The Oilers Should Consider Separating McDavid and Draisaitl

All of the best teams in history have had a 1A and 1B superstar. The 1980’s Oilers had Gretzky and Messier. In the 90’s, the Pittsburgh Penguins had Lemieux and Jagr, and more recently, Crosby and Malkin. And of course, last year’s champions, the Tampa Bay Lighting, have Nikita Kucherov and LTIR space. When combined, these famous duos dominated opponents, but concentrating your top talent on one line can expose other weaknesses on the roster, and that is where the Oilers find themselves today.

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl comprise the two most important pieces of a powerplay that just might set unbreakable records this season. They belong together when Edmonton has the man advantage, because that combination is simply lethal. Where Oilers head coach Dave Tippett needs to rethink his strategy is during 5 on 5 play. Edmonton has significantly more forward depth this season and the best way to utilize it is with 97 and 29 on different lines.

A couple years ago this fact wasn’t so clear. A younger Draisaitl couldn’t so clearly drive his own line, and the production we saw with the combo together was enough to win games in spite of a far from perfect roster. Today, though the roster still has some glaring weaknesses, the team is something closer to a contender. The McDavid bump exists as it always has, but a second fact is clear, Draisaitl is the second best player in the game today.

When paired with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Kailer Yamamoto last season, Draisaitl led the line to dominance, complimenting McDavid’s first line quite nicely. The trio has done well in limited appearances this year as well, and that should be the norm for Tippett’s lineup. McDavid could get a Division 9 beer league player 20-some goals on his wing, so he’ll be fine with the like of Zack Hyman, Jesse Puljujärvi, or Zack Kassian up front, but the secondary scoring line will force opponents into matchups they can’t handle, and will ultimately lead to more wins.

There will certainly be times, perhaps down a goal late in the third, or for a pace-setting first shift against a talented opponent, where the putting the dynamic duo back together makes sense. It can tilt the ice for a shift or two, tiring out opposing defenders and striking fear into the hearts of goaltenders everywhere. In addition, any time Edmonton ends up in a 3-on-3 overtime situation, it goes without saying who the two forwards should be. But the recipe for this Oilers team to find success, is with most of their minutes played apart.

Beyond this suggestion the roster still needs improvement. Goaltending and defensive injuries have highlighted the already concerning lack of depth in those areas and Ken Holland better be working the phones from today until the trade deadline for a fix. Oiler fans won’t handle another early playoff exit very well, and the current roster design lends itself to that possibility, especially if the referees do what they always do, and put their whistles away for the post-season. Step 1, naturally, is getting there, and Edmonton’s clearest path to a playoff berth has its stars split apart.