With three weeks to go until the end of the regular season, everyone’s focus is slowly turning towards the playoffs, and what the storylines will be this year.
One such storyline that everyone loves is the underdog. Generally speaking, that is in reference to the lower seeded team that exceeds expectations by beating their supposedly superior opponent (see: Florida Panthers versus Boston Bruins last season).
But it can also be looked at as referring to a player who comes out of the woodwork to have an unexpected all world performance. We’re not necessarily talking about an unsung hero, as rather this is a player who gets “sung” for possibly the first time in their career.
For Edmonton Oilers fans, the player who embodies this player the most is Fernando Pisani, the unexpected stalwart for the 2005–06 Cinderella team that went from eighth place in the Western Conference to the Stanley Cup Finals.
How Pisani became a playoff legend
Granted, Pisani had showed some scoring ability previously, as he scored 16 goals in 2003–04 and then 18 goals during the regular season in 2005–06, but he was still very much looked at as a middle-six depth player.
Pisani became a legend in those playoffs though, leading the Oilers in goals with a whopping 14 in just 18 games. To put that in perspective, that was twice as many as the next two players on the team, Ryan Smyth and Shawn Horcoff.
When it comes to the Oilers during the Connor McDavid era, there has really only been one such performance: Mark Letestu finishing second in team scoring (including ahead of McDavid) in 2016–17 with five goals and 11 points in 13 games. Otherwise, it’s been the usual suspects leading the charge in McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Evander Kane, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. You could maybe argue Bouchard’s 17 points last year, but given how well he played to end the season I don’t think you can really call that a surprise performance.
So who could be the “Pisani” for the Oilers this year? We take a look at the possible candidates.
Warren Foegele
Warren Foegele set a career high in goals, assists, and points already this year, tallying his 18th assist and 31st point in game 59 and 14th goal in game 62 and currently sitting at 36 points with 10 games to go. He’s shown chemistry with Leon Draisaitl and if that line combo continues into the playoffs, Foegele very well could be in line to become a big contributor to a long playoff run.
While Foegele hasn’t been a huge contributor historically in the playoffs (just four goals and seven points in his last 43 games), Foegele did initially get recognized for his playoff performance in his rookie season. He scored five goals and nine points in 15 games for the Carolina Hurricanes in 2018–19 though, so the ability is there.
It’s also a contract year for Foegele, and a good playoff performance tends to lead to a more lucrative payday, as it did for Pisani.
Ryan McLeod
Like Foegele, Ryan McLeod has also found chemistry on a line with Draisaitl, and as a result has had a career year as well, notching his 13th assist and 24th point in his 61st game and his 12th goal in game 66, and is at 26 points.
McLeod has been a better playoff performer than Foegele, with nine points in 32 career games, including five of those come last year in 12 games.
Ironically, what makes McLeod a more vital part of the team could also be what hinders his production in comparison to Foegele—the fact that he is a natural centre. That could result in McLeod moving down the lineup moreso than Foegele in the event the team decides they need that depth down the middle.
However the acquisition of Adam Henrique may quell that possibility, especially in light of the chemistry between Foegele, Draisaitl, and McLeod. It also means that even if McLeod does move down the third line at times, he is still going to be playing with a decent quality of linemate, whether it be Foegele, Henrique, Evander Kane, Corey Perry, or Dylan Holloway.
Connor Brown
I know, I know. Picking a guy having the worst season of his career by a long shot (I mean at one point he was being outscored by a goalie for the team’s biggest rival) seems like a bad choice.
But…what a story it would be.
Brown finally got off the schneid in game 64, when Evander Kane banked a pass off of Brown’s foot into the net.
Two games later he scored his second goal and added an assist. Brown has had seven of his eight points the 36 games he’s played since he was a healthy scratch on December 21, which is still an unimpressive 16-point pace, but considering that’s in a fourth line role it’s not the worst.
Brown plays the most of any forward on the penalty kill, accounting for about one-sixth of his ice time. While that normally would not lead to more scoring chances (obviously), his 10 takeaways is 19th in the league and his 0.9 expected goals on the PK is 49th.
Granted, Brown’s playoff scoring history isn’t great either, with just one goal and five points in 20 games.
Given the low expectations for Brown too, he doesn’t necessarily need to match a playoff performance at the level of Pisani to get a bit of a hero status. But if he did manage to put it together finally when the moment is the biggest, Brown could very well go from one of the most maligned players in team history to one of the most loved. Forget underdog, this is a villain to hero arc that adds a level of depth that most of these kinds of stories don’t have.
Sam Gagner
Sam Gagner is the player that most fans are extremely perplexed about, but not because of him necessarily. Rather, its the fact that he is consistently scratched (and now playing in the minors) despite posting a very respectable 10 points in only 27 games this year while averaging only 10:14 in ice time per game.
Add in the fact that Gagner is a fan favourite and it certainly is frustrating to see players like Brown be kept in over him.
It’s likely that Gagner is not in the lineup to start the playoffs, but injuries and lack of performance could change that. There isn’t room for error, and if a player in the bottom six isn’t playing up to snuff there is a good chance they can see themselves in the press box.
If the Oilers are in need of a spark from a skill perspective, then Gagner is/should be first on the list to tag in. If he does, and performs, then it is more than likely he would stay in the lineup, given the large effect momentum has in the playoffs.
This is a huge boom or bust pick, as there is the real possibility that Gagner doesn’t even get a game in. But if he does, Oilers fans know all too well how much of a gamer he is and it’s hard to see him relinquishing the spot if he gets it.
Adam Henrique
You can certainly argue that Henrique doesn’t really qualify for this, as he was a high profile acquisition at the deadline and has been a pretty decent scorer in his career.
But the Pisani Award is for someone who unexpectedly becomes an offensive leader for the leader for the team. While Henrique is going to be expected to score during the playoffs, he was also brought in to be more of a third line centre, which generally isn’t a position for a potential Conn Smythe winner.
Henrique’s versatility mixed with his experience could give him an edge in terms of ice time over McLeod when things get tough, and that opportunity could be what helps him pot some more goals.
Henrique has gotten off to a bit of a slow start, with just two goals and an assist in his first nine games, but his two goals have come in his last four games.
Henrique hasn’t played a playoff game since 2018, and before that hadn’t played in one since 2012, so suffice it to say he is almost assuredly raring to go. That kind of enthusiasm could go a long way.
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
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