Every analyst is predicting the Edmonton Oilers will be a team to watch during this upcoming regular season. This is helped by the firepower the organization has amassed in the past few months, to ensure this team competes well into the post-season.
However, this team does need a coaching touch to become even better at what they do and how they will approach the other stacked teams in the league, such as the Vegas Golden Knights and Vancouver Canucks in the Pacific Division. Also including the dreaded Florida Panthers, who the Oilers lost the championship to by one game in last season's NHL Stanley Cup Final.
First area the coaching staff will focus on with the Oilers
First and foremost, the returning players from last season's roster are already familiar with the coaching staff and performed incredibly well. This season, it is all about the newcomers to the team and how they will adjust to their new squad, with chemistry a key involvement. The new players will benefit from being coached by this Oilers staff and get the required training to help play well with their teammates in the lineup.
This aspect will give players such as Victor Arvidsson, Jeff Skinner, and Ty Emberson a chance to adapt and tune their respective games to a satisfactory level for the team. It will help provide the ample need to fit in and give the team a 100 percent chance of competing well on a nightly basis.
This will involve a learning process during the pre-season, to give a look at who fits where and what combination of the lineup makes sense. The projected lines do seem to be set, but tweaks are still possible.
Making sense of everything, the coaching staff, mainly Kris Knoblauch, will be working hard to give every player the opportunity and chance to play the game to their best possible level and show what they have. This would in turn then enhance the performance of the team drastically as they play into the season.
Second aspect for the Oilers coaching staff
The second aspect for the coaching staff, will be to check where the weaknesses lie within the team and the roster. Which players may struggle to earn ice time during games, and what might the solution to helping them be, other than putting the player or players as a healthy scratch? This is important because, as a stacked roster, it is imperative to work out the kinks early and get the team going after the Christmas break.
Weaknesses lie with every team in any competitive sport. However, an excellent coaching staff will know the difference between a struggling player and where they can fit in with the team. As many analysts have predicted, management, including Stan Bowman, are looking to make more changes to the roster.
Not mentioning any players, there will be the odd man or two that will not perform to the level required and will perhaps give the team options to be moved down the lineup, or even out of the roster. This aspect will shape the future and possibly the post-season lineup for the Edmonton Oilers.
The most crucial reason this aspect needs to take shape, is to secure a robust juggernaut of a playoff-worthy team that will compete and dominant, no matter who the Oilers play during the regular season or playoffs.
Third aspect to focus on
If the defensive unit for the Oilers organization is not as strong as it was, as seems to be the suggestion, Knoblauch and Paul Coffey will have their hands full this upcoming season. The best solution to manage this aspect, will be to give this unit vigorous attention to help the blue line deal as well as possible with the teams they play against.
This aspect is ultimately the most critical scenario going into the season. The team combined will need to work hard on sustaining and improving their skills in the defensive end and providing relief to the goaltender Stuart Skinner, who will be tested regularly ever game as well.
The defensive unit is the backbone of any team and will give the forwards a chance to produce, if more guidance is provided by Knoblauch, Coffey and the rest of the coaching staff. The blue line will ultimately be the X-factor in how the season will shape up.
The pre-season will be a prime test for the Edmonton Oilers team as a whole. Where they go from there will be interesting to watch as the regular season starts and then progresses.