The good news is the Edmonton Oilers aren’t the oldest team in the NHL. The bad news, of course, is they’re second oldest.
Unfortunately, second place is nothing new to the team that ended up runner-up to the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers each of the past two years.
The Oilers are right there, sitting on the cusp peering right into hockey’s Holy Grail. They have the horses to win the race, they have the experience and you’d better believe they have all the desire in the world.
The one thing that’s not on their side is time. And it’s never willing to negotiate.
So, with the odometer ticking higher and higher, the pressure continues to mount on players, coaches and management in their ultimate bid to become first across the finish line come playoffs.
OK, not so much the coaches and management as the roster they’ve assembled. Players develop, peak in their prime and then do whatever they can to slow the downward slide. It’s the circle of life in professional sports.
And if it’s done right, different parts of the roster will be going through different stages at different times in order to bring in fresh blood and continue the cycle without having to hit the brakes on a rebuild.
Well, the Oilers appear to be heading dangerously close to the ditch. To the point where it’s now or never for this roster. A third straight strike, and they might as well consider themselves out of Stanley Cup contention.
They need to win. And they need it now.
JUST HOW OLD ARE THEY?
As in life, age in hockey is relative.
According to biometrics on leftwinglock.com, the Oilers average an effective age of 31.0 years, second only to the Pittsburgh Penguins (31.5), while the Buffalo Sabres (26.0) have the youngest roster.
The Oilers are among one quarter of teams in the league with an average age of at least 30.0, and of those eight teams, six made the playoffs last year, with four reaching the second round and two appeared in the conference final.
Edmonton is the only one to reach the Stanley Cup, while the two-time reigning champion Florida Panthers check in at an average of 29.8, tied for 10th oldest in the NHL this year.
G-MAN’S TAKE: The moral of the story is experience most definitely counts come the post-season, but age remains the other edge of that blade and the window of opportunity doesn’t remain open forever.
HAVE THEY GOTTEN YOUNGER?
Sure, the Oilers bid farewell to the likes of the venerable Corey Perry (40) — albeit not entirely by choice — and Derek Ryan (38) over the off-season, along with Jeff Skinner (33), Viktor Arvidsson (32), Jeff Skinner and Connor Brown (31), while rolling out the red carpet for 21-year-olds Ike Howard and Matthew Savoie.
But time will tell if it turns out to be a passing of the torch, or a scramble for whatever replacements just so happened to be available. Because, the Oilers’ proverbial cupboards have all but gone dry when it comes to any developing talent ready to make the jump to the pros.
The pipeline was plucked of talent as draft picks and prospects were offered up in favour of deadline-day deals to help make recent playoff pushes.
Savoie, at least, has dipped his toe in the NHL water, and has a season in the American Hockey League under his belt. As for Howard? Zilch in the way of pro experience, as he rides hockey’s version of the Heisman trophy into Oilers rookie camp.
The biggest offensive piece added over the off-season is long-time (ugh) Calgary Flames forward Andrew Mangiapane.
The Bolton, Ont., product will turn 30 on April 4, just prior to playoffs, as he hopes a move to the north side of the Battle of Alberta will help him regain the form that saw him score career highs of 35 goals and 55 points back in 2021-22.
G-MAN’S TAKE: It was time to turn the page on Perry, but losing Brown is going to hurt. One of the newcomers better step up.
WHAT ABOUT THE SUPERSTARS?
Fortunately, the top-end talent on this team is right in its prime, and has been for the past three or four seasons. But the clock is ticking there too. And you know what they say about Father Time? He remains undefeated.
Leon Draisaitl is heading into the first year of his new NHL-record contract, which will pay him an average of $14 million over the next eight seasons. But he also turns 30 years old next month.
He will no doubt brush off any notions of age becoming a factor with a patented sour-faced squint, as he clutches his Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard trophy as the league’s reigning top goal scorer. But underneath, you can bet the urgency is there. Or at least, it had better be.
Connor McDavid is in another (slightly younger) boat, with two more seasons to go before turning the page on his 20s.
Of course, where exactly he will be playing next season as a 29-year-old is anyone’s guess at this point, as the Oilers captain spent the entire summer holding out on signing any sort of extension as he heads into the final year of his contract.
G-MAN’S TAKE: One thing is certain, McDavid is in the prime of his career and just keeps getting better. And if he indeed intends to test the open market as a free agent, then it truly is do or die this season for the Oilers.
THE DEFENCE IS FINE, THOUGH, NO?
Sure, if you count putting all your eggs in a 35-year-old basket as fine.
Mattias Ekholm is the strongest defensive force on this team, and has been tasked with bringing along superstar blueliner Evan Bouchard as Edmonton’s top pairing. The older, wiser, stay-at-home yin to Bouchard’s offensive yang, if you will.
The Oilers limped through the playoff stretch with Ekholm out with a groin injury, and had to figure out a way to play without him after falling behind to a vengeful Los Angeles Kings squad in the opening round.
The good news is the Oilers managed to figure things out in time, and even dialed back the goals-against significantly before Ekholm was able to rejoin the lineup in Round 3.
Whether that carries through to this season and the Oilers are able to spread those eggs around, or if Ekholm continues to shoulder more than his fair share of the load for another season (or however much he plays this time) remains to be seen.
G-MAN’S TAKE: Only one of those options offers a recipe for success.
SKINNER’S STILL YOUNG, ISN’T HE?
Yes, and therein lies the problem.
The course of his development has been astronomical.
From the time he was named to the all-star team as a rookie on his way to being a Calder trophy finalist, to earning the starting role his second year and reaching back-to-back Cup finals, the sky’s the limit on the career of 26-year-old Stuart Skinner.
He’s got a good five to nine years before his game peaks, which should bring a smile to the face of Oilers fans who suffered through a Decade of Darkness-worth of pucks being fished out of the back of the net.
Instead, they would like nothing more than to reach for the fast-forward button on Skinner’s development, in order to put him more in line with the top end of the roster that is looking to win now.
Is Skinner good enough to help this team get there alone? The past two playoffs say no. But they’ve also shown he doesn’t have to.
Calvin Pickard has come in during both runs to back him up, provide a spark and get the Oilers back to their winning ways when things go sideways.
G-MAN’S TAKE: Whether or not the ‘tender tandem will be enough to get the team over the hump this year, the Oilers (and their present salary-cap reality) don’t really have a choice.
E-mail: gmoddejonge@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge
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