The Edmonton Oilers had another strong season in 2022-23, but as Stanley Cup contenders, didn’t get to the point where they wanted to. The 2023-24 campaign projects to be different as there have been improvements and the team is heading into the season much stronger. There is a ton to be excited about for the Oilers, so let’s look at the top five.
Reunion of the Connors
Connor McDavid and Connor Brown were a dominant duo in junior for the Erie Otters. When you think of McDavid’s junior career, many might think of Dylan Strome and Alex DeBrincat before Brown, but Brown actually beat McDavid in points in both seasons they played on the same team in 2012-13 and 2013-14. Of course, McDavid went on to put up 44 goals and 120 points in 47 games the season Brown left for the American Hockey League (AHL).
The two Connors haven’t played together in 10 years and McDavid had a hand in convincing Brown to come to Edmonton this season. With the connection, there is a very good chance that Brown will be on McDavid’s wing to start the season. Coming off a serious injury, Brown was made an offer he couldn’t turn down with $3.25 million in performance bonuses for playing 10 games. This also allows him to play beside an old friend and the best player in the world, boosting his numbers before he becomes an unrestricted free agent (UFA) after the season. McDavid finally has two legitimate wingers without pulling any talent away from Draisaitl’s wing and the Oilers look to be even more dangerous offensively this season after leading the league in goals by 20 in 2022-23.
Elite Power Play
The Oilers’ power play is on another level as they not only put together the best percentage since it started being tracked, but they were also 6.4 percent above the next closest team in the league. They have found the perfect unit that was able to find the scoresheet nearly every game. Part of why the team had three 100-point scorers and four players play above a point-per-game was because of the impressive numbers put up on the power play throughout the season.
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McDavid, Draisaitl, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins ranked one, two, and three in power-play points respectively last season, while Tyson Barrie, who was traded at the deadline, still finished in the top 25 with most of the production coming from his time with the Oilers. Once he was traded, Evan Bouchard not only kept up the production, he elevated it, throwing up eight power-play points in the final 21 games. In the playoffs he exploded, scoring four goals and recording 15 power-play points in 12 games. The final member, Zach Hyman, rounded out the unit and finished in the top 50 during the regular season. He might not get credit for a ton of the points the unit gets, but he is always causing havoc in front of the net. It might be a tough feat for the Oilers’ top unit to lead the team to another season at 32.4 percent, but it’s not a lot to ask for them to finish first and even above 30 percent.
How High the Points Can Get
It was a treat to watch McDavid reach the 150-point mark last season, something not many players in NHL history have done, and he did so in the modern day. The best player in the world won his fifth Art Ross Trophy at age 26, and there appears to be a lot more to come as, if you can believe it, he’s just getting into his prime. Other than his ridiculous 2020-21 season where he put up over 1.87 points-per-game, he has increased it from each prior season. If he continues that trend, 160 could be in the cards and I guarantee he wants another Rocket Richard Trophy.
McDavid is not the only impressive offensive producer the Oilers have. Draisaitl put up a ton of points but was overshadowed a bit, so he wasn’t given enough credit for his strong season. He reached the 50-goal mark for the third time and the 100-point mark for the fourth time. As always, he will be right at the top of the league in goals and points in 2023-24.
It will be tough for Nugent-Hopkins to repeat scoring 100 points as his previous career high was 69 points, but he is arguably right in the middle of his prime and can benefit greatly from the top two scorers in the league on a nightly basis at even strength and on the power play. Hyman is showing just how good of a contract he is also on and another point-per-game season is not out of the question. With a full season of Bouchard on the power play, there is a possibility his point total rises immensely.
More Bouchard and Ekholm
After Ekholm showed up, Bouchard put up 19 points in the final 21 regular season games and then 17 points in 12 playoff games. The power play helps, but it was a major shift in confidence once a veteran presence was put alongside the young defender again. While benefiting from Duncan Keith’s experience all of 2021-22, the first half of the 2022-23 season saw his production drop a bit, but some bad luck was involved. Everything changed once Ekholm arrived and the duo was unstoppable.
Ekholm exceeded expectations, not only settling Bouchard down and allowing him to blossom into the point-producing defenceman the Oilers hope he could become, but being a force all around the ice himself. Not only does he bring size and great play in the defensive end blocking shots and throwing hits, but he also scored four goals and 14 points in 21 games and was a plus-28. The Oilers will now get a full season of these two together, four times as much as they got during the regular season in 2022-23. They went 18-2-1 to end the season after the deadline.
Ceiling of the Oilers
I just noted the record of the Oilers to end 2022-23, and though that is very improbable to keep up throughout an entire season, it bodes well for the level they can reach with this team. They have only gotten better and should be confident in all areas, even goaltending where the numbers are bound to return to normal for Jack Campbell.
The Oilers are in search of their first division title since 1987, and if any team they’ve assembled since can do it, it’s this one with all the talent they have. They were 19-5-1 against their own division last season as well. They are Stanley Cup contenders and have been close to pushing very deep into the playoffs the last two seasons. This could be the one where they break through.
There is a ton to be excited about for the Oilers this season as they are expected to be a great team and provide lots of memorable moments throughout the season.