The Edmonton Oilers have one particular part of their game not yet Stanley Cup ready: 9 Things

I have no doubt the Edmonton Oilers will have any trouble scoring enough goals to make a return visit to the Stanley Cup Final.

But the jury is still out on another aspect of their game equally important to that…

Preventing enough of them.

That and more in this edition of…

9 Things

9. Connor Clattenburg will miss a bit of time. While it is easy to love his aggressive, fearless approach to the game…he will also learn over time that there is a time and a place for all that. It comes with the territory yes, but you can not play at all when hands or fingers are busted up.

8. The Oilers will miss veteran Adam Henrique while he is out of the lineup with an injury. While not the offensive threat he used to be, Henrique remains a super smart player who rarely makes a defensive error and is good both on the penalty kill and in the faceoff circle.

7. There are rumblings out here on the West Coast of B.C. that the Canucks may have reached out to Edmonton about Evander Kane. While I do not dispute the Oilers could use “a player like Kane”, my understanding is that the Oilers consider that ship to have already sailed.

6. We will not really know what this Oilers team looks and plays like until Tristan Jarry is back as the #1goaltender. That will happen this week. But I believe Stan Bowman needs to figure out a way to not lose either Connor Ingram or (more to the point) Calvin Pickard on waivers. Given Jarry’s physical health and (I say this with respect) Ingram’s mental well-being, Pickard remains an important asset to protect.

5. I foresee that by the time the playoffs arrive only one of the Oilers three young D-men will still be in the lineup every night. Do not get me wrong, I think all three have a future with this organization. But I do not think you win a cup with more than one inexperienced man back there at a time. Spencer Stastney is the best skater. Alec Regula may have the greatest longer-term potential. But Ty Emberson may be the closest.

4. I expect Jack Roslovic to extend with the Edmonton Oilers before the season is over. Some may want him to remain in “show me” mode through the second half of the season and the playoffs. But while that would give the organization a larger sample to base their decision on, it could also cost them a lot more money. And most of the very same people who want Stan Bowman to wait will in the next breath criticize him for over-spending. Roslovic may be a $6m man on the open market. Edmonton might get him now for between $4-5m.

3. Connor McDavid’s 18-game point streak sets a career high, with 42 points in those games. He extended it with the 3-3 power play goal on Saturday. I have watched just about every second of McDavid’s career since 2015 and I do not believe I have seen him better on the attack at any time in regular season play. He appears at the very height of his powers, surpassed only by extraordinary performances over the past couple seasons in the Stanley Cup Playoffs…the 2023-24 edition being I believe his finest moments to date.

2.I do not think it is any secret that I am pro-player. I have had family in the NHL and while I believe players need to be open to criticism over their play, their lives off the ice should be (with some rare exceptions) off-limits. The most recent example of that are the rumours that swept across social media this past week concerning the Ottawa Senators. And while I have come to reluctantly accept that we can no longer control what is said on “the ‘net”, I still hold mainstream media (especially given that I am a member of it) to a higher standard. I have heard more than one example of defamation come out of the mouths of some broadcasters. Facts matter more than hearsay…especially to a judge.

1.When I think ahead to Edmonton’s chances of advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals for a third consecutive season the L.A. game is one that worries me. It is a game the Oilers should win. I mean no disrespect to the Kings who are a competitive team. But here was a visiting squad who just lost the night before and was playing the second of back-to-backs on the road. And they are one of the worst offensive teams in the league. Going into action Saturday, Los Angeles was thirtieth in Goals for in the NHL. Yet, the Oilers were outshot by them 30-19 in regulation (the Oilers held a 5-0 edge 3v3). Sure, every NHL team can win on any given night. But the best teams do not miss many opportunities like this one.

This evidence leads me to my main point here: If Edmonton cannot defend better against a lightweight offensive team like the Kings, then how exactly should we expect them to fare against top sixteen teams? The best half of the clubs in the league. Superior competition. The Oilers gave up ice in the neutral zone all night. The pop-gun offence brought by L.A. created one odd-man rush after another. Coverage mistakes led to all three goals against. One was a bad rebound by Connor Ingram, so Edmonton did not have the best goaltender on the night, either.

Part of the answer is personnel. Jake Walaman’s return (expected Tuesday) will help, plus maybe a veteran at the deadline. And while I like Jack Roslovic a lot he is not a 3C on a Stanley Cup team.

But it is more important that the existing lineup buys in and executes better. They have been somewhat improved of late. But Saturday night’s results shows that there is still a way to go.

This article is not AI generated.

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Bruce McCurdy, 1955-2025.

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