• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Store
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
Home
Edmonton Oilers

Oilers News & Rumors: Gretzky, McDavid, Nugent-Hopkins, More

By Jim Parsons April 2nd, 2020

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

In an Edmonton Oilers news and rumors update, Connor McDavid and Wayne Gretzky sat down and discussed comparisons in their respective hockey careers. To say the least, the conversation opened up a lot of eyes as to the type of pressure McDavid is under. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also spoke with the media and discussed his role on the team and the team’s changing mindset.

McDavid and The Pressure He Feels to Win

You can tell McDavid is a special kind of player, especially when you consider the pressure he’s had on him since the age of as early as eight or nine years old. By the time he was 15 and 16, he was under an incredible microscope and he’s still, in a manner of speaking, under it. “There’s so much pressure, especially in Edmonton. You know what that’s like,” McDavid said to Gretzky during their one-on-one interview for GQ Sports.

McDavid cited all that the Oilers have been through in the last decade and the expectation is, “You gotta win”, he added. Gretzky agreed and said a lot of cities have that expectation, but in Edmonton, it’s “Hockey, church, and the Oilers.”

It’s no wonder that he’s likely so disappointed this season has come to a potential end in the fashion it has. The Oilers were having a great season and finally winning. They may have been viewed as the Canadian team with the best odds to win it all.

McDavid asked Gretzky, “What’s it like to win there?” Gretzky talked about the fans being there every night and you almost get to know them. They’re just as excited as you are to win and they feel like they’re as big a part of the victory as the players. “You will it [The Stanley Cup] one day, cause you’re too good.”

McDavid also said he’s “dying” to play in the Olympics.

Related: Hockey Documentaries to Watch Right Now

Nugent-Hopkins Changing His Mindset This Season

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins spoke to fans and media through a video chat with and said he’s noticed how much both his and the rest of team has changed their mindset.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Edmonton Oilers
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton Oilers (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)

Personally, his changing mindset is as much about where he’s played most of the season as it is about his role off the ice with the team. He’s become more offensive as a winger and noted, “I got to play with obviously Leo and Yamo (Kailer Yamamoto) and we got some chemistry going right away. It was definitely a lot of fun and I think it did kind of open up things more offensively for me,” Nugent-Hopkins said.

He also added that as an older player his role has changed and there are more guys inside the room leading the way than ever before. The mindset of the entire team has changed because of the influx of so many guys who have been there and won before. He cited players like James Neal, Riley Sheahan, Mike Smith and Tyler Ennis. He noted that it’s “nice to have some positive energy coming in after some off years.”

Related: Edmonton Oilers With 100-Point Seasons

Alex Chiasson Says Oilers Have Earned Their Playoff Spot

In all this talk about the Oilers frame of mind and the voices in the room, Alex Chiasson talked about how important the growth of this team has been. He echoed a lot of the sentiments of Nugent-Hopkins.

Edmonton Oilers Alex Chiasson Vancouver Canucks Jacob Markstrom
Edmonton Oilers right wing Alex Chiasson sends the game-winning shootout goal past Vancouver Canucks goaltender Jacob Markstrom. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward)

He noted, “That’s one of the reasons I wanted to come back here last year because there’s a lot of things I saw in this group that I saw when I played in Washington.” Saying this isn’t something the team just, all of a sudden, woke up with as a character trait. He noted it’s taken some time to get there. “Again, I think we’ve earned that as a team. We’ve shown that. We’re hopeful the season comes back, that we can go play and have fun.”

He said he believes the Oilers were built to be a good playoff team. Let’s hope we find out.

Catch up on all the latest NHL Rumors

  • Tags
  • Alex Chiasson
  • Connor McDavid
  • Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Get theScore App Now!
Recent Posts
Jan 25th 6:30 PM
Archives

San Jose Sharks Coaching History

Jan 25th 6:15 PM
Fantasy

4 Bounceback Candidates for the 2020-21 Fantasy Hockey Season

Jan 25th 6:13 PM
Archives

Blackhawks & Chelios: Together Again

Jan 25th 5:50 PM
Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs’ Power-Play Strategy: A Wayne Simmonds’ Net-Front Statue

Jan 25th 5:40 PM
Ottawa Senators

Senators Loading Up Top Line Is a Mistake

Jan 25th 5:30 PM
Buffalo Sabres

3 Sabres Takeaways From Shootout Win Over the Capitals

Jan 25th 5:03 PM
Archives

Edmonton Oilers Jersey History

Jan 25th 4:25 PM
Column

NHL Players of the Week: Kopitar, Varlamov & More

Jan 25th 4:15 PM
Editor's Choice

A Look Back: Grading the Canes’ 2014 Draft Class

Jan 25th 3:45 PM
Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs Weekly: Injuries, Milestones and Armstrong

Editor’s Picks
2021 NHL Draft Rankings: Baracchini's Top 75 Rankings

2021 NHL Draft Rankings: Baracchini's Top 75 Rankings

Wayne Gretzky Almost Joined the Detroit Red Wings

Wayne Gretzky Almost Joined the Detroit Red Wings

Masthead

Newsletters

RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Contact Us

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

© The Hockey Writers 2020. All rights reserved.
logo
  • HOME
  • Hockey Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • North Division
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Vancouver Canucks
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • East Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • Dallas Stars
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Nashville Predators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
  • West Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • Minnesota Wild
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Seattle Kraken
    • St Louis Blues
    • Vegas Golden Knights
  • World Juniors
  • CHL
    • Ontario Hockey League
    • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
    • Western Hockey League
  • THW Podcast Network
  • Store
  • FREE Newsletter
  • Search THW
  • More…
    • Join Our Team
    • The THW Archives
    • Prospects
    • The Goalie Page
    • NHL Salary Cap Information