The Edmonton Oilers have undergone a radical a make-over, adding no fewer than nine new players to the regular roster, a number that bumps up to 11 if you also include Trent Frederic and Jake Walman, added at the trade deadline last March.

The newcomers include Matt Savoie, Alec Regula, Jack Roslovic, Andrew Mangiapane, Noah Philp, Ike Howard (now in Bakersfield), Dave Tomasek, Curtis Lazar and Connor Clattenburg.

The impact of all these new players shook up Edmonton’s puck possession game early on, which saw coach Kris Knoblauch scrambling to come up with any forward or d-man pairing that could get the job done at even strength and tilt the ice towards the opposition end with strong puck movement and two-way checking.

It’s been a difficult, tumultuous process for Knoblauch and his Oilers, full of failure. But in the last few games both coach and team seem to have turned the corner, with Edmonton’s puck possession came exploding into a major advantage in Grade A shots and goals for.

How did the Oilers pull off this quick turn-around? By figuring out that there’s no better chemistry than that old chemistry existing between players already on the team.

In the past few games, Knoblauch has gone with forward and d-man combos that did well in previous seasons.

combo

combo

The top line has been made up off common partners in crime, Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman.

From the 2022-23 season to the 204-25 season, the three attacking amigos played 993 even strength minutes together, out-scoring the opposition 65 to 42, a 61 Goals For Percentage.

The second line has been anchored by Leon Draisaitl and Vasily Podkozlin, a duo that played well together much of last season. This year in 256 even strength minutes, the two have been on the ice for 19 goals for, just seven against, a brilliant 72 GF%,

The third line has seen Adam Henrique with Mattias Janmark, a forward combo that got together with Connor Brown to play outstanding two-way hockey in the 2024 playoffs.  They’ve sawed it off on goals before and they’re doing it again now, which is always good news for a third line.

On defence, Knoblauch is again heavily relying on a d-man pairing that has been one of the NHL’ s best for years, Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm.

Bouchard and Ekholm went through an ugly patch highlighted by missed assignments and rancid d-zone turnovers earlier this year, but they’re cranking up their play again now.

On the bottom-pairing, the Oilers have put Brett Kulak and Ty Emberson together, and the Oilers are again out-shooting the opposition when they’re on the ice, just as they did last year.

How to build on this?

The Oilers have to find other complementary players who can work together and exemplify the Edmonton brand, outstanding puck possession.

Jack Roslovic has already demonstrated he can fit in ably with either Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl. Perhaps Roslovic will fit in on the top line, allowing RNH to move to third line centre.

It could be Matt Savoie will continue to shine with Draisaitl and Podkolzin, but if he doesn’t, Roslovic could slot in there, as he did so well earlier this year.

On defence, Alec Regula and Darnell Nurse show some chemistry. Former Oilers d-man Jason Strudwick has always said Nurse does his best work with a solid puck mover, and Regula has that in his repertoire.

At the Cult of Hockey

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