Record - 49-27-6 (104 points), 2nd in the Pacific Division
Goals For: 290 (7th in the NHL), Goals Against: 252 (16th in the NHL)
Leading Goal Scorer - Leon Draisaitl (55)
Leading Point Scorer - Connor McDavid (123)
We head back out West to cover one of the Western Conference finalists in the Edmonton Oilers. Another tale of two coaches kind of season headlined by two of the best players on the planet, the Oilers came within four wins of making their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance since 2006. Though they were defeated by the eventual champs, seeing what Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl did to carry them there shows that they are right on the doorstep of winning the most coveted prize in sports.
The Oilers had a rip roaring start to the season. They won 15 of their first 20 games and looked unstoppable. McDavid and Draisaitl had an early lead over the rest of the league in goals and points, and the team's powerplay was converting at an astronomical 50% clip. Then things started teetering off. The Oilers won just 3 of their next 16 games, which consequentially led to the firing of HC Dave Tippett. GM Ken Holland was more than aware of how important it was to not waste yet another spectacular season from Connor and Leon, and thus decided to move on from Tippett. The team named Jay Woodcroft the interim head coach and everything went back to normal. Edmonton finished the season with a 26-9-3 record under Woodcroft, securing a second place finish in the division and home ice advantage in the first round of playoffs. McDavid won his fourth Art Ross trophy in six years after accumulating a career high 123 points. Draisaitl reached the 50 goal plateau once again, finishing second behind Auston Matthews for the Rocket Richard Trophy. To put into perspective how much these two guys carried the Oilers last season, Draisaitl would have finished 3rd on the team in points if he hadn't recorded an assist all season. He scored 55 times and Zach Hyman finished 3rd on the team in points with 54. An absolutely insane stat.
That trend rolled over into the postseason. The only reason the Oilers made it as far as they did was because of how Connor, Leon, and Evander Kane performed. They don't make it out of the first round against the Kings if it weren't for these three. Not to take anything away from goaltender Mike Smith, who stood on his head in the final two games, but that trio scored 16 of the team's 27 goals in the seven game series. The next series against their provincial rival Calgary Flames was basically the same story. After losing one of the wildest high scoring playoff games in recent memory, Edmonton won four straight to close out the Flames in five games. Just six minutes into Game 1, the Oilers found themselves down 3-0 to the division champs. At one point in the second period they were down 5-1, but came storming back to tie it at 6 a piece early in the third. This game of runs ended in the Flames favor who scored the final three goals of the contest to win 9-6. The rest of the series was all Connor and Leon. The duo finished with a combined 29 points in just 5 games. A showcasing of pure greatness that marked an end to Paul Bissonnette and the beginning of Peter Mansbiz.
Unfortunately, this team was only going to go as far as the two-headed dragon could carry them, which in this case would end up being the Conference Finals. The Oil would end up getting swept in four games to the powerhouse Colorado Avalanche. The Avs were simply too good. They had weapons up and down their lineup that the Oilers had no answers for. In the end, the better team advanced. Despite only playing 16 games, McDavid and Draisaitl were the top two scorers in playoffs, with 33 and 32 points a piece. Evander Kane ended up tied for the most goals scored in playoffs with 13. Imagine what could have been if this team had any scoring support.
With preseason now underway, this team is essentially the same as it was last year. The one big change is in the crease. Veteran goalie Mike Smith will be missing the entire season after failing the team physical due to an undisclosed. He's on the last year of his contract, so it wouldn't be a surprise if the 40 year old announces his retirement next summer. Mikko Koskinen, on the other hand is healthy, but has elected to play the next two seasons over in Switzerland. With several goalies on the market this offseason, Ken Holland was able to land former Maple Leafs' all star goalie Jack Campbell. Coming off a career year, winning 31 games with Leafs, Campbell signed a five-year, $25 million contract with Edmonton. The journey to get here hasn't been easy for Soupy. A first round pick by the Dallas Stars in 2010, Campbell was slated to be the next great American goalie, but made just one start with the Stars after he was drafted. He fell out of love with the game. He was lost. But then he was given another shot with the Kings and made the most of it. He appeared in 57 games with Los Angeles before being traded to Toronto where his come up really came into fruition. Campbell set an NHL record in 2021 for most consecutive wins to start a season with 11. That was all he needed to solidify himself as a true number one goalie in this league. Now he gets the chance to further prove himself with his new team in Edmonton.
The way the Pittsburgh Penguins always have a chance to win because of Crosby, the Oilers always has a chance because of McDavid. He's the best player of all time. Not the greatest, but the best. No one has ever possessed this amount of ability. Every time he's on the ice things happen. He could easily have 4, 5, maybe 6 points in every game he plays in. He creates that much for himself and for his teammates. We know what to expect out of him. We know what to expect out of Leon. But what about the rest of the lineup? This idea of these two having to carry this club for another season isn't one that results in a championship being brought to Edmonton for the first time since 1990. They desperately need help. Zach Hyman needs to score more. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins needs to score more. Kailer Yamamoto, Jesse Puljujarvi, and Ryan Mcleod all need to score more. There's no way this team can win a Cup without that happening.
I have no doubt the Oilers are a top three team in the Pacific Division, but where will go once they get to the postseason? All of that depends on scoring support and if they're able to get any. If a couple of the players mentioned get hot at the right time, with Connor and Leon doing their thing, then this team can make a deep run. If not, the same thing will happen as last year and we may see conversations about McDavid waiving his no-move clause start to swirl. With a full season of having the best looking coach behind the bench as well as bringing back the classic blue sweaters I believe bright times are ahead for this Oilers squad. No matter happens, they will surely continue to let McJesus take the wheel to carry them to the promised land.
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