In an Edmonton Oilers news and rumors update, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl continue to impress and achieve career highs, all while doing something no duo has done in almost 50 years. Meanwhile, the Oilers pulled Zach Hyman from the lineup just minutes before their game against the Ottawa Senators. What’s wrong with him? Finally, should the Oilers be playing Philip Broberg more often?
McDavid and Draisaitl Both Have 100 Points Again
Leon Draisaitl hit 100 points for the fourth time in five seasons and the second in a row. He is now the second player in the NHL to reach 100 points this season, behind, of course, Connor McDavid. Draisaitl scored two goals in a 6-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night, the same game in which McDavid potted his 56th goal of the season.
Draisaitl and McDavid continue to roll and became the first teammates to both reach 100 points in a single season since the 1995-96 campaign almost 30 years ago. The last time this was done was when the Pittsburgh Penguins saw Mario Lemieux (161 points), Jaromir Jagr (149), and Ron Francis (119). Even more impressive is that this is only the second time in history teammates have done so two years in a row. Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr pulled it off from 1973-74 to 1974-75.
McDavid’s 129 points on the season are the most in a single season among all active players and the most in the salary cap era.
Hyman ‘Dinged Up’ and Held Out For Precautionary Reasons
Zach Hyman was not on the ice for warm-ups against the Senators on Tuesday night and it was revealed just before puck drop that he was being held out of the lineup for undisclosed reasons. It was later said by head coach Jay Woodcroft that the Oilers were just being cautious and that Hyman was a bit “dinged up”.
There was no obvious injury to speak of, but some noticed that in the game prior against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Hyman didn’t appear to be his usual aggressive self. If there was ever a game the consistently tenacious forward would get up for, that would be it. He was largely unnoticeable. The feeling is that he wanted to go on Tuesday but the Oilers felt it better to rest him and let him heal a bit.
Should the Oilers Be Playing Philip Broberg?
Since March 4, defenseman Philip Broberg has not been in the lineup for the Edmonton Oilers. As the Oilers continue to allow more goals than they’d ideally like per game and as the team deals with finding the right combination of players, the question about whether Broberg should be getting minutes on the main roster is valid.
With how Mattias Ekholm has really helped Evan Bouchard step up his game, there’s an argument that can be made he would do the same for Broberg, who admittedly, was not playing badly when he was pulled out of the lineup to go with the 12 forwards and six defensemen deployment. Understandably, the Oilers want a more experienced lineup for the stretch run, but rookie defenseman Vincent Desharnais has been hit-and-miss at times.
At the very least, an argument can be made that the Oilers should be testing Broberg in the last 15 games of the season to ensure that he’s not the better fit in the playoffs. Keeping him sidelined for too long when there are excuses to get him into games might not be the best asset management.
