Just because you’re the top gun of the NHL doesn’t mean you can’t have a new wingman once in a while.
Connor McDavid has been flying up and down the ice lately next to a new right-hand man — make that an old-is-new-again right-winger — in former Erie Otters junior linemate Connor Brown, as the new year has ushered in some pretty noticeable changes to the Edmonton Oilers lineups.
Of course, you can’t really argue with any combo concoctions head coach Kris Knoblauch has dreamt up in his secret lineup laboratory, given the new look contributed to the Oilers bringing a four-game win streak into Pittsburgh to face the Penguins on Thursday.
“It’s been really solid,” McDavid said of the recent run. “It obviously starts with the back end, they’ve been great. The goalies played well.
“Forwards are playing solid, being responsible. It’s been good to see.”
Good, for sure. The results have spoken for themselves. But it also has to look a little strange to Oilers fans at the same time, especially when Brown’s promotion resulted in bumping down the team’s reigning 50-goal scorer from a season ago.
And not just one line, either. Zach Hyman has been pushed all the way down to the third line.
(Because, come on, you’re not going to stir up the second line when league-leading goal scorer Leon Draisaitl is having the season he has been having).
But McDavid says there is even more method to the madness, as the Oilers offensive assault now wields a flank of forwards more geared to a top nine than simply a top six.
“We’re deep up front and we’ve got lots of good players up there,” McDavid, who was speaking on the revamped lineups for the first time, told Sportsnet’s Mark Spector on Thursday morning in Pittsburgh. “It’s taken a little bit to maybe find the right combo of players, a little bit of juggling. But you’re always going to get that when you’ve got so many players that can play in the top six, or top nine, as you said. So, it’s been a little bit of juggling,
“I don’t think that’s a bad thing, it keeps it interesting. It’s always fun to play with different guys. That third line played really well in Boston (where they were coming off a 4-0 shutout Tuesday).”
This Oilers roster is built to counter-punch with the same sort of offensive skill it faces, as opposed to the more hold-the-fort, defensive-minded and physicality-focused response typical of an NHL bottom-six lineup.
“I think we’re a hard team to play against just in a sense that everyone’s responsible. We’re not giving away many freebees, make you earn what you get,” McDavid said. “We’re not necessarily the most physical team, not necessarily the most in-your-face team, but to get through to our net, usually it takes getting through two, three guys.
“So, we’re pretty solid that way. That’s hard to play against, that’s frustrating to play against. It might not be as rah-rah as some other teams, but still difficult to play against.”
As for Brown’s addition to the Oilers top line, he only had one assist to show for his time there, heading into Thursday’s tilt.
But Ryan Nugent-Hopkins can’t complain. He took a four-game point streak into Pittsburgh, while McDavid has only managed one point in the previous three games, but it was a goal that ended a seven-game drought.
So, it might still be a bit of a work in progress, but any growing pains are a small price to pay when the team’s overall results have been speaking for themselves.
“I can’t really say enough good things about Browny and just how he’s stuck with it. Going through a serious knee injury, I’ve been through it, it’s not easy. Physically, mentally, everything, it’s tough,” McDavid said of Brown’s rise through the ranks last season while on the mend from ACL surgery. “It takes a while to get back to where you want to get to and I think he’d be the first to tell you that.
“Honestly, last year, going through his slump but then ultimately being a massive part of our team and still being a leader in the room, he deserves a lot of credit. It’s impressive how mentally strong he’s been.
“We’ve got lots of guys that can play in lots of different areas and play lots of different roles, and he would definitely be right at the top of that list. If you need him in your top six, he’s skilled enough and smart enough to do that. You need him to kill penalties, he’s an amazing penalty killer and doesn’t get enough credit for that. He’s just a great player.”
Following Thursday’s game, McDavid has a special stop planned in his old stomping grounds as the Otters organization invited him to be on hand Friday for the retirement of the No. 97 jersey he wore in his junior days.
“It will be exciting,” he said. “It will be fun to see Erie again, fun to see that arena, those fans. Really, really excited about it.”
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On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge