Connor McDavid returned to the Edmonton Oilers lineup last game against the Vegas Golden Knights, returning earlier than anticipated after missing just three games despite initially being expected to be out for two to three weeks. Of course, when it comes to McDavid, not only is he an offensive magician, but his healing powers are almost superhuman, enough to give Wolverine from X-Men a run for his money.

The Oilers’ captain was held pointless in his first game back against Vegas after missing three games due to injury, but that’s alright. The important thing is he’s back in action and likely just needed a game to get back up to speed.

The Oilers may be in the midst of a two-game losing streak, but if we’re looking for a bright side, one way to spin it is that it could have been much worse with McDavid out. They managed to go 2-1 without him, and it was interesting to see which players would step up. Below, we’ve highlighted three Oilers who rose above the rest in the captain’s three-game absence and then turn our attention to those who still need to bring more.

Zach Hyman, who’s a writer when he’s not playing hockey, could probably have written a whole 13-chapter novel on being ‘snake-bitten‘ with the way things were going for him earlier in the season. While it’s unlikely he’ll hit the 50-goal mark this year, it’s not as if he’s lost any skill or looks slower— he was just incredibly snake-bitten to start the campaign.

Before the game against the Nashville Predators on Oct. 31, Hyman had a 17.51 expected goals for (xGF). Head coach Kris Knoblauch, when discussing analytics with a company, mentioned that when a player reaches five or six expected goals, they’re almost guaranteed to score soon. With Hyman at 17.51 xGF, after the captain went down with an injury, he was well overdue. In the first game without McDavid in the lineup against the Preds, Hyman was sprung on a breakaway, and you could sense that as he closed in on netminder Juuse Saros, it was a ‘this is it’ moment—there would be no mistake, as he buried his first of the season past the Preds’ goaltender.

He started to look like his usual self a few nights later against the Calgary Flames. His hardworking M.O. was on display when he protected the puck well, slid it over to Jeff Skinner, and assisted on his linemate’s beautiful goal. He also got behind the Flames defenders, received a pass from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and pulled off a ‘vintage’ Hyman move, going forehand to backhand and roofing it just under the bar. That said, earlier in the season, he had a few similar chances, but the puck just wouldn’t go in for him. Yet, it’s funny how quickly the tide can change when the puck starts bouncing your way, and with it comes a boost of confidence.

Additionally, while his team was shut out by the New Jersey Devils on Nov. 4, he had a breakaway opportunity, and overall, his line had an 11-5 edge in scoring chances, with five of them being high-danger opportunities. However, goaltender Jake Allen was solid all night, earning a shutout.

As mentioned, the bounces weren’t going the 32-year-old’s way, but things are starting to balance out. In the last game against the Golden Knights, a fortunate bounce from Alex Pietrangelo’s rim around the boards deflected right to Hyman’s stick, and he buried his third goal in four games. Overall, it seemed the three games without McDavid were good for Hyman to find his mojo because now the captain has a confident player playing beside him, which benefits both of them.

If you follow me on X, you’ll know that I’m a supporter of what Vasily Podkolzin brings to the table. Earlier in the season, he was protecting the puck well with his solid frame and making subtle plays that led to good scoring chances; however, neither he nor his linemates were able to convert. Yet, both the analytics and the eye test showed he was trending in a positive direction.

He’d been placed on Leon Draisaitl’s line on Oct. 25th against the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he picked up his first point of the season. After McDavid went down with an injury against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Podkolzin stepped up with assists in back-to-back games against the Predators and Flames. On both occasions, his hard work along the boards and knack for finding his centerman, Draisaitl, paid off within the first minute of the games.

Additionally, he put the entire NHL on notice as a tough customer not to be taken lightly when he dropped Jeremy Lauzon with a couple of heavy punches, leaving the Preds’ D-man bloodied in their Halloween night tilt. The more you consider it, the opposition knowing he packs a powerful punch might work in his favour, which may result in extra space to operate on the ice.

Against the Devils, he had a glorious chance to score his first goal of the season when Draisaitl fed him in front of the net, but he couldn’t finish the play. After the game, he said, “I was mad, I gotta score [that], I gotta score [that]. I feel bad for Leon, even for myself as well.” He was a bit hard on himself after the game for missing the scoring chance, but what stood out to me was how he didn’t sulk—he took responsibility and aimed to be better.

