One of the main water cooler topics over the past few months among Oilers fans has centred around if this year’s team is better than last year’s.
Before we get to that answer, in case you didn’t know… The water cooler used to be the place at the office where people would meet and discuss things. Yes, they did it face-to-face. Social media has replaced the water cooler, except you get interrupted by people you don’t know and don’t work with, but I digress.
Back to the question. Are the Oilers better?
It seems many feel they aren’t. Statistically, they are slightly worse. Last year, the Oilers finished the season with 104 points and a .634P%. This year they have a .620P% through 75 games and are on pace for 102 points.
But when you dig deeper, I see a team that is better, especially after the Jake Walman addition, and we’ve yet to see the complete roster. Trent Frederic will make his Oilers debut next week — possibly as early as tomorrow or Monday in Anaheim. He will make them better. Evander Kane is also getting closer and is trending to be available in the playoffs. He’ll be an upgrade as well.
The main reason I feel the Oilers are a more complete team this year is because of their record without Connor McDavid in the lineup.
The Oilers are 36-22-5 (.611P%) with McDavid in the lineup, but surprisingly they have a better record, 8-4 (.666P%), without him. Of course, they aren’t a better team without him, but the supporting cast has shown an ability to step up and win when he isn’t playing. It shows their depth. They’ve been led by Leon Draisaitl. No other team in the NHL can lose a top-three forward in the world and replace him with another top-three forward in the world, but the Oilers can and that is a huge advantage.
Here’s a look at the nine games without McDavid and with Draisaitl in the lineup. The team went 7-2-0.
- Draisaitl: 7-9-16
- Bouchard: 0-8-8
- Hyman: 4-2-6
- Skinner: 3-3-6
- RNH: 3-3-6
- Nurse: 0-6-6
- Arvidsson: 4-1-5
- Podkolzin: 0-4-4
- Perry: 2-1-3
- Kapanen: 1-2-3 (6GP)
- Ekholm: 0-3-3 (6GP)
- Henrique: 1-1-2
- Janmark: 1-1-2
- Walman: 1-1-2 (2GP)
- Brown: 1-0-1
- Emberson: 0-2-2
- Philp: 0-2-2 (6GP)
- Caggiula: 0-1-1 (3GP)
- Kulak and Stecher: 0-0-0
Draisaitl was the leader, but others elevated their offensive production, mainly Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner.
Edmonton is 1-2-0 in three games without both McDavid and Draisaitl. Here’s who produced in those games.
- RNH: 3-0-3
- Henrique: 2-1-3
- Hyman: 2-1-3
- Ekholm: 0-3-3 (2GP)
- Bouchard: 0-3-3
- Perry: 1-1-2
- Nurse: 0-2-2
- Walman: 0-2-2
- Skinner: 1-0-1
- Brown: 0-1-1
- Kapanen: 0-1-1
They beat Seattle, played quite well but lost 4-3 to Dallas, and had a stinker in Seattle on the second half of a back-to-back and lost 6-1.
In the 12 games without McDavid and three of those without Draisaitl:
- Hyman and RNH each have six goals and nine points.
- Bouchard has 11 assists.
- Nurse has eight assists.
- Skinner has seven points.
- Arvidsson has four goals. Perry has three.
- Henrique has five points.
- Walman has four points and only played five games.
The Oilers have shown they have enough offensive depth to fill the void, short term. That is a positive. It is valid to be concerned about the rash of injuries for the Oilers. Draisaitl left last night’s game with an undisclosed injury. He could miss tomorrow’s crucial game in LA, and playing the Kings without Draisaitl, McDavid, Ekholm, Frederic, Kane and Stuart Skinner lowers their chances of winning. It might cost them home-ice advantage in round one v. the Kings.
However, how the team has performed in games without key players has been impressive. It is giving other players more opportunity and responsibility and many of them have stepped up. It should only make the Oilers better when they have a full lineup. Edmonton has had some rough patches, no question, but overall, I think their playoff roster will be better than last season’s roster.
As long as they are healthy.
Mar 16, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) skates with the puck against the New York Rangers during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images
INJURY OUTLOOK…
— If Draisaitl can’t play tomorrow, which is what we expect, the Oilers won’t be eligible for a roster emergency recall. You have to play one player short for a game and then you can recall a player on emergency recall. McDavid isn’t ready. Skinner, Ekholm, and John Klingberg are rehabbing in Edmonton. So unless Frederic is available tomorrow the Oilers will have to play 11 forwards and six D-men. I guess they could also put Frederic on retroactive LTIR if they needed and then recall Derek Ryan.
— While home-ice advantage would be nice, Edmonton would rather start on the road with a healthy roster, than start at home with guys banged up. Injuries are the ultimate wildcard for any Stanley Cup contender. They are unpredictable and can derail a team. The Oilers just need to get healthy, and I don’t buy into the bogus suggestion they rushed Draisaitl back. Those comments usually come from people with no actual information, and frankly, lacking in common sense.
— Did Draisaitl look like he was labouring on Saturday vs. Calgary or in Vegas? He had a few awkward falls last night, including one where he stepped on the puck. I’d recommend not speculating on injuries. Many incorrectly speculated McDavid had a rib injury from a crosscheck, even though the overhead camera showed there was no contact. McDavid has a groin/core issue, and they aren’t rushing him back. Draisaitl wasn’t rushed back either. This isn’t the playoffs, where players will play through injuries more, and as we saw in the 2022 playoffs, Draisaitl will play injured. But back then it was obvious he was injured. His skating was noticeably laboured. We saw none of that leading up to his injury last night.
— The Kings are rolling. They are 7-2-0 in their last nine and have outscored teams 37-17. Andrei Kuzmenko is enjoying life in LA with 10 points during this stretch playing with Anze Kopitar. A win in regulation will all but guarantee the Kings second place. The Oilers played very well against Dallas without Draisaitl and McDavid, and they will need a similar effort, if not better, tomorrow afternoon to keep their chances of home-ice advantage alive.
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