Full disclosure…I often write at least six of my 9 Things before Saturday’s game is even played.
But after a loss like that, a 9-1 laugher to the Avalanche on Hockey Night in Canada, I doubt anyone is interested in trivia or career statistics. You are probably miffed and wondering what the hell going on with this club.
Well…me too.
So, I’ve tossed all that other stuff out. Instead, lets talk about what might need to be done to turn this ship around.
9 Things
9. Whatever it is, the Oilers need to figure it out PDQ. After Columbus on Monday, Edmonton hits the road for seven straight in the Eastern Time Zone. Having a .500 Points Percentage is not the end of the world for now. But do these guys really have to dig out of a deep hole yet again?
8. As my Cult of Hockey colleague David Staples pointed out on Saturday, it was good to see Noah Philp on the PK and he was one of the few Oilers who had a decent outing. It never made much sense to me to have a fourth line guy like Philp that did not kill penalties. Well…none, actually.
7. Speaking of David, we chatted on the podcast after the game about whether part if the answer is bringing back Paul Coffey. The Defence had never played better than under him. Coffey is a strong personality, true. But without Evander Kane, Corey Perry and Coffey…this club appears to lacks swagger.
6. There is no reasonable way to blame a 9-1 loss on goaltending. And to some extent both guys were hung out to dry. But my main point on Stuart Skinner would be this: You need a #1 goaltender to make some saves he shouldn’t and at critical times. I understand it is Cale Makar bearing down on you. But at least one of those need to be stopped.
5. However, goaltending is not the primary reason the Oilers have struggled so out of the gate (even though it admittedly has not been great). It is the Defence. On Saturday, Darnell Nurse at 5v5 sported a CF of 3-20, 13%. High Dangers were 1-12. Those are not the stats of an NHL D-man, of which Darnell is one. And I do not mean to pick on Nurse. Really, only Brett Kulak has been consistent at all.
4. I personally like the idea of playing best-on-best. So, I approved of running 29 & 97 against the MacKinnon trio. You might argue that the Oilers best players were just not good enough on this night. Hmmm…ok. But the only two bottom-9 forwards that posted a 5v5 CF above 50% were Matt Savoie and Vasily Podkolzin. So, maybe the cold, hard truth is that this team is not actually deep enough to pull off that “best versus best” formation?
3. In a loss like that one, someone on that team needs to make some noise. They need to send a message to both benches that this result is not ok. Colorado putting their #1 Power Play unit out when its 8-1 is not all right with you. Face wash someone. Pick a scrap. Show up for one another. I was not in favour of overpaying a forty-something Corey Perry but at 3-0 you would have noticed him. I’m looking at you, Trent Frederic. You were acquired and signed for your “unique skill set”. And I was one of the writers who agreed with the decision. So…where is it? But he was far from the only one that was too quiet.
2. This team is a hot mess 5v5. The Power Play is second best in the league. The PK is better than it was last year and as I mentioned it was a perfect 8-8 on Saturday. But at evens they are just getting destroyed. It is high time the staff went back to the drawing board when it comes to systems. Sometimes, what looks like it should work on paper turns out in practice…not to. Despite all the rage out there right now over the job Head Coach Kris Knoblauch is or is not doing, I believe this coach (who has been in back-to-back Stanley Cups Finals) to be a smart, thoughtful guy with very little ego. It should be well within him to say “this just ain’t working” and change gears.
1.Maybe, just maybe…this is exactly what this club needed. A Good, old-fashioned ass-kicking. That is what 9-2 on home ice was, after all, with your loyal fans booing you on the way off the ice. Sometimes hitting the bottom is preferable in the long run to the mushy mediocre because it motivates you to get at the real problem instead of just nibbling around the edges. Perhaps this brings the players and coaches together for an open, frank conversation where hard things that need to be said are said. Embarrassment can be a powerful motivator in all walks of life. It often forces the truth out into the open.
Related, maybe the General Manager also needs to make a more strategic decision. Stan Bowman is a smart, veteran G.M. He will be able to see what is actually lacking and what just needs time to sort itself out. With Mattias Janmark and Zach Hyman close to a return, the roster needs to be shuffled anyway. Perhaps it needs a slightly bigger jolt than that.
In the end, I am a pretty patient guy. I know this is a better team that what they are showing, and they will eventually come around. I know, easy for me to say, I am no longer forking out my hard-earned dough for season’s tickets like you. I get it.
But while it is obvious something needs to change in the short-term, I do not think you can lose sight of your longer-term view.
This franchise has made that very mistake too damn many times.
This article is not AI generated.
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Bruce McCurdy, 1955-2025.
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