Each week, we check in with our readers on social media and e-mail to see what’s on top of their mind, explore the hot topics of conversation and answer hard-hitting questions about the Edmonton Oilers. Here are some of the hot topics from the past week:

Top echelon should be all fired. Need to get rid of Evan Bouchard and the big guy on defence, bring in two actually good defencemen. You need two real goalies. You need a whole team except the first line of Connor McDavid, Draisaitl and Zack Hyman. — Larry Beattie

The fact blowing up the entire roster aside from the three top guys on a team coming off of back-to-back runs to the Stanley Cup Final has even entered the conversation shows what kind of an opening quarter the Edmonton Oilers have had in their schedule.

But what are you going to do, Larry, hit the emergency brake and haul out the engine for an overhaul? After coming so close to victory lane? The fact the Oilers got there not once, but twice shows all pistons are firing on the core of this engine.

The problem right now is the new auxiliary cogs that have been brought in don’t seem to be meshing with the rest of the machine. But once they get it in gear, it will be like adding high octane. Once that happens, the only question will be whether or not there is enough time left for them to tear up the standings to be able to make a race of it.

Right now, the Oilers are hovering right around .500 and in the middle of a jam-packed standings in the Western Conference. But things are starting to shake out, and even a mild run of losses now will force the Oilers to play catch up over the rest of the calendar instead of starting to separate themselves from the rest of the pack, as has been the case each at this point in the proceedings in each of the past two seasons.

But you’re right, Larry. Aside from the new faces at forward, returning veterans the likes of Bouchard and Darnell Nurse must start leading by example on the ice. Stuart Skinner’s efforts in net, while far from perfect and still far too inconsistent for the collective blood pressure of the fan base, are giving this team a chance to win on most nights. Especially considering what’s been going on with his teammates in front of him has hardly been textbook.

But let’s hold off on reaching for that reset button quite yet, shall we?

You may be too young to remember the song, ‘The Party’s Over’. I’m not. It came to mind as I watched the Oilers sleep walk through yet another game. It somehow seems appropriate. — Jim Scott

Assuming you’re talking about the final farewell of The Nat King Cole Show in 1957, and not the Billie Eilish song, you just hit the nail on the head when it comes to the biggest fear Oilers fans have right now with the line, ‘It’s time to wind up the masquerade.’

Will this edition of the Oilers go down as cheap imitations of their former selves from the past two seasons? Or are they going to finally decide to rip off the mask at some point and show their true selves?

Maybe what we’re seeing is the legitimate version of the current Oilers, and this is the team they’ve become, one that is good at home and bad on the road, who plays good enough to squeak out the majority of their wins. They can dominate puck possession for long stretches, but never the scoreboard. Getting dominated, however? We’ve seen that happen in a pair of games to the top-ranked Colorado Avalanche (9-1) and a Buffalo Sabres squad that sits last in the East (5-1), in the game you referenced from Monday.

None of it makes a case for any confidence in a third straight run at the Cup, at this point.

Re: The Oilers’ 2-1 overtime win against the Philadelphia Flyers to open their current seven-game road trip:

My gawd. Watching this game left me longing for the days of Semenko, McCelland, (Dave) Brown, McSorley, etc.

I realize the game has changed, but to see the abuse McDavid endured on this night was a joke. With no response from anyone. I wonder had Kane still been in the lineup if there’d have been some follow-up. Me thinks so.

Hell, even a 40-year-old. Corey Perry (who happens to have scored more goals than six Oilers forwards thus far) would have responded. The Oilers are SOFT. It puzzles me why after each of the last two playoff runs, they seem to make no attempt to retain a lot of their third- and fourth-line grit.

I am a Day 1 Oiler fan (always will be), but I can’t see a deep playoff run. Hell, let’s make the playoffs first! Do they not realize Connor is saving them $8M over two years to get him some help? And protect him from both a lack of winning and a very public ongoing mugging. Very pissed off. — Geoff Sutcliffe

(Well said, sir. And that was after a win …)

For a chance to appear in next week’s edition, send your questions, concerns and comments on all things Edmonton Oilers related to:

E-mail: gmoddejonge@postmedia.com

On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge

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