4 Edmonton Oilers that need to step up in 2024 for playoff push
Looking at four players that need to turn it up a notch at the turn of the calendar year, for the Edmonton Oilers to have greater success this season.
The Edmonton Oilers appear headed towards a strong finish this year, after putting together a solid month so far in December with a 6-3-0 record. The entire team seems to have turned their fortunes around since late November. That was when they staggered into Washington on a three-game losing streak, only to shut out the Capitals 5-0 in commanding fashion to begin their resurgence.
Many of the players have also picked up their play in their recent surge during the past month, making strong contributions in leading to the team’s success. However, there have still been a select few that have yet to perform up to expectations. Here, we take a look at four Oilers that will need to step up their game heading into 2024, for the team to be successful in their pursuit for the playoffs.
1) Connor Brown
Among one of the Oilers’ key offseason signings, Connor Brown was expected to be an ideal, complementary top-six winger alongside either Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl. His grinding game enables him to heavily forecheck, battle in the corners, and support his star linemates in producing unstoppable, ruthless forechecking and scoring chances as a result. On top of that, Brown had previously proven himself to be a player that could constantly put up double-digit goals and 30-40 points per season, showing that he can be an offensive force as well.
However, it has been an utterly disastrous season so far for the 29-year-old, as he has managed to put up only one measly assist in 24 games played to date. Not only has he lost his spot in the top-six for now, but he has even been healthy-scratched recently to give him a chance to refocus on his game.
In doing so however, it has also disrupted the Oilers’ usual bottom-six, with certain players being moved up to fill the void. How long such a setup will work is anyone’s guess, but Brown will need to turn his game around in the new year quickly and start making some significant contributions soon, or he may lose his spot on the roster entirely before season’s end.
2) Darnell Nurse
Time sure flies when one realizes that it has been over a decade since the Oilers selected Darnell Nurse with their first round pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. Since then he has developed into one of the key anchors in the Oilers’ back end over the past few years, while becoming an alternate captain for the team in the process. Averaging close to 40 points per season in his previous five years with the team, he is certainly a force to be reckoned with offensively as well on top of his defensive game.
With 245 points in total in his career, it puts Nurse fourth on the Oilers’ all-time list for points by a defenceman, trailing only Charlie Huddy, Kevin Lowe, and of course, the legendary Paul Coffey. Which was why it seemed like a no-brainer at the time when the team re-signed him to a big eight-year, $74 million contract extension in 2021.
However, Nurse has been snake-bitten quite a bit so far during the 2023-24 season, as he has put up only five goals and five assists for 10 total points through 31 games played. Even with the Oilers’ recent offensive outbreak, he has managed only two points (both goals) for the entire month of December. Right now, he is on pace to finish with less than 30 points on the season for the first time since 2017-18.
Perhaps being a top-pairing defenceman and playing against the opposing team’s best players has had somewhat of an impact on Nurse's current offensive numbers, but he has excelled in the past despite facing such situations. The Oilers cannot just rely on Evan Bouchard to carry the offensive output from the back end all season. As a result, Nurse will need to turn it up a notch in 2024 to provide the additional offensive threat from the back end to keep opponents on their toes when defending.
3) Stuart Skinner
It may seem awkward to find Stuart Skinner’s name on this list. After all, the sophomore goalie has done everything he can to keep the Oilers afloat and within striking distance of the playoffs this season, despite the team’s early struggles. After backstopping the Oilers into the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs last year, Skinner was looking to build upon his success this season to firmly secure his starting status on the team.
However, with backup Jack Campbell struggling mightily early in the season and subsequently demoted to the minors, along with the Oilers’ lack of confidence in starting call-up Calvin Pickard in more games ever since, Skinner has been forced to carry the load for much of the season. After playing 50 regular season games last season and looking somewhat burnt out as the year progressed, he has already appeared in 23 games for the Oilers this season with still another 10 games to go before it is even the halfway mark of the season.
Skinner may have a solid 12-9-1 record to date, but his numbers for both his GAA (3.04) and save percentage (.886) have been far worse compared to his stellar rookie season. Basically, the Oilers have been forced to outscore their opponents on many nights to win, as opposed to Skinner stealing them some games for victories. Eventually, the Oilers offence may occasionally dry up, at which time Skinner will need to start playing like he did last season and be a difference maker for any long-term sustained success.
4) Leon Draisaitl
Finally, an even more surprising name finds himself on this list in former Hart and Art Ross Trophy winner Draisaitl. One may think “are you out of your mind?”, putting perhaps the second-best player in the league in the category of needing to step up big time in 2024. However, given what he has accomplished for the Oilers the past few years, what he has done to this point in time in the current season has been rather somewhat disappointing to say the least.
First of all, Draisaitl didn’t elevate his game when the team needed him most during the brief stint when McDavid was on the sidelines. Secondly, with many others starting to find their game and increasing their output in the past few weeks, he has been uncharacteristically stagnant in terms of his production throughout the season. Even with McDavid finding another gear and having made up big time from his early slump, Draisaitl has continued his consistent, yet pedestrian output. More worrisome is the fact in his last five games, he has only two goals to show for, contributing towards three losses in the process.
On the season, Draisaitl has put up 14 goals and 21 assists for 35 points in 31 games, scoring at just a little over a point-a-game pace. For anyone else, this probably represents strong production overall. However, after averaging close to 1.5 points per game for most of the previous three seasons, this is quite the regression for Draisaitl.
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Perhaps some of the rotation in linemates has affected his play, or maybe he just works best with McDavid when it comes to being most effective with his performance. Nevertheless, Draisaitl will need to step up his play before teams starting focusing on just shutting down McDavid to stymie the Oilers’ offence.