Jeff Skinner Could Push Nugent-Hopkins Off The Powerplay
With all the new signings this offseason will we not only see changes on the full-strength lines, but on the powerplay as well?
Heading into the upcoming season there is one area in which the Oilers need to do zero work on. That area is their powerplay. With the Oilers having arguably the best powerplay in the league over the last couple of seasons, why would they bother to make changes? The main reason is if something is good, they should try and make it great. The big question is where the Oilers can actually improve their powerplay.
If you look at the current 5-man group it contains 3, 50-goal scorers, an 80+ point defenseman and the longest standing Oilers player, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. If you look at that list there is only one logical option to take a player out and that is Nugent-Hopkins. Adding Jeff Skinner to the lineup makes it so the Oilers actually have a player with the skills and abilities to put in that spot.
Why Take Out Nuge?
Two years ago, Nugent-Hopkins had one of his best seasons and set personal highs in stats, but last season he took a bit of a step back. Last season though he came back down to earth a put up numbers closer to his average. If he once again puts up his average, then he could likely be upgraded by putting another player in his spot.
A Chance For Skinner To Make His Mark
Skinner can score goals and has proven he can score goals on the powerplay in the past. Last season on the Buffalo Sabres, Skinner scored 24 goals, with a third of them (8) coming on the powerplay. I think having a legit scoring threat on both sides of the ice would cause more fear in the opponent. Not only would they need to cover Leon Draisaitl and his one-timer, but they would also have to keep an eye on the 5 time 30 and one time 40 goal scorer.
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I do not know if the Edmonton Oilers will even look at making a change to their powerplay because I think they will go with the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" attitude. If there is a struggle at some point the first change I would look at making is swapping out Nugent-Hopkins for Jeff Skinner. I think it will completely change the way this powerplay runs, hopefully, it will be for the better.
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