Biggest surprises from the Oilers' first month of the season

The start of the Edmonton Oilers campaign has been a roller coaster of a ride. The reality is that all of the roster changes which occurred in the summer meant the players took time to get acquainted with each other, which contributed towards the tough start to the 2024-25 season.

There were times during the first month, when the play was sloppy and the team needed to be more aggressive. The defensive game was off-balance from the very start and the offence did not produce enough to make up for this.

Of the new significant additions to the team, Jeff Skinner seemed to settle in quickest, evidenced by producing four points (two goals and two assists) in his first five games. Meanwhile, Vicktor Arvidsson began slowy, but found his form towards the end of October, with four points in the final four games of the month and with the promise of more to come.

A wake-up call

Beating the Nashville Predators twice in the same month of action was almost a bonus, given how the season began. Being blown out by the Columbus Blue Jackets was most likely the wake-up call the Oilers needed, to try to turn things around positively.

Losing Connor McDavid to injury during the Blue Jackets game was definitely a tough pill to swallow. However, the team did respond impressively by winning their first two games without McDavid, before losing the third contest 3-0 to the New Jersey Devils.

Zach Hyman's scoring drought to begin the 2024-25 campaign was a tough pill to swallow. However, he will find his form sooner rather than later and get back contributing how he did last season.

Podkolzin is coming along

Vasily Podkolzin's promotion to the second line and finding chemistry with Leon Draisaitl and Arvidsson, has seen the young forward start to earn praise from his teammates. His game is evolving and beginning to take shape the way the team needs it.

Possibly the biggest surprise of the season so far, has been the fighting ability of Podkolzin and defenceman Ty Emberson. This has helped endear them to the fan base, giving another reason to cheer on the duo.

The Oilers are a resilient franchise and capable of going on a winning run, as they proved last season. As such, despite their current inconsistent form, don't be surprised if they go on come through the regular season and playoffs and hoist the hardest trophy to win in sports, the Stanley Cup.

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