In an Edmonton Oilers news and rumors update, Connor McDavid hit 100 assists in a single season. It’s an incredible feat that brought out the kid in McDavid again. Evander Kane wasn’t in the lineup as the Oilers trounced the San Jose Sharks. What was the reason? Adam Henrique impressed in his audition on the top line and it looks like the team was right not to move Warren Foegele at the NHL Trade Deadline.
McDavid Hits 100 Assists
Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid joined an elite group last night when he recorded his 100th assist of the season during the 9-2 Oilers victory over the Sharks. He’s only the fourth player in NHL history to do so, joining Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Bobby Orr in the NHL history books. He’s the first player to reach that marker since the 1990-91 season.
When asked for his reaction, he noted, “It’s just cool to see some of those other names that have done it. those guys are the best players to ever play the game, and it’s just cool to be in the same breath as them, and within that regard, it’s pretty special.” He hesitated to celebrate the goal because it was the ninth of the game for the Oilers in a 9-2 win over San Jose, but Zach Hyman wouldn’t let him ignore the achievement. He pushed McDavid down the line to get congratulations from his teammates and the arena gave him one of the loudest standing ovations in recent memory.
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There was a moment when McDavid got to laughing hysterically on the bench, presumably after something Leon Draisaitl said to him. It was good to see an often serious and sometimes stoic McDavid really enjoying himself.
Evander Kane Getting Rest
Kane was not in the lineup on Monday night, out as a maintenance decision by the coaching staff. It was pegged as something similar to Connor McDavid’s sitting in the last three games, where the injury issues aren’t serious, but the rest might be the best medicine.
Head coach Kris Knoblauch noted, that if it was Game 1 of the playoffs, Kane would have been in. It’s not clear if the Oilers will go with the same lineup that destroyed the Sharks, but if Kane is good to go, it’s likely he gets back in against the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday.
Adam Henrique Impressed Alongside McDavid
Adam Henrique scored a goal, had two assists, and was plus/minus +4 in the game on Monday. He looked great beside McDavid and it will be interesting to see if the coaching staff believes they’ve got a nice mix on that top line. Henrique was acquired at the deadline because he’s versatile and offensively talented. He’s smart and can play with anyone. This was the first time the Oilers really tried playing him with McDavid and something clicked.
If Henrique is a solution on the top line with McDavid and Zach Hyman, one has to wonder if he winds up being the winger the Oilers were looking for at the deadline.
Warren Foegele Proving the Oilers Right
Foegele’s name was tossed around a lot as the Oilers tried to manage their trade deadline moves this season. He’s a pending UFA and Edmonton could have traded him for an upgrade in the top six, especially if they felt he was pricing himself out of their range this summer. Ultimately, they chose not to deal him and will cross that contract extension bridge when they come to it.
Foegele has been great for the Oilers since the deadline. He was going for the hat trick on Monday night, which if he’d have gotten it would have put him at 20 goals on the season. By almost every metric, this has been a career year for the forward.
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