When injuries occur to key players, it creates opportunities for others, and Podkolzin made the most of his in the three games with McDavid out. In addition to recording a couple of assists, and a big scrap, he also saw an increase in ice time on the penalty kill, averaging just over 50 seconds in back-to-back games. And why not? The PK has been struggling, so it makes sense to give a young, hungry player more opportunity. He also received PK time against the Golden Knights, where he swatted a puck away effectively and cleared the puck out of the zone.

Without a doubt, if he wants to stay in the top six, he needs to start capitalizing on golden opportunities in front of the net. An admirable aspect, though, is that Podkolzin is known for being one of the first players on the ice before practice and for staying out extra afterward to work on his game. He’s hungry and motivated, and the law of averages suggests that those who put in the work are more likely to succeed—something he’s clearly showing he’s committed to.

Forward Leon Draisaitl has been one of the most consistent Oilers so far in the 2024-25 season. Before the captain’s injury, Draisaitl had produced 10 points in 10 games, and in the three games without McDavid, he added six more points, including back-to-back three-point performances.

With their captain sidelined, the Oilers had to dig deep, and Draisaitl, alongside his linemates Podkolzin and Viktor Arvidsson, wasted no time setting the tone against the Predators on Oct. 31, striking just 37 seconds into the game. They kept the momentum going a few nights later against the Flames, scoring even faster as Draisaitl put one away just 20 seconds in.

Despite getting blanked by New Jersey, his line had a 9-4 edge in scoring chances, but they just couldn’t put one past Allen in their second game on a back-to-back. Same story against the Golden Knights—no points, but Draisaitl’s line was likely the most dangerous, generating several Grade-A scoring chances.

That said, Draisaitl’s performance in stepping up and leading his line (and the team) during McDavid’s absence served as a strong reminder that he’s more than capable of being a dominant line driver. Moving forward, the Oilers should stick to that approach consistently—letting McDavid and Draisaitl each anchor their own lines, allowing chemistry to work its magic between their linemates, rather than hitting the panic button and constantly stacking the top line with the dynamic duo.

We’ve highlighted three Oilers who rose to the challenge, but it’s time to address the elephant in the room. With a 6-7-1 record and on a two-game losing streak, they’re 29th in the league in goals for, their power play ranks 27th, and their penalty kill is dead last at 59.5%—making them just the fourth team in NHL history to have a sub-60% PK through the first 14 games of a season. Those results simply aren’t good enough.

Taking everything into account, there’s plenty to fix. That said, we’ve already highlighted three players who stepped up when McDavid went down. So, following that trend of three, who else needs to step up? Of course, McDavid is one, with only 10 points in 11 games, but I feel it’s only a matter of time before he breaks out offensively. However, the following three also need to bring more— Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Evan Bouchard, and Adam Henrique— two of them, Nugent-Hopkins and Bouchard, were involved in plays that led to goals against last game.

For Nugent-Hopkins, it just seems there’s more for him to give, especially with only five points on the campaign. Last season, according to NHL Edge data, his top skating speed was 22.60 mph, and his top shot speed was 86.11 mph. This season, his top skating speed is down to 21.57 mph, and his top shot speed is 82.22 mph. This suggests we haven’t seen the best of ‘Nuge’ just yet.

Bouchard’s trend has been to show moments of disinterest throughout the regular season. Last game against Vegas highlighted that, as two of the goals against could be pinned on him for a lack of defensive effort. However, it’s important to remember that he’s an absolute beast in the playoffs. Yet, where is that version of Bouchard, the one I wrote so highly about, who raised the physical stakes against bigger players like Carson Soucy and Pierre-Luc Dubois? When he’s engaged like that, he’s fully invested and better defensively, and that elite offence also seems to follow.

Moreover, Henrique’s single goal through 14 games is falling short. The Oilers knew they were sacrificing speed down the middle by trading away Ryan McLeod for veteran savvy in Henrique at 3C, but we haven’t seen the 17-year vet compete hard enough in the tough areas, like we did last season, to finish off the greasy goals.

On the plus side, we’re only 14 games into the season, and there’s plenty of time to right the ship. However, the Oilers need to do so soon before they fall too far behind. With that in mind, which Oiler do you feel needs to step up the most?

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