In a previous article, I wrote about how the Edmonton Oilers front office and coaching staff have a lack a focus. Obviously this is my perspective from the outside, andI have no idea what's going on behind closed doors. However, based on this perception, the following is what the Oilers need to do in order to gain a stronger focus.
1-Have a philosophy
As it stands, I'm not quite sure what the team philosophy is. The only thing I can come up with is get on the power play, get the puck to Leon or Connor or stack the first line. Now the Oilers have gotten far riding this, but they need more, but what does that mean?
Well they need to become one.
This clip from the first season of the HBO show Game of Thrones summarizes it perfectly.
Right now, the Oilers as a team don't know who or what they are. That is because not every player seems to know who or what they are. For next season, here is what the oilers need to do, line per line.
RNH-McJesus-Hyman (TOI 5-5 13-15 mins)
Great balance of puck possession, forechecking, scoring and playmaking. This line knows exactly what it is and what to do. Hence all the success. Nothing much more to be said here. After line 1, the issues arise as the coaching staff can't seem to keep a line together.
Over the years, the Oilers lost a lot of competent players who could have filled this role. But that's the past. Next year, ice this line and stick with it.
Savoie-Draisaitl-Mangiapane (TOI 5-5 13-15 mins)
We don't have any other options here as the coaching staff and front office made it their mission to alienate or let players go for nothing like Holloway, Foegele, Perry, and Skinner. Do not, for the sake of god break up this line and piss off more players. Just keep them together and see how it goes for 20-25 games, please.
Mangiapane is a fast skater, good scorer and I hated when my team played against him. A great pick up and a tremendous playoff guy like Hyman. Nothing needs to said about Draisaitl, you're good bro. Savoie is a good offensive prospect and had a very good season last year in the AHL with 54 in 66 games. He was the 9th overall pick in the 2022 daft. It's time for a promotion. Now, when it comes to Savoie, the Oilers need to do the opposite of what their instincts tell them. They will be yearning to play him 7 minutes a game and healthy scratch him when he fails to score a hat trick.
Just do the opposite and see what happens. Maybe, just maybe, the kid will gain some confidence by knowing he will be on the ice 14-16 mins a game. Perhaps this will result in him using his strengths without doubts or hesitation, which is good for the organization. But these are radical thoughts I'm writing here.
The third and fourth line are somewhat of a toss up. The loss of Perry is going to hurt a lot.
Podkolzin-Lazar-Kapenen (TOI 5-5 11-13 minutes)
Again, and I cannot stress this enough, keep this line together and give them a job. Tell them to focus on forechecking and keeping the puck out of our net. The offence will come organicaly given all their natural offensive abilities. Do not punish for lack of offence. Only punish selfish play and laziness should it be overtly and intentionally happening.
And play them. Overplaying the big boys takes a toll on a bottom six, as they get limited ice time, resulting in them playing an extremely disjointed style. This really hurt the Oilers vs Florida who were eaten alive by the Panthers bottom six.
Podkolzin is the real gem on this line and I love his play. He will be the heart beat on this line as he can do it all and has a lot of upside.Let him play stress free please, good things will happen. Curtis Lazar is one of those players who had high expectations heaped on him. However, tell him to use his strengths. Don't try to mine his 17th overall status by bouncing him around on the top two lines hoping for 30 goals, he's not that guy. Tell him to use his skating, intelligence and defensive talents to wreak havoc. He's also a decent face-off guy. Kapenen can skate like the wind and can score. Just tell them to keep it simple. And play them!
Frederic-Henrique-Janmark (TOI 5-5 10-12 mins)
A good, big line. Tell them to hit, forecheck and keep the puck out of the net. Frederic was injured last year and never really got his feet. This year he will be healthy and ready to go. Again, use your strengths. Strong board play and annoy the other them with your big body. Henrique is a great vet who can win face-offs and play reliable D. Janmark can skate and is a very good defensive forward.
Now what is important here is keeping the lines TOGETHER. And PLAY THEM reasonable minutes. Keep those 5-5 minutes consistent on average and obviously adjust to PP and PK. Other than that, roll with it. By doing so, the whole team will be more cohesive, structured, intentional and most importantly ONE!
My next Oilers blog will cover the D and special teams. Let me know what your opinions are in the comments!