3 Edmonton Oilers Players That Exceeded Expectations This Year

Mikko Koskinen

The way Mikko Koskinen has played so far this season has really impressed me. At the start of the season I had low expectations for Koskinen. This season he has appeared to become the more steady and trustworthy goaltender.

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With the struggles of Mike Smith, Koskinen has been able to up his game. I assume I am not the only person who is surprised at how good Koskinen has played this season for the Edmonton Oilers.

I wrote at the end of March breaking down the goaltending of the Oilers and took a look at which of the 3 goalies I would like the lead this team moving forward. There I said I would have ranked Koskinen as the best choice for the best option moving forward.

If you would have told me at the beginning of the season that Koskinen would have been the best option for the Edmonton Oilers going into a playoff run, I would have called you crazy. This is why I think Koskinen is one if the top players that has exceeded expectations.

If Koskinen can continue you play the way he has played last few games the Edmonton Oilers will have a good chance to go one a deep playoff run.

Ryan McLeod

For Ryan McLeod, a bottom six forward, to make this list he has had to do a lot of good things. He in my mind has made the biggest jump for the start of the season to now. McLeod has played in almost every position on this team.

He has been the winger on the top line, to a center on the fourth. In my opinion he should stay on the 4th line. This way he can drive his own line. He has some good speed and is excellent at putting pressure on the forecheck.

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His stats aren’t real world breaking numbers, but it is advance stats are good with a 51.7 Corsi% and a 50.8 Fenwick%. These numbers show that when he is on the ice the Edmonton Oilers are producing more chances than they are giving up.

Having him in a bottom six role is exactly where McLeod needs to be on a playoff team. It is not that he can’t play in the top six it is just he is better served in the bottom six. All the skills he brings is prefect for a depth forward. That coupled with his ability to play on the penalty kill is why he has made this list.

In his 10 games last season he wasn’t noticeable, but so far this season he is a player you always seem to notice. I like the way he carries the puck through the neutral zone and skates it into the offensive zone. This is an ability few players on this team have.

Cody Ceci

After the Edmonton Oilers signed Cody Ceci this offseason for $3.250 million/season I thought that there is no way can live up to that contract cap hit. Today I am telling you I was wrong, this contract now looks like a bargain.

He is now playing on the first pair with Darnell Nurse and in playing against the other team’s best players. Having a player at that cap hit playing top pair minutes is making Ken Holland looking like a genius.

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With the quality of players that Ceci faces for him to have the stats he does, to me is where he exceeds the expectations I had at the start of this season. I originally thought he would be the player that would come in the lineup if Evan Bouchard was struggling.

I had him and Kris Russell very close on the depth chart at the start of the season. I couldn’t have been more wrong, and I am happy about that. With the way this back end has been playing as of late they are finding their groove at the perfect time and it’s exciting to watch.

Edmonton Oilers Playoff Run

It looks like at this point the Edmonton Oilers will need to have a monumental collapse to miss the playoffs. If this teams wants to go on a deep run these three players noted above will need to keep up their good play.

If they continue to play good and the rest of the team plays as expected this is going to be a fun team to watch and hopefully watch into the summer.