Can the Oilers emerge from turmoil to regain their early-season form?

It’s not hard to understand where the frustration comes from. It is painful to continually be asked what’s wrong when there isn’t a simple answer and harder still when the tone turns negative. 

As someone who has recently been in the eye of the storm when a team’s play falls short of expectations, I can tell you that it creates relentless noise that detracts from the job at hand. It also breeds a negative energy, a fear over job losses, a drain on morale and a dangerous temptation to point fingers. 

The discomfort is felt not just in the hockey operations offices, but throughout an organization. I can guarantee you that the Oilers' ticket sales department is hearing from disappointed season ticket holders, fan services managers are getting more random complaints at Rogers Place and the receptionist is being insulted daily by angry fans calling to vent. That’s real life in the NHL, an unfortunate part of the deal.

For what it’s worth, in my opinion McDavid was put in a difficult spot, and the questions and comments directed to Draisaitl were out of line (and the reporter’s attitude sarcastic), so I give both players a pass.   

At any rate, this is a team that is struggling to keep its composure and just needs a win to ease the pressure.

The good news for Oiler fans is that the season has not quite reached the mid-point. Every team goes through slumps and difficult stretches, and the Oilers built up enough capital with their strong start that they are far from out of the race. That said, the tide needs to turn before it gets much worse.

The Oilers’ challenges begin in goal, which from the start of the season looked like it might become the team’s Achilles’ heel. In the offseason, the Oilers reportedly flirted with a massive goaltending addition but decided to focus on bolstering their forward group, signing coveted free agent Zach Hyman and trading away promising defenseman Ethan Bear for the restricted free agent negotiation rights to Warren Foegele.

Hyman has been a solid addition to the team, and Foegele has probably delivered what was expected of him. 

However, those additions meant that Edmonton’s cap flexibility was limited. It forced the Oilers to continue to put their goaltending faith in 39-year-old Mike Smith, who was signed to a two-year extension. Smith was coming off a stellar year in the shortened 2020-21 season, but expecting that his level of play would continue and, more importantly, that his body would hold off Father Time may have been a miscalculation. Smith has only played six games for the Oilers this season after a couple of different injuries have sidelined him. 

Meanwhile, Mikko Koskinen has been average at best, sporting a .900 save percentage through 20 games played. The Oilers continue to feel the squeeze from the organization’s questionable signing of Koskinen to a three-year, $13.5 million deal after only half a season of average play in 2018-19. 

The Oilers have also given Stuart Skinner an opportunity. He has performed well in the AHL this year and had a decent .916 save percentage in his 10 NHL games before allowing five goals against Ottawa in his last start. He is now in COVID-19 protocol, so the Oilers will go back to Koskinen. They really need to get Smith back healthy for there to be a real chance to stop the bleeding. 

But goaltending hasn’t been the only problem for the Oilers.

To be fair, injuries and COVID-related absences have certainly been a factor. The underrated Josh Archibald has been out all season with myocarditis, and the Oilers have definitely missed his pesky, in-your-face style of play. They have had to manage with prolonged absences to veteran defensemen Kris Russell and Duncan Keith, leaving a sparse blue line on some nights. And like most teams, they have had some of their best players – including McDavid – miss time while in COVID protocol.   

There have been bright spots. Evan Bouchard, the 10th overall pick from 2018, has developed nicely, becoming an everyday defenseman with a scoring touch. Jesse Puljujarvi continues to show that he can be part of the solution after his breakout 2020-21 season. Hyman appears to be a good fit. Of course, McDavid and Draisaitl continue to be the dynamic duo, sitting atop the league scoring race and making regular appearances on every network’s plays of the week. 

Unfortunately, the bright spots have recently been overshadowed by dark clouds. 

As the trade deadline approaches, the Oilers have to be thinking about a significant shake-up. You simply can’t have two of the most dominant players in the world and not make the playoffs. 

To date, Holland has signaled a vote of confidence to Tippett, so it does not appear that the Oilers believe a Bruce Boudreau-esque change in coaching style or voice is the missing ingredient. Maybe they see Kane as a solution, or maybe there is a trade that can change the team’s energy and spark some wins. 

Change may certainly help, but at the end of the day, the Oilers need to come together and start finding some answers within their own room. It may seem like a distant memory, but the team that charged out of the gate this season is still in there somewhere.

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Chris Gear joined Daily Faceoff in Januar 2022 after a 12-year run with the Vancouver Canucks, most recently as the club’s assistant general manager and chief legal officer. Before migrating over to the hockey operations department, where his responsibilities included contract negotiations, CBA compliance, assisting with roster and salary cap management and governance for the AHL franchise, Gear was the Canucks’ vice president and general counsel.