For the Edmonton Oilers, there is a lot to fix, and fans have a lot to be frustrated about this season. The team is 2-9-1 after coming into the season as one of the Stanley Cup favourites. Nothing has gone right for them, and nothing has really changed yet. The team will have to turn things around in short order before something drastic is done to change the course of the season.
Any struggling team will have frustrated fans expressing their opinions on what those are and what the team could be doing better. In the Oilers’ case, there has been no shortage of that, and Edmonton has only played 15 percent of their games. Let’s dive right into all the justified frustrations from Oilers fans this season.
Lack of Moves & Wrong Moves Made by Ken Holland
Ken Holland hasn’t been the general manager for a long time, but four years is more than enough time to make a mark on an organization. After the great things he did with the Detroit Red Wings, the fans might have been fooled. Sure, he has made some good moves and signings, but he’s also made some crippling ones that he could have avoided.
The latest and biggest strike against Holland is Jack Campbell. While it was the right move to send him down to the American Hockey League (AHL) after the blatant lack of positive progression since joining the Oilers and the very poor numbers, Holland was the one who brought Campbell in on a lucrative deal that really hurt the team. Not only are the Oilers stuck with $3.85 million AAV while Campbell is in the AHL, it is for this season and three more years after. If they want to move him, it’ll cost them a lot, especially with every organization knowing how desperate the Oilers are right now. That $3.85 million AAV could be used in so many better ways.
Darnell Nurse’s contract always gets brought into this discussion, and deservedly so. The Oilers should have been able to get him under contract for at least $2 million AAV less if Holland hadn’t decided to bridge Nurse for a second time after he came aboard. This allowed Nurse to step into the number one role, play big minutes in all situations, and deserve most of the money he got. Times have changed, with Evan Bouchard running the power play and Matthias Ekholm being a more reliable presence on the back end. Unless it is a one-year deal, bridging a player more than once is very risky. Holland found out the hard way after four years worth of bridge deals, and the Oilers are suffering for it.
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Those are the glaring mistakes, but what about now? The Oilers reportedly had something in the works involving a goaltender on Nov. 8, but nothing happened. No goalie other than Calvin Pickard joined the Oilers. Other than recalling Sam Gagner, Raphael Lavoie, and James Hamblin, there have been no serious moves for any help at forward, defense, or in net. The Minnesota Wild are struggling, and they pulled off two moves in one day to help in an area where they’re struggling. Any team can realistically do that, too, but the Oilers have been quiet, and it’s concerning.
Oilers’ Inability to Score
The Oilers led the league in goals with 325 last season. The next closest was 301, the record-setting Boston Bruins. That has to tell you something. This Oilers team didn’t change much at all except a few very minor changes to the lineup. This is what is so shocking and frustrating. They have two of the best players in the world and have only scored 31 goals in 12 games.
While Connor McDavid is at a point-per-game and Leon Draisaitl is above it, there are obviously things wrong. I don’t think anyone is blaming a still banged-up McDavid or the leading scorer on the team in Draisaitl, but not enough is going in the net, and these two have always led the charge. In a year where they haven’t been as dominant as prior seasons, the rest of the team hasn’t picked up the slack.
The Oilers have zero shorthanded goals so far this season after leading the league in that category in 2022-23. The power play has also been just average, not other-worldly and carrying the offense. As of late, the second unit has been the unit the team should turn to for success. That’s not great news for the Oilers.
Related: Oilers’ Tough Start Not Entirely Consumed by Bad Luck
As of Nov. 10, the Oilers rank first in the NHL in expected goals for percentage (57.64), first in high danger chances for percentage (61.54), second in Corsi for percentage (58.04), and fourth in scoring chances for percentage (56.99) at five-on-five. That should equate to a high success rate offensively, but it hasn’t. The Oilers rank 30th in shooting percentage (5.97), goal percentage (38.00), and PDO (0.944). Some chalk it up to very bad luck and that the Oilers will start scoring like they should, but it still hasn’t happened yet. I’m in the group waiting for it to finally click, and it will. But every game it doesn’t is frustrating when the Oilers get 0-2 goals on 40-plus shots.
Oilers Haven’t Got a Save All Season
It has been tough for the Oilers to hold a lead or even get out to an early lead with the combination of lack of scoring and poor goaltending. While the offense fails to cash in, it seems like every odd-man rush against or scoring chance for the other team ends in a goal against. This kills the momentum the Oilers have and puts them behind, thinking they deserve better.
Campbell was sent down after the second consecutive season in Edmonton providing horrible numbers in net, but Stuart Skinner hasn’t been much better this season. The two goalies have combined for the worst save percentage in the NHL (.859) and the second-worst five-on-five save percentage (.884).
Many thought that Pickard would’ve and should’ve got the start against the San Jose Sharks, but that wasn’t the case. Skinner ended up giving up three goals on 18 shots. While some goals are on the team defense, defensemen, and other players, there have been many shots that Skinner and Campbell should have saved but haven’t. Either Skinner has to step up because he has been given the reins to run with, or Pickard has to get a fair chance to help out the Oilers after a strong start to the season on the Bakersfield Condors.
Depth Still Doesn’t Get It Done
An issue that has plagued the Oilers for so long is the lack of depth scoring. On paper, the forward depth is strong for the Oilers, and I really like it. But in-game, like the rest of the team, they have been snake-bitten. Many are concerned with Ryan McLeod’s one assist in 12 games. But Derek Ryan, Connor Brown, Adam Erne, Hamblin, Lavoie, Dylan Holloway, and Matthias Janmark all incredibly combine for just one assist.
This is much worse than in previous years because at least some shots were going in for the Oilers. The team has the personnel, but they’re giving no help to the top-six, who are somewhat still scoring. The Oilers haven’t succeeded to their full potential due to a lack of depth scoring in the past. If the stars and the top-six go dry, the Oilers usually sink. That has been the case this season, and it looks really bad.
Defense & Lack of Accountability in Edmonton
Though the Oilers have a lot of high-danger chances and scoring chances that they can’t convert on, they also give up both. The reason why they’re losing so many games is that it seems like every mistake and strong chance against ends up in the back of the Oilers’ net.
Whether it is poor decisions by many different players or the lack of urgency/awareness in the defensive end, it has all been very costly for the Oilers. Defensive breakdowns or goals off the rush happen on the rare occasion when the other team gets control of the puck while the Oilers are dominating play. Jay Woodcroft spoke of accountability, but it can’t happen to the top offensive players after they make a glaring mistake if the Oilers are chasing the game and need goals. It seems like there has been no accountability because as soon as there’s a mistake, it turns into a goal against. Will there be any accountability moving forward? Maybe, or maybe Woodcroft won’t be there long enough.
There are a lot of things to be frustrated about for the Oilers, and something may have to change for it to get better. Many want Holland out and think that will change things, but others just want to see the Oilers score and save the puck like they should this season. It is tough right now in Oil Country, but it has to get better.
