Edmonton Oilers: An in-depth look at the third line for the team
There are many reasons for the success the Edmonton Oilers are having in the early going, but part of that is the performance of the third line. For the first time in years, we finally have some depth that is capable of doing more than just giving the top six a breather for a brief period of time before we send them back out on the ice to work them like a rented mule.
The third line has actually made a difference in games, a nice change from the last 15 years or so when we either had an incomplete third line or an inconsequential third line. It hasn’t been this good in some time.
For you see, hockey is a team game. Connor Mcdavid and Leon Draisaitl can carry the load for a while, but it doesn’t equate to long-term success. You have to have a complete top-six, solid depth in the bottom six, blueliners who are capable of moving the puck, and goaltenders who are able to steal a game and shut the door when it really matters.
Also, everyone must play smart two-way hockey, up and down the lineup.
This is the recipe for success in the NHL. The Oilers currently have 34 goals for and 21 goals against, which equates to a +13 goal differential. The latter number is tops in the division while the former numbers are top two in the division.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, it’s no surprise the Arizona Coyotes are still winless in 10 games when you consider they are having trouble scoring and keeping the puck out of their own end. They have only 13 goals for and a whopping 42 goals against, for a -29 goal differential. The trifecta of these numbers are unanimously the worst in the league.
The McDrai duo are doing their thing, and special teams as well are chugging along. Zach Hyman is off to a great start, as is Jesse Puljujarvi. Both players have fit into the top six like a glove. Darnell Nurse is also doing his thing as a top pairing guy, and Evan Bouchard hasn’t looked out of place as his partner (we knew the latter would happen, just not this quickly). Duncan Keith and Cody Ceci have also paired together very well to start the season.
All of these things are key to the team’s success, but today I’ll be focusing on the third line specifically. Let’s take a look at the three players who compose this line, which has remained constant the entire season.
Warren Foegele
Left-winger Warren Foegele has covered the bet we made when we traded away Ethan Bear for him. Both players have fit in well with their new teams (Ethan Bear is playing on the top pairing in Carolina next to Jacob Slavin).
Foegele has contributed 2-2-4 in eight games of offence for the Oilers. That equates out to 0.5 PPG, which at this point would be 41 points in a full 82 game season.
That’s probably asking a bit much of a third liner, especially since he’s currently riding a 16.7% shooting % which is higher than his career average of 10.8%. That means he’ll cool off a bit as the season progresses but that’s just fine, considering that he’s already at half of the minimum amount of points you’d want a third liner to get.
All while sporting a -2, which while not ideal isn’t exactly disastrous and something that will likely improve with time as he gets more playing time with his linemates and develops more chemistry with them.
He’s not listed as a regular on the PP, but he does get about 29 seconds a game there and does have one of his two goals on the PP. That ice time, by the way, is good enough for 10th on the team.
Ditto for the PK, he’s not a regular but gets about 37 seconds a game there (12th on the team).
He also mixes it up physically, currently third on the team in hits with 16. He uses his 6’2″ 198 lb frame well in that regard. He only has one blocked shot on the season, so not much there yet but who knows? If Dave Tippett challenges him maybe he does more.
All in all a solid addition to the third line. Think depth power forward, that’s the best description for Foegele as a player.
Derek Ryan
Ryan, meanwhile, is the defensive conscience of this line. After the Oilers rescued him from Calgary, he’s repaid the Oilers with a key goal in the first eight games, and a -3 in the early going, which again although not ideal is not the end of the world and likely to improve.
The best part of his boxcars is he’s shooting at only 8.3%, off his career average of 11.6%, which means we can expect him to pick up the pace a little as the season goes on and produce more offence.
Ryan isn’t super physical – he only has five hits on the season so far, but is sixth on the team with eight blocked shots.
Ryan isn’t a regular part of the PP, but he does spend about one minute of ice time per game on the PP. He is, however, a regular part of the PK – the first unit, no less – and spends 1:52 per game there, good enough for seventh on the team.
Being a centre means that it’s key for him to be able to take and win some faceoffs once in awhile. Well, so far Ryan is living up to his billing in that regard as well. He’s never been below the 50% mark his entire career, and this year is no exception as he’s taken 101 total faceoffs – good enough for second on the team (only Dr. Drai takes more) – and sits right now at 56.4%.
For years we never had a bottom-six centre who was good in the faceoff circle, until this season.
Ryan gives us something we’ve been sorely missing on this team for a long time – a legitimate third-line centre.
It’s just too bad that Ryan Mcleod couldn’t take this spot, but there’s always next year.
Zack Kassian
Kassian is back to being the resident heavyweight power forward, and everybody loves him for it.
Kassian has largely struggled the last couple of seasons, not being a physical factor or scoring.
He has revitalized both of those areas of his career this season. Kassian has so far put up 3-2-5 in seven games with one of those goals coming on the PP. There’s no way he’ll sustain a 60% shooting %, but it’ll be nice to enjoy the ride while we’ve got it. He’s already equalled his point totals from last year, but in eight games instead of 27.
No doubt having linemates who can win faceoffs and also put physical pressure on the opposition helps him as well. Kassian looks like he’s actually earning his $3.2 million a year now.
Thanks to the struggles of Kailer Yamamoto, Kassian has been re-inserted back into the PP, on the second unit to be precise. He spends about 27 seconds a game on the PP, good enough for 11th on the team.
He’s not a regular on the PK and only spends about four seconds a game there.
Kassian’s never been much of a defender but he’s sitting at -1 so far this season, only 1 mark off the best of his career.
As you’d expect, Kassian is currently second on the team in hits with 31 – only Darnell Nurse is better. No blocked shots for him yet this season.
The last time we saw Kassian this good was when he led the team in scoring against San Jose in the playoffs in 2017. We’re starting to see glimpses of that guy again. At 6’3″ and 211 lbs, Kassian is certainly built for the playoffs.
We’ll see, but so far in the early going Kassian’s been great for the Oilers. Expect his offence to level off to an extent but I don’t see 20 points as out of the realm of possibility for him. He’s already 1/4 of the way there and we’re not even 10 games into the season yet.
Bottom line
Although it’s early in the season, it’s nice to see that from the looks of it the Oilers already have a legit third line, which is a necessary ingredient for success in the regular season and only becomes moreso in the playoffs. I don’t know about you but I can’t wait to see how this line will perform in the playoffs.