The Edmonton Oilers are essentially bringing back the same roster that was nearly good enough for first place in the West and that gave the future Stanley Cup Champions in the Vegas Golden Knights the toughest challenge in the post-season. There is plenty to like about this lineup but obviously fans are expecting far more than another second round exit.
To those ends the Oilers are going to be counting on players to step up their game and do more than they did last season. I'm looking at players that played for the Edmonton Oilers last season that I think will produce more (in points, deployment, etc). So don't expect to see a guy like Connor Brown on this list.
With that, let's get to it.
Evander Kane 22/23 Season Stats: 41 GP 16-12-28
This feels like the easiest one to start out with. Kane started the season fine with 5 goals in his first 10 games but then injuries cost him half the season. First there was the scary skate incident on his wrist which kept him out months but later in the season he also ended up breaking a couple of ribs and was out again.
Kane probably pushed himself too hard to come back in January and he never was able to fully get back into game shape. With a full off-season to continue his rehab and heal up the Oilers are expecting Kane to look far more like the player he was in the 21/22 season for Edmonton.
Ryan McLeod 22/23 Season Stats: 57GP 11-12-23
Ryan McLeod may not be a flashy player and he may never have a 60 points season... maybe not even a 50 point season but this is a player that should have a long NHL career and be an integral piece to this Oilers roster. Last season the Oilers finally had a bottom six that was capable of outscoring their opposition at 5 on 5 and Ryan McLeod was a key part of that. Particularly in the playoffs the McLeod, Foegele, and Ryan line were a dominant shutdown line (why Woodcroft played the Bjugstad line over McLeod's against Eichel remains a baffling decision).
McLeod has always had speed but he has figured out how to use his speed in a far greater way than just a north-south game, making him dangerous both on the backcheck and the forecheck. The one area he struggles with is scoring goals and taking shots, something the player himself has stated he wants to improve going into this season. If McLeod can become a regular 35-40 point player, especially considering most of his points come at EV and not the powerplay than that will be a huge boon for the Oilers bottom six.
Warren Foegele 22/23 Season Stats: 67GP 13-15-28
It's not an uncommon thing to see a player in his contract season go off on a tear. Foegele is 27 years old and entering the final year of his deal that currently has a 2.75 million dollar AAV. Foegele has a career high 13 goals and 30 points. He hit the 13 goal mark last season for the second time in his career and had he been healthy the whole season he certainly would have passed the 30 point mark.
Right now it seems like the Oilers top six is pretty locked in with McDavid, Draisaitl, RNH, Kane, Hyman, and now likely Connor Brown but I wouldn't be surprised if Foegele gets a shot in that mix. I think the Oilers still need to separate their talent more and spread out the wealth of offense which means a more complimentary player like Foegele could be slotted up with the likes of McDavid or Draisaitl. If Foegele can find a rhythm up there than a 20+ goal season is not out of the question at all.
Cody Ceci 22/23 Season Stats: 80GP 1-14-15
It was not a good season for Cody Ceci. In 21/22 the Nurse and Ceci pairing were a surprise pleasant surprise and worked excellent as a shutdown top pairing for the Edmonton Oilers. Last season while Nurse did have some issues himself, much of the issues came back to Ceci looking lost and on many nights like he couldn't handle third pairing assignments, let alone the top pairing duties.
I still believe that the 21/22 season was the outlier on Ceci's career and that it isn't realistic to expect a rebound to that level of play but with the emergence of the Ekholm and Bouchard pairing the Nurse and Ceci pairing won't have to do as much heavy lifting and Ceci should be able to settle into more of a top 4 role as opposed to the top 2 that he has in the past.
Jack Campbell 22/23 Season Stats: 36GP 21-9-4 0.888SV%
I'm expecting Campbell to bounce back in the way that it doesn't seem possible that he drops off any further as last season was a brutal year for the netminder who started his 5 year 5 million AAV contract. While the overall wins were there, on many nights that seemed to happen despite his play, rather than because of it.
Starting this season Stuart Skinner will be the starter with Campbell as the backup. Mentally it was evident that Campbell was truly struggling with his poor play and the pressures that were placed upon him. Hopefully starting the season as a backup who will compete for games, rather than all of the expectations on him will be a boon for the player and he can return to the 0.910 to 0.915SV% goalie he had been everywhere else throughout his career.
Did I miss any names? Who do you think will elevate their game from what we saw last season?
Thanks for reading!