Welcome to the initial Edmonton Oilers player power rankings of the season. Every two weeks throughout the schedule, we will be ordering players based on their contributions and value to the club, taking into account recent feats, statistics, failures and some of the more intangibles. Here is our list this week:
1. Connor McDavid (Last week’s rank: —)
Come on, if he doesn’t land here on the first list of the season, then why did you spend all that time hoping and praying in the off-season that he would sign a contract extension?
Yes, he could have more goals, but he still leads this team in points. He’s No. 1 until someone actually does something to knock him from this spot.
2. Leon Draisaitl (Last week’s rank: —)
Who else, right? He’s tied for the team lead in goals with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and has been owning it on special teams, with three power-play goals and a short-hander.
There is not too much more you have to say about the most well-rounded player on this team, except that he has been underperforming so far.
3. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Last week’s rank: —)
He’s got two more points than Draisaitl right now, and there is no denying how valuable it is to have Nugent-Hopkins be able to take over at second-line centre when Draisaitl is playing up on the first line’s nuclear option. And his three even-strength goals are tied for the team lead.
The longest-serving member of the Oilers dressing room could sure use a bounce-back season, points-wise, and maybe he should have started out this list at No. 2. But he will need to show he can do it consistently to knock off one of those two superstars.
4. Andrew Mangiapane (Last week’s rank: —)
He started out his Oilers journey with goals in back-to-back games, and added a third in his eighth game Thursday to sit third in team goals, all at even strength.
His 50 per cent shooting percentage also leads all regulars on the team to start the year. But maybe that means he needs to be shooting more?
5. Stuart Skinner (Last week’s rank: —)
Yes, his botched play in the season opener to gift a goal in a shootout loss to the lowly Calgary Flames stands out as a black eye. But he’s more than made up for it with a shutout in New York to help salvage what would otherwise have been a horrendous five-game road trip.
His .909 save percentage and 2.17 goals-against average on the way to a 2-2-1 record are better than his career benchmark (.906 and 2.71), and come at a time when there has been anything but perfect play by his teammates in front of him.
6. Mattias Ekholm (Last week’s rank: —)
Still the defensive anchor of this club, even if his rigidly positive plus-minus rating has taken a hit early on from some inexplicable antics by his less-defensive-minded partner in the Oilers top defensive pairing, and lack of 5-on-5 production from the top line.
The team missed him late in the season and early in the playoff run when he sat out with injury, and are glad to have him back at full force to start the year.
7. Adam Henrique (Last week’s rank: —)
His face-off win percentage of 62 per cent leads the team as he has been contributing close to 13 solid minutes a game as a bottom-six centre. It hasn’t stopped him from earning two goals in eight games.
It might not be the flashiest job around, but the role he fills is a necessary one and this team is better with him, not to mention his experience, as he recently celebrated his 1,000-game milestone.
8. Noah Philp (Last week’s rank: —)
The comeback story everybody wants to hear, Philp is making a strong case to remain in the Oilers lineup with two goals in five games played this season. (He’s tied for fourth in that category, out of the gates).
It’s hard not to cheer for the University of Alberta product.
9. Brett Kulak (Last week’s rank: —)
Somehow, amid all the defensive foolery that’s been on display to start the season, Kulak has made his way to a team-leading plus-minus rating of plus-5.
While it might just be luck, Kulak also benefits from not playing much with the McDavid line, which hasn’t really been doing anything in the way of 5-on-5.
10. Evan Bouchard (Last week’s rank: —)
He makes this week’s list simply because he should really be somewhere on this list. Not high up, mind you. Not yet, anyway. Despite finishing third in team scoring the past two seasons, Bouchard has two whole points to show for his team-leading time on ice of 24:19 per game.
His team-worst rating of minus-7 (yikes) shows just how bad his mindless giveaways have been out of the gates. And that doesn’t even count the ones that required a big save to keep out of the Oilers net. Any more of those, and his name will drop off this list completely.
Disagree? Have your say over who belongs where by sending your submissions to:
E-mail: gmoddejonge@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge
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