The Edmonton Oilers are one game into their ‘no Connor McDavid” stretch.
And so far?
So good.
That and more in this edition of…
9 Things
9. Connor McDavid went for a quick spin post-injury this week. Saturday, Head Coach Kris Knoblauch commented “Maybe it speeds up a little,” adding “Probably closer to two weeks than three weeks. Encouraging. More on Connor in a minute…
8. Legendary Edmonton Oiler Jari Kurri is the recipient of the 2024 Borje Salming Courage Award. It recognizes a European NHL alumni member who “has been a positive influence in their community and best embodies Borje’s legacy.”
7. Beau Akey had a goal and three assists Friday night in Barrie’s victory. Good to see the important Oilers D prospect back to good health and making a productive contribution to the Colt’s early OHL season. Akey is 3-6-9 in 10 games so far.
6. What a marvelous story Noah Philp has turned out to be. On the ice, at the risk of getting ahead of myself, he has the potential to be an inexpensive, internal fix for your bottom six. Big, straight-ahead speed, a righty good on draws. Off the ice, Philp’s inspiring story has even caught the attention of casual fans. It has been just one game, so we will need to wait and see how this plays out. But maybe Noah will become an early consideration for the Bill Masterton Trophy.
5. Criticism of the Oilers defence “rotation” on the second pairing is fair. However, here is how I see it. I would probably favor Troy Stecher too. But sitting Travis Dermott in the press box for extended periods of time is not going to help your team in the long run. He needs to play “enough” to be able to capably step in when you really need him. It is all about balance. By the way, I keep hearing commentators calling out Kris Knoblauch for “his” defensive pairings. If you do not think Paul Coffey is making those decisions…
4. His actual boxcars are at this point still underwhelming. But Vasily Podkolzin is frequently and consistently in a good place on the ice at 5v5. In fact, he is third in the entire NHL among all players who have played in more than half his team’s games at 5v5 CF (66.95%). And his promotion higher up in the batting order is quite recent. So, it is not just that he is now on Leon Draisaitl’s wing. That Podkolzin also turns out to be a competent PK man and also have a right fist made of iron is gravy.
3. What is the main reason why the Oilers would not go out and make a deal for a Top 4 defenceman right now? I suspect Stan Bowman figures that at the very worst, this team can bumble into the playoffs without doing so. So, unless something irresistible falls into Bowman’s lap sooner, he should wait until after Christmas. He would then be in a much better position vis-à-vis the salary cap to go out and get a great player. But just as importantly, that would also be when more of those guys are actually available. Right now, he would be paying a premium price to fish in a small, shallow pool. Patience.
2. Going into action Saturday, Zach Hyman was eighth in the entire NHL in expected goals (ixG of 3.47), right behind Connor McDavid (3.5). In short, Hyman has been doing an awful lot right and was simply not being rewarded for it. That changed on Thursday when he converted a lovely Darnell Nurse pass for a goal-scorer’s goal that got him (in the words of blue-chip play-by-play man Jack Michaels) “off the schneid.” There is no sign that Hyman has lost a step, is injured, or has any lower work rate than he ever did. All signs pointed to a regression back to the mean. IE – The Zach Hyman we are all familiar with. By the way, do you know who is eleventh on that expected goals list? Jeff Skinner (3.16). I am a fan of Kris Knoblauch and I think the criticism of him early on in this season is largely an overreaction. But Kris has yet to take full advantage of a legitimate Top 6 forward on his roster in Skinner who is already doing the things you would reasonably ask of a player like him. Skinner has thus far earned a bigger role. Yet, only the McDavid injury has landed Skinner back in the Top 6.
1.Any team without Connor McDavid is weaker. To argue that it somehow does not hurt you would be a fool’s game. But at the same time, it is entirely possible for the team as a whole to play better even when he is not in the lineup. And that is exactly what the Edmonton Oilers did on Thursday in Nashville. It was probably the Oilers most complete game of the year to date. Yes, it was a statement game by Leon Draisaitl. He was in beast-mode But Draisaitl is also the one player on the roster capable of being able to replace at some of what McDavid provides for this team…and to his credit, Leon did that. However, it was not a one man victory. Many other players performed up to and even above their capabilities to help earn that much-needed victory. On the scoresheet, in goal, and in terms of physicality it was really a team win.
Here is where I want to remind you that no NHL team has a roster made up of career under-achievers. Before they made it to the best league in the world, most of these players have “been the man” on another team prior to now, be that in AAA Midget, Junior, College, the AHL…or another NHL club. To be that, they needed to be talented, confident and motivated individuals. So, given the opportunity to step in when a star teammate is out of the lineup, well…they would relish that chance. It is the kind of challenge competitive athletes thrive on.
It is also this kind of internal competition, this sort of friendly fire that not only can help a team through a tough stretch or even cover for your very best player for a few games. This “next man up” approach” can help make good teams great.
Whether we will look back on November 2024 and be able to say that this Oilers team was able to overcome the loss of McDavid remains to be seen.
But there will be no shortage of motivation in that dressing room to prove that they can do just that.
Now on Threads @kleavins. Also, find me on Twitter @KurtLeavins, Instagram at LeavinsOnHockey, and Mastodon at [email protected]. This article is not AI generated.
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