Summer, it’s a time for reflection in the NHL.
The champion has been crowned, the future has been drafted, and the bulk of player movement has subsided. Much of the conversation is rightfully focused on the season ahead and expectations.
But let’s not move on too quickly. Despite not having quite as long a playoff run as they wanted, the Edmonton Oilers still had a fantastic regular season and an exciting two rounds in the postseason. During that time, a number of players either helped the team reach their greatest potential, carried water down the stretch, or actively held the team back.
Today’s edition of the 2022–23 player grades has all of that. So, without further ado, let’s get a-markin…
Evan Bouchard: A
Evan Bouchard had two different seasons in the first and second half of the year.
Things weren’t pretty early on for Bouchard, who struggled out of the gate and couldn’t quite grab hold of a consistent top-four spot behind Cody Ceci and Tyson Barrie. His time on the power play was limited to the second-unit, who rarely got ice behind the league’s greatest unit of all-time.
This resulted in Bouchard playing the majority of his time at even strength where he performed well, but with underwhelming production. It wasn’t quite where Oilers fans thought the young offensive defender would be to start the season.
That changed drastically at the trade deadline. Barrie was jettisoned to Nashville, clearing a spot for Bouchard in the top four, and Mattias Ekholm was brought in, who turned out to be a perfect partner for him.
The results were immediate and Bouchard’s ascension to the top unit PP payed off in spades. He effectively became the top right-handed defender on the team and the results poured in. Bouchard notched 19 points after the deadline and followed that up by leading off NHL defenders in playoff scoring with 17.
That last stretch was so insanely good that it made everyone forget about his rather pedestrian start to the season. For the first time in his career, Bouchard put the rest of the NHL on notice as one of the brightest up-and-coming offensive rearguards.
He is among the most exciting and fascinating stories to watch on the team for next season.
Zach Hyman: A-
When Zach Hyman arrived in Edmonton he had a career-high of 21 goals and 41 points. After his first season in an Oilers uniform, he broke both those milestones with a 27-goal and 54-point season.
For many, that was exactly the type of season that could have been expected, if not much better. Hyman was never brought in to be the highest scoring winger on his line. As long as he created room for the big guns and produced at a decent clip, all was well. That is why this season was so incredible.
Hyman became a bonafide point producer for the Oilers scoring 36 goals and 83 points to absolutely annihilate his previous career highs. Popular opinion might point to his involvement on the PP as being the sole reason for this type of production, but that would be misleading as only 26 of those points came with the man-advantage.
The Oilers have lacked proper even-strength scorers and Hyman helped them overcome that with 56 points. Outside of the 36 goals, Hyman also flexed his play-making ability with 27 first assists.
The only thing that knocks him down from an A was a rather pedestrian playoff run that hurt the team down the stretch. He did have a very important overtime winner in Game 4 against Los Angeles but was rather unnoticeable otherwise. Reports did say he was playing through an injury, but regardless it does hurt his grade a tiny bit.
It might be unreasonable to expect a repeat season from Hyman, but that’s just a testament to how great he was for the team last year.
Cody Ceci: C-
It was a forgettable year for Cody Ceci.
Not many expected the drop-off that Ceci had this season, as he was one of the team’s more consistent blueliners in their 2022 run to the Conference Finals. It was the entire season as well, not just a bad stretch of play that landed Ceci his C-.
A reported season-long core injury had a severe impact on Ceci’s ability to turn in a decent defensive effort, leaking goals against with the 44.10 goals-for percentage (GF%) and leading the way among regular defenders in high-danger chances against per 60 at 13.89.
These are not numbers you want to see from a defender on your top pairing. This play almost hampered the play of Darnell Nurse, who had a fairly forgettable season as well.
There is not much else to say about his season other than that. Ceci took a considerable step back from where he was the season before and this held back the team from the best version of themselves.
The hope is that a summer of healing with remedy Ceci’s problem, but he will start 2023–24 with the cards stacked against him.
Warren Foegele: B-
Streakiness was the name of the game for Warren Foegele last season.
Like Bouchard, it wasn’t all that great to begin the season. He scored just 10 points in his first 36 games of the season and was being brought up as a potential trade chip at the deadline to clear cap.
Those trade rumours must’ve motivated Foegele as he then almost doubled his points with seven points in March and then another nine in April. That strong play in before the deadline ensured he stayed an Oiler and he ended up being one of the team’s better depth forwards down the stretch.
Things eventually did slow down in the playoffs, with just three points in 12 games.
Foegele’s hot and cold play is extremely frustrating to watch. The work ethic is always there, the skill is always there, hell, even the chances are always there; he just goes through stretches where he can’t finish a play to save his life.
He escapes the “C” grade because his hot streak came at a crucial part of the season and he actively helped the team position themselves in the playoffs. If he can start finishing plays on a more consistent basis, he could theoretically be more than a depth forward, but he has yet to prove that’s possible.
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
You must be kidding when you say Bouchard is a top four defender. He is, by far, the worst defender on the team. He’s slow, weak, and has no idea what to do in the defensive zone.
Getting a partner like Edholm greatly helped cover up his ineptitude in his own end and getting power play time with McDavid inflated his offensive numbers. There was no magical switch turned on at the trade deadline.
I am an avid Oiler fan, but I’m hoping Holland finds a way to replace Bouchard with a real top four defender- one who can be effective at five on five and can even kill penalties.