There are growing murmurs that new Edmonton Oilers Head Coach Mike Babcock will play Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on the same line. Without any games or even practices to go off of, there is only so much stock that can be put into that reality. Time will tell how serious Babcock is about deploying the two superstars together full time.
Throughout their careers it has been a hot button issue. While their excellence together is indisputable, the question has often surrounded how the Oilers can survive without them on the ice.
Let’s take a look at how the Oilers might thrive with McDavid and Draisaitl on the same line.
How will the rest of the lines shape up?
Already firmly entrenched as some of the greatest players of all time, McDavid and Draisaitl have an undeniable chemistry. As much as they have spent most of their careers centring different lines, they have often found themselves deployed together. Be it on the power play, late in games, or even around a commercial break, coaches have not been able to resist playing the superstar duo together.
Both McDavid and Draisaitl would appreciate a linemate who is eager to do the dirty work. Zach Hyman presents as an ideal option, but he is not alone on the Oilers roster. Vasily Podkolzin, for example, can handle some of the forechecking work and net front work that Hyman could provide. While there are certainly many players who would benefit from sharing a linemate with McDavid and Draisaitl, Hyman and Podkolzin are the most obvious candidates.
In truth, the bigger question might be if the Oilers can construct a second line dangerous enough to complement the top line. Immediately the focus draws to the role of second line centre. While the Oilers have some intriguing centre depth in Jason Dickinson and Josh Samanski, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is the clear option to anchor another scoring line.
This evokes a more pointed question, can Nugent-Hopkins centre a legitimately dangerous second line, or will the Oilers be forced to upgrade to thrive with McDavid and Draisaitl on the same line?
Nugent-Hopkins as a potential 2C option
Expectations for a first overall selection are always high. Though Nugent-Hopkins has never threatened to enter the upper echelons of the league, he has carved out a great career. With over 1000 games played, over 800 points and nearing 300 goals, Nugent-Hopkins has been a great Oiler. With a fairly affordable contract, and over a half point per game production, he is still a reasonable secondary offensive contributor.
His role on the power play might come under a challenge, if not this season then sometime soon. This would obviously hurt his production, and presumably playing without McDavid or Draisaitl at even strength would do the same. After spending most of the past few seasons as a winger alongside McDavid and Hyman, Nugent-Hopkins would be challenged by a full time move to centre.
When centring his own line, Nugent-Hopkins has often been at his best alongside two power wingers. He has playmaking talents that work well alongside scorers of many types. Though he has a keen sense of defensive responsibility, it does not appear that Nugent-Hopkins is a strong factor in controlling play.
It follows that the ideal wingers for a Nugent-Hopkins line would need to bring proficiencies in these areas. Hyman and Podkolzin make a lot of sense as net front scorers.
Matthew Savoie would seem to have the inside track into a top-six scoring role, and might serve as a possession catalyst. Nugent-Hopkins is able to distribute in limited time with the puck, so having a zone entry specialist or a primary handler might do wonders for Nugent-Hopkins.
Ultimately, making Nugent-Hopkins work as a second line centre involves adorning his line with sufficient talent. It also might involve some more selective deployment, either with offensive zone starts or finding favourable matchups. A line with Nugent-Hopkins between Hyman and Savoie might have enough offensive punch to thrive away from McDavid and Draisaitl.
Deeper lineup options
There might be other options, more likely with a more balanced lineup or due to injuries. Given that the Oilers paid handsomely for Jason Dickinson it seems he is destined for a primary checking role. Josh Samanski might thrive in a similar setup. Nugent-Hopkins profiles as the obvious choice for a scoring line centre after McDavid and Draisaitl.
It might be ambitious to think that Trent Frederic can score enough to fit the role. Perhaps the same could be said for Kasperi Kapanen, who seems to thrive off of more individual effort. Isaac Howard might prove an option as an on-puck linemate. Eduards Tralmaks provides intrigue as a net front option. Still, it would be bold to assume either can start the season so high in the lineup.
These might make sense if the Oilers decide to split McDavid and Draisaitl. While two more defensively minded units make a more balanced foil, Babcock has seemed to challenge McDavid and Draisaitl to push their games further. Given their production, this concept likely involves a greater emphasis on defence from the superstars. Those bigger responsibilities might free up a line with Howard and Nugent-Hopkins to get some favourable usage in less minutes.
Challenges Babcock may face
There is no guarantee that the experiment of McDavid and Draisaitl sharing a line will last. Still, this rhetoric or messaging might be a motivating factor for Nugent-Hopkins throughout the summer. If only to gauge the optionality of their lineup, it might benefit the Oilers to see how Nugent-Hopkins fares as a second line centre.
It would also issue a challenge to his linemates, as players like Hyman and Savoie will have to prove their mettle without a superstar alongside. This might ultimately help the Oilers decide what kind of player they target at the trade deadline, for example. Centres are usually more expensive. Having enough firepower to create a scoring line without McDavid or Draisaitl would denote a high quality forward group.
Mock lineup
Using these parameters, let’s take a closer look at a mock lineup.
Podkolzin—McDavid—Drasaitl
Hyman—Nugent-Hopkins—Savoie
Janmark—Dickinson—Kapanen
Frederic—Samanski—Dach
The first line speaks for itself. Naturally Podkolzin’s offensive game will need to continue to evolve to justify this spot. If Podkolzin is willing to embrace the grunt work he might have enough scoring touch to keep up with his superstar linemates. It’s a big ask, and naturally Hyman might be a more proven option.
Hyman is deployed on the second line instead. He and Nugent-Hopkins put Savoie in an interesting spot to prove himself as a top-six forward in his own right.
The third line would be tasked with a lot of defensive assignments. Mattias Janmark is often criticized by fans, yet has remained a staple of the lineup across multiple coaches. He brings a heavy game and specializes as a penalty killer. Kasperi Kapanen provides some speed, and his offence can be a bit more individually driven.
Trent Frederic and Colton Dach provide a strong physical identity. Josh Samanski provides some defensive presence, but might have more to give.
This setup gives each line an identity. Especially without Isaac Howard in the lineup there might be a lack of offence deeper in this lineup. This emphasizes how much the Oilers would need this second line to click offensively.
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
