In part one we focused on 5×5 ice time and production for Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl the past two seasons. They led the NHL in 5×5 minutes and were third and eighth respectively in points. They have been very productive at 5×5. Today we will dig a bit deeper on 5×5 production, but also look at overall TOI and see where they rank and if head coach Jay Woodcroft should consider deploying them differently this coming season.

Let’s start with 5×5 scoring from last season. Here are the top-25 forwards in 5×5 points. I also listed where they rank, in parenthesis, in TOI/GP, goals/60, assists/60 and points/60.

McDavid was third and Draisaitl was 17th in points, and they ranked third and fourth in TOI/GP. Buffalo, Edmonton and Toronto each had three players in the top-25, while Colorado, Florida, Tampa, and Vancouver had two and Arizona, Boston, Dallas, New Jersey, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh, and Seattle had one. Jared McCann led all players with a crazy 1.86 goals/60 at 5×5. He was 164th in TOI/GP.

Jeff Skinner had a very quiet productive season. Nathan MacKinnon was a beast 5×5 leading the league in points and points/60. He missed 11 games and still led the league in 5×5 scoring.

Producing points is one aspect of 5×5 play. The other, of course, is defending. Goals for help you win, but goals against play a big role as well. And here is where the Oilers need to improve. It has been their main weakness for the past 15 years and during seven of the eight years of the McDavid/Draisaitl era. Here’s where Edmonton has ranked in 5×5 GA from 2016 to 2023: 30th, ninth, 26th, 24th, 26th, 21st, 19th and 17th. They’ve been in the top half of the league once.

It is the main weakness of the organization, and the players need to commit to being more smart, consistent and reliable defensively next season. The improvement needs to occur during the regular season. Here is how the top-25 scorers faired in shots for and against, goals for/against, on-ice SH%, on-ice SV%, PDO and then offensive and defensive starts. Since goals impact the outcome of the game the most, I ranked them in GF%.

It helps having a high Sv%, although Matthew Tkachuk is still fourth with only a .907Sv%. McDavid ranks 21st while Draisaitl is 24th. Draisaitl’s .894Sv% is a factor, as is the high % of defensive zone starts he had. He took many defensive zone face offs, and only Clayton Keller had a higher % of D-zone draws. Draisaitl had 185 D-zone starts while Auston Matthews had 82. Again, it is a factor, but not the main reason for the high GA. Tkachuk had the fifth-most D-zone starts and still had an excellent GF%.

Being more aware and attentive defensively will help, but I also wonder if overall TOI is a factor.

McDavid is first in overall TOI/game. He is third in 5×5 overall among NHL forwards, and he is fourth among these players on the PK and 6th in PP TOI/GP. Draisaitl ranks fourth, sixth and fifth.

I’ve seen some suggest the Oilers should play the second unit PP a bit more and give McDavid and Draisaitl some rest. I’m sorry, but that would be a terrible decision. The Oilers’ power play is the best in NHL history and it is a massive advantage. I see no reason to alter PP usage.

McDavid scored 21 more points than Nikita Kucherov and played seven fewer minutes on the PP. Draisaitl had 26 more points than Tkachuk and Tkachuk played the most PP minutes of any forward in the NHL. The production from McDavid and Draisaitl is so elite that any suggestion to lower their PP time should be immediately ignored.

McDavid and Draisaitl are both elite players. Their conditioning has never been an issue. They can handle 21-23 minutes/game, but is it the best strategy to have them continue to play as similar minutes in the upcoming regular season? The easy option would be to reduce their PK minutes. McDavid ranked 116th among NHL forwards in total PK TOI. He played 104 minutes. Only Elias Petterson (144), and Mitch Marner (183) played more from the 25 players in this article. McDavid was tied for second with four shorthanded goals, one behind Pettersson, and he was third with seven points, two back of Petterson’s nine.

Of the 155 forwards who played at least 80 minutes on the PK, McDavid had the best GF% at 47.06. He was on the ice for eight goals for and nine against on the PK. I can understand why Woodcroft wants to use him, but I do think he either has to lower his PK usage a bit or his 5×5 minutes. I’m not talking about a massive amount. If he managed to lower his TOI/GP by even one minute McDavid would still rank fourth among NHL forwards, and realistically it would be third, because I assume if McDavid sees the ice slightly less, then so too would Draisaitl, and McDavid would sit third.

One of the main reasons I could see the minutes dip slightly is because of the extra attention the Oilers will (or at least should) have on the defensive side of the puck next season. It takes more energy and work to be sound defensively. You battle more. There can be more stops and starts. You can expend more energy at times.

The Oilers’ leaders were very clear the team needs to be more consistent defensively next season, and for that to happen they need to lead the way. And when they do, that might be the easy way for Woodcroft to lower their TOI in the regular season.

Again, we aren’t talking about a massive drop — a shift or two each game. I think it could benefit McDavid and Draisaitl, but it would also allow the bottom six players to get more involved. Championship teams need their top lines producing, but they need to get solid contributions throughout the lineup as well.

The Oilers’ depth isn’t an issue like it was as recently as 2022. They have quality players in the bottom six with a nice mix of skill, size, speed and tenacity.

If the players fulfill their promise to be more aware and reliable defensively, Woodcroft should be in a position to make some slight adjustments in player usage next year.