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In this edition of the hotstove, we share our thoughts on the biggest reason(s) the Edmonton Oilers have gotten off to a horrendous start.
Todd Cordell
There are a lot of reasons for the Oilers struggles but I think the forwards may be the biggest.
They have gotten almost nothing offensively from those outside of the main five up front and a couple of the guys who have contributed (Milan Lucic and Patrick Maroon) have given some of the offense they've created back by taking handfuls of bad penalties.
As a unit, the Oilers forwards don't have a ton of speed, they don't have many play-drivers who can flip the ice, and, again, they're not getting much production outside of the top few forwards.
That's a big issue, especially when your top scoring defenseman is averaging .33 points per game.
Matt Henderson
Ok. We have a lot to unpack here.
Edmonton's problems are bigger than any one issue. It's a combination of problems, anticipated and not, that are acting like death by 1000 cuts. If we start with the net and move out it will provide a usable order for us to go with.
Cam Talbot has been brutal. His save percentage is well below league average and that's not going to cut it. If that was at even .915 then the Oilers would be a lot closer to playing break even hockey.
Sekera was hurt at the end of the Oiler playoff run and he hasn't returned yet. It's on the GM for not addressing problems on the blueline. There are two key returning players who are struggling though. Klefbom and Benning are both having issues. Benning is a 2nd-year player and never should have been counted on for full-time top 4 duties. Klefbom is having major PDO issues and some game management issues. That's the one that really stings.
Up front, the majority of the top 9 is performing at reasonably expected levels. Connor and Leon are on last year's pace. Maroon is ahead of last year's pace. Strome is who we thought he was. Nuge is having a very strong campaign. Lucic is being Lucic.
The real issue is that they traded a top line RW and never found one to replace him. Puljujarvi wasn't ready. Yamamoto wasn't ready. Strome wasn't that player at all. It's really hurt missing those 6-8 goals and 7-8 added assists.
Then you get to the bottom 6 forwards. These guys have been busts offensively. If Nuge and McDavid arent on the ice, the team isn't scoring. That's a concern
So there are a whole lot of problems with Edmonton up and down the lineup. It's a damned shame because it didn't have to be this way.
Jared Crozier
The Oilers seem to be built like a team that has won multiple Stanley Cups and have felt the resulting cap crunch....without the Cups.
They are too top-loaded and the supporting cast is simply not there, and the depth moves haven't panned out. That isn't going to get any easier when Connor McDavid's extension kicks in next season and he and Leon Draisaitl eat up close to 30% of the cap.
As for right now, underwhelming performances abound and it is almost d-day in terms of having any hope of clawing back into the playoff race.
The word "embarrassing" has been tossed around a lot in Canada the last week or so, from the Habs to the Senators, but from the top management of the organization on down, the Oilers are right at the top of the list when it comes to lack of good decision making. If McDavid isn't on the ice, there is no threat to score on a regular basis because the supporting talent simply isn't there like they had hoped it would be.
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