The Edmonton Oilers have been underwhelming through the first 10 games of the season, to say the least. While it isn’t as bad as last year, they sit at a disappointing 4-5-1 thus far. That said, they have shown signs of life as of late, as they started the season out on a three-game losing streak.
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While fans should feel quite confident that this team will start racking up wins in the near future, there is reason to be concerned that they may struggle to advance as far in the playoffs as they did a season ago. That opinion may change, however, based on how they look moving forward. With that said, here’s a look at five takeaways from this group through the first 10 games.
Sluggish Draisaitl May Need to Take Charge
Leon Draisaitl may have six goals on the season, but it’s quite evident to any Oilers fan who has been paying attention that he hasn’t been at his best. While his 10 points would be great numbers for many, they are underwhelming for a player who has recorded north of 100 in three straight seasons.
The Oilers need Draisaitl to get going, and they need it now. The urgency has suddenly become much more dire, as Connor McDavid was forced to return to Edmonton after suffering an injury on Monday night. This is now Draisaitl’s team to lead. What better opportunity than now to prove to the world why he signed a $112 million deal this offseason.
Secondary Scoring Nowhere to Be Found
While Draisaitl hasn’t been at his best, he’s been much better than many other Oilers forwards who are expected to produce. Zach Hyman has a shockingly bad one assist through 10 games, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has just one goal and three helpers. Mattias Ekholm, known much more for his elite defensive play, sits third in scoring with eight points on the season.
After a hot start to the year, Jeff Skinner has also cooled down immensely, while Viktor Arvidsson has yet to find the back of the net. It’s been a rough start for a forward group most considered to be the strongest in the NHL. Fans should continue to remain confident they can turn it around, but if these struggles continue through another 10 games, it may be time to hit the panic button.
Blue Line Concerns Looming Large
While it isn’t time to worry about the lack of scoring just yet, fans have every reason to be nervous about the blue line. The losses of Cody Ceci, Vincent Desharnais, and especially Philip Broberg are really plaguing this team right now. Ty Emberson hasn’t been nearly as good as certain media hyped him up to be, and the rotating third pairing has been as bad as many feared.
The Oilers should have enough offensive power to withstand their blue line concerns, but at some point, this will need to be addressed. General manager Stan Bowman needs to make a move, and it can’t be for a mediocre player. Whoever they bring in needs to be a legitimate, everyday top-four defenceman. If not, this area of their team is likely to get exposed in the playoffs.
How About a Save?
I’m a firm believer that hockey fans criticize goaltending too often. Stuart Skinner has been doubted and ripped on for the past two seasons, and continued to get hate this summer even after helping take the Oilers to the Stanley Cup Final. With that said, he’s deserving of the criticism he’s gotten so far for the 2024-25 season.
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Skinner has a 3.51 goals-against average (GAA) and a .872 save percentage (SV%) through seven games this season. Those numbers aren’t acceptable, and while some will say it’s early, he started last season out like this, too. If he wants to be a legitimate number-one goaltender, he needs to be ready from the get-go, not heat up as things go along.
Serious Loss of Speed up Front
There were few, if any fans who weren’t happy with the changes the Oilers made up front this summer, though there were some who voiced concern about losing speed with the departures of Ryan McLeod, Dylan Holloway, and Warren Foegele. Through 10 games, those concerns appear valid.
While the Oilers did add scoring to their lineup, they lost some significant speed. Their bottom six now consists of older, slower players including Corey Perry, Adam Henrique, Derek Ryan, and Mattias Janmark. In an NHL game that is as dependent on speed as ever, it looks as though the Oilers may have parted ways with too much this past offseason.
Plenty of Season to Go
While this article feels doom and gloom, it could be one that winds up drawing laughs in just a few short weeks. After all, there were plenty of negative articles after the Oilers started 2-9-1 a season ago, and they wound up proving seemingly everyone wrong. They very well could make me look foolish as well, but through their first 10 games, there seem to be some real concerns.
