With trade season in full swing now is the time where rumours and speculation run rampant. From players suspected of being dealt, or even being linked to certain teams, or teams trying to figure out whether to buy or sell, this is a time of limited clarity. For a perennial contender like the Edmonton Oilers there are usually not egregious holes within the roster, yet in a rare window of contention the pressure is clearly on to improve the team as much as possible.
The Oilers have had their ups and downs this season, their projected needs shifting all the while. After the early season coaching change, we’ve seen the Oilers rebound into expected form. In the end winning eases all concerns, yet it was not long ago that nothing seemed to be working well enough for the team to live up to its expectations.
With that in mind we polled our readers on where in their lineup the Oilers should be focusing their limited resources in efforts to seize the moment at hand.
The Oilers don’t need a centre
With only a slim portion of votes, the idea of adding a centre is not the top priority for the majority of Oil Country. This does speak to the Oilers depth at the position, with several centre options throughout their lineup. Of course Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are as good a one-two punch down the middle as can be. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is an option, though he finds himself more regularly on the wing. Ryan McLeod continues to excel in the lead checking role, rounding out the skill set of the group nicely.
While there are more important aspects to a roster, the Oilers don’t seem to have an obvious answer at centre on the fourth line, though there are some options. Dylan Holloway might be able to play centre in the NHL, but is still trying to make his mark on the wing for now. James Hamblin fared well in his stint, but now finds himself in the minors. For now, Derek Ryan seems to have shifted back to the middle. Ryan has always seemed to outperform expectations, and though he remains a consistent positive in the bottom six the Oilers have moved him to the wing for most of his Oilers tenure.
Perhaps another angle to adding a centre could be increased versatility. Not only would this give the Oilers a bit more backup in case of injury, but it might afford the Oilers a chance to try McLeod on Draisaitl’s wing. In their brief time together over the past three seasons, the pair has shown a great deal of chemistry, and in a sense McLeod brings exactly what a line with, presumably, Draisaitl and Kane would need. Ryan can certainly hold down the fort as a fourth line centre, but asking one of Ryan, Holloway, or Hamblin to man the middle of the foremost checking line is a huge ask.
A winger could be a good addition
With just under a third of the vote, there seems to be a discrepancy between our poll and the recent insider reports of the Oilers front office. More and more the Oilers are being linked to some of the biggest names on the market in terms of wingers, even high cost acquisitions like Jake Guentzel and Travis Konecny. A good portion of voters agree with the Oilers alleged machinations, but most are still looking elsewhere.
The Oilers have one of the most prolific offences of this generation, if not of all time, especially from a longer term perspective. Though relative down years for McDavid and Draisaitl might be casting a less generous light onto the Oilers offence, the team is still generating offence at an incredible rate. At this point there appears to be a hole in the top six as well. While Kane has seen some time on the third line, it should be expected that he will continue to find his way back onto one of McDavid or Draisaitl’s wings.
In the meantime the Oilers are trying out some less ideal top six options, Warren Foegele amidst a career year fared well, yet is still best suited lower in the lineup. Fan favourite Sam Gagner has produced in his limited appearances, and can still contribute offensively, yet clearly his ability in other areas leaves his coaches wanting more.
To take another look at the long term trend, it has not been easy to find wingers that stick in these roles. Both Kailer Yamamoto and Jesse Puljujarvi failed to produce enough offence to fill the role, to an extent Foegele is not an ideal fit for a similar reason, despite various levels of defensive play between the three wingers. Meanwhile pure offensive options like Gagner or even Raphael Lavoie can scarcely be given a look in this role.
It is very unlikely that a winger in this spot, even one the calibre of Guentzel or Konecny, does not receive power play time either. In all it is a curious puzzle to solve, perhaps leading to the voters’ reluctance.
A defenceman is the greatest need
With almost two thirds of the vote, fans clearly think that the Oilers should prioritise an upgrade to the blueline. As a premise, giving two MVP scoring forwards in McDavid and Draisaitl is the best way to support them, though in general defencemen are often undervalued by the public. Because the nature of defending is to be able to handle the variety of attacks from offences around the league, it is important to build a blueline that is well rounded, and can handle every situation.
For their part the Oilers have a good blueline, or at least the foundations of one, and this should not be taken for granted. Though throughout the McDavid era the Oilers blueline, and moreover defensive identity as a team, have been lacking, those suggesting the Oilers have not transformed and proven themselves over the past three seasons have not been keeping up with the Oilers increased proficiency here.
That said, there is also a clear and significant number of fans who take issue with some of the Oilers defencemen. Most of all, at least for now is Cody Ceci. While many of the public expected goal models do not look kindly on Ceci, he finds himself having earned the trust of another coach. His work with the Oilers, as well as his relatively low cap hit given his role, has been valuable, but often he is on the wrong side of fan opinion, even going back as far as his time with the Ottawa Senators. Already his slotting is much more appropriate, thanks to the Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard pairing taking off over the past year, but still it is not difficult to name better right shot defencemen.
Whether or not any of these defencemen are available, affordable, or a better fit for the Oilers remains to be seen, but clearly this is where fans think the Oilers should be aiming to improve at the deadline.
Goaltending no longer a worry
Perhaps the biggest surprise from the results of our poll is the confidence that Oilers fans have found in Stuart Skinner. This has little to do with Skinner’s ability and more to do with his lack of pedigree. Though Skinner has outperformed expectations in each of his last four seasons, rising through the ranks to take hold of the Oilers starting job, the imagination of the general public has not been captured by the young goalie’s results over that time.
When Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen shared the net, Skinner was a near ideal third string, a waiver exempt youngster who had proven himself nicely as an AHL starter, even earning some starts due to injuries. Last season saw Skinner make the All-Star Game, only to be the subject of doubt headed into the playoffs, even dismissed as a potential option for a best-on-best Team Canada. Earlier this season, behind a disconnected team and Skinner’s only true misstep in the past four years or so, the Oilers goaltending as a whole was a major area of concern, bordering on desperation for a true starter.
Finally, if only within the confines of Oil Country, it seems Skinner has begun to inspire confidence as a true starter. Should Skinner and the Oilers deliver a respectable effort over the next calendar year, it would be difficult to leave him off of best-on-best team Canada rosters as well. While a Vezina Trophy might be ambitious, Skinner seems capable of delivering a top 10 level of play behind a strong defensive team, as the Oilers currently are.
The low voting also suggests some level of confidence in the depth behind Skinner. For now, Calvin Pickard is holding up well with true backup usage. Fans, as well as the organisation as a whole, might have already cast dye on Jack Campbell, though the veteran seems to have regained some confidence in the AHL. Olivier Rodrigue might be the Oilers second best goalie in a vacuum, but is still building his resume in the AHL. Especially due to Campbell’s burdensome contract the trio behind Skinner cannot be characterised as ideal, though they clearly give the Oilers reasonable options should anything happen to Skinner.
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
