3 Players the Oilers Need to Be Better Moving Forward

Early into this 2021-22 season, almost everything has gone right for the Edmonton Oilers. Through their first 14 games, they sit at an extremely impressive 11-3-0 which is good enough for not only first place in the Pacific Division, but third in the entire league. They have been getting what was expected, and perhaps even more, from both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, while others such as Zach Hyman, Jesse Puljujarvi, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and even Mikko Koskinen have all been great.

With that being said however, there are still a few players who have not been up to snuff this season. Thankfully for them, they have been able to avoid much criticism due to the fact the team as a whole has been so good. That being said, if they aren’t able to pick it up soon, changes could be coming. With that being said, here are 3 Oilers who haven’t been at their best to start this 2021-22 season.

3. Derek Ryan

When the Oilers signed Derek Ryan, the expectation was that he would center their third line and provide secondary scoring. Early on things were going quite well, as he had a few strong games on the third line with Zack Kassian and Warren Foegele as his linemates, and was able to score his first as an Oiler against his former team in the Calgary Flames in just the second game of the season.

Unfortunately, Ryan has been held off the scoresheet ever since, and has been demoted to the fourth line in favour of recent call up Ryan McLeod. To make matters even worse, he has had some tough moments defensively in recent games as well, something that cannot happen if you are failing to make any sort of impact in the offensive zone.

The one positive Ryan is bringing, and the reason he may be able to keep his spot in the lineup regardless of his offensive output, is his ability to win faceoffs. In 156 attempts this season, he has won 92 for an extremely impressive 59 per cent success rate. That certainly deserves some props, but it would be nice to see him contribute more offensively than he has to this point.

2. Tyson Barrie

Tyson Barrie’s two goals and eight points in 14 games don’t seem to suggest that he is struggling, but there is no denying he hasn’t provided the same offence he did last season. In 2020-21, Barrie’s 48 points led all NHL defencemen, and as such earned him a new three-year deal with the Oilers.

It is worth noting that Barrie started slow out of the gates last season and seemed to improve as the year went on. With that being said, his point totals so far are less than what was expected, especially when it comes to the power play, as he has managed just three points on the man advantage thus far.

As everyone knows by this point, the Oilers possess not only the most lethal power play in the NHL right now, but quite possibly of all time. Through their 14 games this season they are converting on a ridiculous 41.9 per cent of their chances. With that success rate, one would expect that Barrie would be playing a more significant role in that, but to this point that hasn’t been the case.

1. Kailer Yamamoto

After a down 2020-21 season, fans were hopeful for a bounce back season from Kailer Yamamoto. This season started out about as poorly as it could have for the 23-year-old, as he was went pointless for the first seven games of the season before finally finding the back in a 5-2 win over the Seattle Kraken.

He was then able to score once again in the Oilers very next game against the Nashville Predators, before being held off the scoresheet for another four consecutive games. This Sunday night marked his best performance of the season however, as he had two points, including the game winning goal with just over 30 seconds remaining, in a 5-4 win over the St. Louis Blues.

Hopefully that is enough to build his confidence and get him going, as his four points in just 14 games is extremely disappointing for a player who is skating on a line with Leon Draisaitl. Head coach Dave Tippett is giving Yamamoto every opportunity he can to get his game back to the level it was in 2019-20, though he has yet to take advantage of it. If he is able to get back to being that player, this already extremely dangerous forward group would become even more of a threat for opposing teams.

Potential to Be an Even Better Team

As mentioned early, it has been a great start to the season for the Oilers. They are the clear frontrunners to win the Pacific Division, and have a chance to cause some damage when the playoffs begin. In order to go deep however, they will need their entire roster, including the three above, to be at their best.