear, as mentioned above, was moved to the Carolina Hurricanes. Replacing them, and cementing Holland’s legacy as Oilers GM one way or another, are Duncan Keith, Cody Ceci , and some combination of young prospects. That should mean Evan Bouchard finally sticks with the big club, but there’s a potential for Philip Broberg to play in the NHL as well.

Adding a re-signed Tyson Barrie into the mix, and grudgingly accepting that Oscar Klefbom may never play again, we get a pretty clear picture of the defensive scenario. Edmonton will almost definitely allow more goals against. While that’s generally a bad thing, the hope will have to be that they also score in bunches, canceling out any defensive gaffs. Holland’s best-case scenario is that Duncan Keith drinks from the same fountain of youth that Mike Smith did last season, Cody Ceci’s career-best season in Pittsburgh is a new normal, and the next wave of youth takes a major step forward. It’s asking a lot for all of that to come true.

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Oilers Likely to Return Same Goaltender Tandem

The aforementioned Smith had an amazing season as a 38-year-old, surprising everyone but himself with his consistent, elevated play. His goals-against average was his best in a decade, and you could tell his team felt confident playing in front of him. Meanwhile, the younger, and higher paid, Mikko Koskinen had a less stellar campaign. Overplayed at the beginning of the season due to Smith’s Covid recovery and some adventures with waiver wire goalies, Koskinen once again showed that he can’t handle a heavy load, but is a passable, if not great, backup.

Much like last offseason, Holland demonstrated an awareness that his netminder situation is a potential issue, kicking tires on potential replacements such as Darcy Kuemper and Joonas Korpisalo. Outbid by the Colorado Avalanche for the first, and the numbers on the second deal not to his liking, it seems he’ll be bringing back the same two guys for a third year in a row. The wisdom of that decision is questionable.

Smith seems to have rediscovered himself, and there’s a chance he can fill the main role once again. Koskinen, in limited starts, has the potential to win half of them for Edmonton. But the train will go off the rails if Edmonton’s now 39-year-old starter gets hurt. It’s a frighteningly plausible scenario, and barring the emergence of Stuart Skinner (who recently signed a two year extension) as a number one NHL goalie, Edmonton’s playoff hopes would immediately be in doubt.

Coming into this offseason, with cap room available and his star players undoubtedly in the prime of their careers, it was time for Ken Holland to make his mark on the team. He’s certainly changed the look of the Oilers’ roster, and none can accuse him of sitting on his hands, but question marks still remain. Does Edmonton now have the team that will deliver them past the first round of the playoffs for only the second time in McDavid’s career?  Time will tell but leave your opinion below.