The Edmonton Oilers came into the 2023-24 season with high expectations and were even considered Stanley Cup contenders. Unfortunately for them, the beginning of their new campaign has been the opposite of what they had wanted coming into the season. They are well outside of a playoff spot and haven’t been able to string many wins together, all while having multiple issues including rough goaltending, lackluster defensive play, and little to no depth scoring from their bottom six forwards. Fans knew changes were coming, and the first big change was firing now-former head coach Jay Woodcroft and bringing in Kris Knoblauch as his replacement.
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Under Woodcroft this season, the Oilers started out 3-9-1. While the coaching change was made in hopes of creating a shift in the team’s play, the Oilers haven’t changed much. Under Knoblauch, the team only has four wins and is 4-3-0 since he was hired. The Oilers also opted to send Jack Campbell to the American Hockey League (AHL) to play with the Bakersfield Condors and find his confidence again, and fans were hoping these two changes were going to be enough to help the team get back on track.
While there hasn’t been the huge shift that management was expecting with these changes, they still aren’t playing their best. They have consistently failed to play a full three periods of hockey in any game this season, and have been rightfully humbled by teams they should be beating. While fans around Edmonton hope these changes will be enough to start winning, it seems as though there are other problems surrounding the team that need to be solved first.
Defensive Play and Goaltending Continue To Be Problems
The Oilers haven’t had strong goaltending or strong defensive play this season, and it shows in both their record and the goaltenders’ stats. It’s becoming clearer that Woodcroft wasn’t the issue in Edmonton, but instead, it was a matter of needing upgrades on the ice. The Oilers have been connected to a number of goaltenders including Jake Allen, Jordan Binnington, and Karel Vejmelka, but they’ve yet to pull the trigger and seem content with waiting to see if Campbell and Stuart Skinner can bounce back.
As far as the defensive play goes, the team needs to step up in a big way. Evan Bouchard has taken a massive step forward offensively but remains a liability in the defensive zone. Mattias Ekholm and Darnell Nurse have been good, but not at their best defensively this season, while Vincent Desharnais, Philip Broberg, Brett Kulak, and Cody Ceci have all been subpar defensively as well. If the Oilers want to snap out of their cold spell, they’ll need a defensive upgrade as well.
It’s becoming clear that the Oilers’ management made a mistake firing Woodcroft and that he was never the issue. While they can’t go back and change their minds now, I’m sure they would like to. Knoblauch isn’t a bad coach and the team has actually been playing well under him, but there hasn’t been a massive shift under their new coach, which leads me to believe there was no point in making the change in the first place.
What Should The Oilers Do Next?
The Oilers need to acquire a goaltender if they want any chance of making it to the playoffs and look for an upgrade on the blue line if they want to go back to being Stanley Cup contenders. They chose not to make any upgrades during the off-season and that decision currently isn’t working. There are some pretty good options around the league that are affordable and are shut-down defencemen like Jonas Siegenthaler, Radko Gudas, and Logan Stanley who would be great additions to the Oilers and stabilize their defensive depth.
The Oilers have to continue playing at an unbelievable pace if they want to make it back into the playoff picture, and that starts with doing whatever is necessary to be successful. While the recent coaching change hasn’t made a difference, they still have time to make the right moves and salvage the season. Hopefully, they can make them sooner rather than later, and begin climbing their way back to the top of the Pacific Division.
