How does a team replace Connor McDavid in their lineup?
That’s an easy question — They don’t.
With the team’s captain serving the first game of a three-game suspension for cross-checking, Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said it’ll take a community approach to handle playing without McDavid.
“It’s an opportunity for everybody,” Knoblauch said when asked if McDavid’s absence will provide more playing time for struggling Jeff Skinner. “Jeff definitely will get some opportunities to play more minutes than he has and move up in the lineup a little bit, but we’re gonna need everyone stepping up a little bit more. Just with the absence of Connor, obviously, that’s a huge void, but we’re going to have to do it by community.”
Knoblauch confirmed that Edmonton’s four centres will be Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Adam Henrique, and Noah Philp when they host the Washington Capitals on Tuesday. He wasn’t quite as committal when asked about the wingers, saying that the left side of team’s top line with Nugent-Hopkins down the middle and Zach Hyman on the right will change throughout the game.
Here’s what the Oilers have as their projected lineup ahead of Tuesday’s game, though it won’t be confirmed until the team’s warmup.
When the Oilers inked Skinner to a one-year, $3 million contract in the off-season, it was assumed the former 40-goal scorer would play in the team’s top-six alongside either Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl. Instead, the 32-year-old has mostly played on Edmonton’s third and fourth lines.
Draisaitl has found chemistry playing with Vasily Podkolzin on his left and either Viktor Arvidsson or Kasperi Kapanen on he right. McDavid often has Nugent-Hopkins and Hyman on his wings.
In order to play successfully with McDavid or Draisaitl, a winger needs to have strong awareness without the puck or speed that helps them join the rush and get back quickly. Skinner’s game isn’t about speed or defence so he hasn’t been able to stick with either of Edmonton’s stars.
Through 41 games this season, Skinner has seven goals and 15 points along with a team-low minus-nine rating. He’s averaging 12:31 per night with the Oilers, which is well below the 16:50 he averaged in six seasons with the Buffalo Sabres and the 17:06 he played on average in eight seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes before that.
The Oilers played three games earlier this season without McDavid when he was sidelined with an ankle injury and Draisaitl led the way with six points for Edmonton. They went 2-1-0 over that stretch with a 5-1 win over the Nashville Predators, a 4-2 win over the Calgary Flames, and a 3-0 loss to the New Jersey Devils on the second leg of a back-to-back.
