3 Edmonton Oilers Who Should Be Worried Under Kris Knoblauch

Ryan McLeod

Of all the players on this list I think that Ryan McLeod has the least to be worried about. That doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be worried, it just means I think two more players should be more worried.

McLeod is almost like a Swiss Army Knife for the Edmonton Oilers. He can play in every aspect of the game. He is one of the top penalty killers and he is on the second unit powerplay. When he is on the powerplay he has the role of Connor McDavid and is the go-to guy to skate the puck in.

This versatility makes him a very useful player when he is playing hard. Unfortunately, McLeod is one of the softer players on the Edmonton Oilers on a day-to-day basis. This is sad because he is one of the Oilers’ fastest skaters.

If he was able to play with a bit of an edge and finish a hit when he has the opportunity then I would think his role would be safe, but he just doesn’t seem to bring it game in and game out. It was nice in the playoffs to see him use his body.

Jack Campbell has another disaster in net for the Condors

Jack Campbell has a nightmare in goal for the Bakersfield Condors as they lose 4-0 to the Canucks in Abbotsford, for their third consecutive defeat.

Now that it is the regular season though, he has moved back into the role of “flyer by”. This is where I want to see some accountability brought in by Knoblauch. You can’t have players taking it easy on the other team, ever.

That is the reason why McLeod should be worried. Knoblauch could easily use him as an example for not playing hard. It is easy to cut a lower in the lineup’s ice time during a game and not have to ruffle too many feathers.

This is why McLeod is on this list. The one thing he needs to improve on is the basis of what is wrong with this team right now. He doesn’t put in a full effort. Getting your ice time cut down should make a player try a little harder to finish some checks.