The Edmonton Oilers lost in more ways than one in Columbus last night.
Not only did they lose Connor McDavid to a lower-body injury less than a minute into the contest, but they also went on to get embarrassed by the Blue Jackets in a 6–1 loss.
Safe to say that two lopsided losses in just ten games to start the season is less than ideal, but last night hits just even worse. Looking ahead, with McDavid having returned home to Edmonton for further evaluation, things will not be easy for the Oilers.
A potential McDavid-sized hole in their lineup could be disastrous for the franchise.
Oilers’ lineup is in limbo
It’s quite obvious to state that it’s impossible to replace McDavid under any circumstance. Regardless of what the Oilers do, the team will be worse on paper and on the ice.
That being said, it does create opportunities for the organization. The obvious call here would be to recall Noah Philp from Bakersfield to fill the immediate hole at center ice. He was one of the best performers in training camp and is the no-brainer first recall to make under the circumstances.
After that, it’s all up in the air regarding what Kris Knoblauch will do with his forward lines. Here is what could make sense:
Corey Perry – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Zach Hyman
Jeff Skinner – Leon Draisaitl – Viktor Arvidsson
Matthias Janmark – Adam Henrique – Connor Brown
Vasily Podkolzin – Derek Ryan – Noah Philp
I think the main moves that make a lot of sense are reuniting Janmark, Henrique, and Brown to provide a bit of familiarity in what will be a turbulent lineup. Looking at other options, it makes sense that Knoblauch is keeping some duos together like Draisaitl and Arvidsson as well as RNH and Hyman.
The left wing is where things could be interesting as someone is likely to play on their off-side. This is just a guess based on who is available, but you could switch all four around and it’s likely that the Oilers will during their next game anyway.
All that being said, although they can slide RNH back to center ice, it’s going to be tough sledding for the Oilers without McDavid. The team is just not the same without him and that showed last night against the Blue Jackets. With Hyman struggling, new acquisitions not quite hitting their stride yet, and the defence and goaltending just simply not good enough, you wonder how long the team can afford to be without their captain.
Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire
