After a brilliant start to the offseason in which they signed Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson, many had already begun deeming the Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup champions. It didn’t seem to be a ridiculous sentiment given that they were a team coming off of a Game 7 loss in the Stanley Cup Final who just added two more top-six forwards to their group. However, few have seen the potential repercussions of those signings.
Related: Is it Too Soon for the Edmonton Oilers to Panic?
The Oilers were forced to make some serious changes to their lineup this offseason. While they brought in the two impactful forwards above, they lost a number of them as well, along with a few solid contributors on the back end. Now, as they sit at 0-3-0 on the season, it seems as though their subtractions may be hurting them more than management had envisioned.
Forward Speed & Depth Is Gone
The Oilers lost three main forwards from last season’s group in Ryan McLeod, Warren Foegele, and Dylan Holloway. McLeod was traded to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for prospect Matt Savoie to help ease the Oilers’ cap situation. While this trade was deemed a win, not having McLeod’s speed in the bottom six has made this team a slower group.
Another loss was Warren Foegele, who cashed in on free agency day by inking a three-year, $10.5 million deal with an average annual value (AAV) of $3.5 million per season. The Oilers didn’t have the cap space to bring him back, in large part due to the two contracts mentioned above. While fans in Edmonton had mixed opinions on him, he too added some speed and a bit of scoring touch to their lineup.
The last, but certainly not the least, is Holloway. He brought superb speed to the bottom six, and seemed to really be coming into his own offensively. He wound up signing an offer sheet with the St. Louis Blues, which the Oilers chose not to match due to their tight cap situation.
Having all three of these players – who often played bottom-six minutes – out of the lineup has greatly hurt the Oilers. It’s been clear watching them through three games that their bottom six is missing a ton of speed, which is extremely important in today’s NHL. It’s not only hurt them in the early going, but could throughout the entirety of the regular season and into the playoffs.
Holes on Defence
Along with the losses of McLeod, Foegele, and Holloway, the Oilers lost some contributors on the back end as well. As much flack as Cody Ceci got, he was the second-best right-handed defenceman the Oilers had. His ability to play top-four minutes on a nightly basis is already missed.
They also lost Vincent Desharnais, who signed with the Vancouver Canucks as a free agent. The big man had his fair share of detractors as well, though he is undoubtedly a better third-pairing option than a few the Oilers currently have on their roster. His toughness is also missed, and will continue to be moving forward.
Last, but once again certainly not least, is the loss of Philip Broberg. Like Holloway, he was signed to an offer sheet by the Blues, which the Oilers chose not to match. Though he only played 12 regular season games with the Oilers in 2023-24, his breakout performance in the playoffs ensured he was going to be a regular on the back end this season.
Broberg, like Holloway, was really starting to come into his own. He was expected to begin the season on the third pairing, but his sky-high potential had many believing he’d be playing top-four minutes before the campaign had commenced.
Related: Ex-Oilers Broberg and Holloway Shine in Blues Debut
The Oilers have done their best to fill these holes, but it’s quite evident that Ty Emberson, Travis Dermott, and Josh Brown (who is in the American Hockey League) are a significant drop-off. It’s beginning to look like what many thought was a fantastic offseason for the Oilers was far from it.
Oilers Will Turn Things Around
With all that said, those expecting the Oilers to continue struggling like this will be disappointed. Once their top guns in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl get going, which they will, this team will begin racking up wins. However, given their losses in the offseason, it may be more difficult than some envision for them to get back to the Stanley Cup Final.
