Breaking down the Edmonton Oilers’ mushy forward lines

This might sound unlikely, but the Edmonton Oilers are off to their best start in three seasons. The Oilers currently sit at 5–4–2 through their first 11 games. They have struggled to put together consistent performances night after night.

Although the five-goal, second period eruption against the Utah Mammoth certainly helps things. One of the biggest culprits for this lack of sustained success has been the continued juggling of positions amongst forwards. Edmonton has used a mind-numbing TWENTY SEVEN different combinations at forward to start the year, which has to be some NHL record.

So, what’s going on with the line blender? And what are some combinations the Oilers could stick to for some consistency?

Missing links

One of the biggest reasons for such jumbled lines has been the injury status of Zach Hyman. Hyman was reportedly on track to debut around November 1 as Head Coach Kris Knoblauch discussed before the season, but now the timeline has been pushed. Hyman’s absence has been noticeable in the forward core. Not only does he ride shotgun on Connor McDavid’s wing, he’s also the key net-front presence on the power play and kills penalties, too.

Hyman is one of Edmonton’s most versatile and important players, so it stands to reason the team has looked a bit out of sorts with him gone. Originally, Kris Knoblauch tried to compensate for this loss by stacking the top line of McDavid and Leon Draisaitl with Trent Frederic, but that plan has since fallen by the wayside. Whenever Hyman does return, it’ll be a big boost to the consistency of Oiler lineups.

A less flashy but equally important loss has been in the form of Kasperi Kapanen. He suffered an injury in last Tuesday’s game against Ottawa and has been placed on IR with an undisclosed week-to-week injury. Kapanen is no Hyman, but he’s carved out a dependable middle-six role with Edmonton over the last year and was a player Knoblauch could trust to elevate into the top-six for some shifts if needed. His absence can be masked more easily than Hyman’s, but he’s still a worthwhile player, and the Oilers are better when he’s able to play.

Spreading the wealth

As previously mentioned, Knoblauch tried to begin the year with the stacked top line of McDavid and Draisaitl. That usually dependable fix has not been the answer Edmonton was looking for. McDavid and Draisaitl are game-wreckers, yes, capable of flipping the momentum purely by themselves.

However, with Hyman gone, putting them together leaves the rest of the lineup too thin to compensate. McDavid and Draisaitl should be the first and second line centres, something that Knoblauch has thankfully gone back to over the last couple of games. Additionally, playing them together doesn’t leave enough ice time for the rest of the lineup. It doesn’t do young players like Matthew Savoie or Isaac Howard any favours playing seven minutes a night while Connor and Leon average triple that.

Speaking of the young guns, it would be best to put them in positions to succeed. Both Howard and Savoie have shown flashes of real NHL talent, not just offensively but with the little details that separate the good players from the great ones. Again, playing them in low-event minutes against low competition doesn’t help their development. If the organization believes that these players can help the team now, they should be giving them chances to do so—not grinding out shifts against third pairing defencemen in the neutral zone. The best NHL teams are the ones that are able to use youth to their advantage; Edmonton has the opportunity available, but they need to take it.

Best practices

There are a couple of ground rules that I believe the Oilers should have set when it comes to forward lines. Not requirements, but guidelines that help dictate who plays where and with whom.

1. Take advantage of your depth down the middle. The ability to run McDavid, Draisaitl, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins as your first, second, and third centres is one that no other NHL team has. Build your lines with strength down the middle and create around them.
2. Put playstyles together. Draisaitl needs wingers who can get him the puck. McDavid needs players he can distribute to. Nuge is your Swiss Army Knife centre who can do both. Put players around these guys who help with that.
3. Ensure each line has an identity. Although it sounds cliché, lines do need an identity in the NHL. One line scores, one line plays big and physical, one line is your defensive conscience. Players work best when they have a defined role and know what to do. Help them find that, and the chemistry will come.

With these guidelines in mind, let’s build some lines for these Oilers that not only work on paper but could produce serious chemistry.

First line of Mangiapane-McDavid-Hyman

We know McDavid and Hyman work wonderfully together, so let’s give them a shoot-first winger to pair with. Hyman gets McDavid the puck and goes net-front, McDavid works the zone, and Andrew Mangiapane positions himself for a one-timer.

Now defences need to either commit to McDavid and risk an open pass or block the pass and allow McDavid to attack the net, all while Hyman causes chaos in front.

Line 2 of Podkolzin-Draisaitl-Savoie

This line has actually been used a bit this season, and it’s looked tremendous. Vasily Podkolzin forechecks like a banshee and has a motor that won’t quit. Savoie similarly has a ton of hustle and a good sense of positioning.

These two play off Draisaitl, who can either make space for himself or draw the attention, allowing the wingers to get into good positions. If either Podkolzin or Savoie can finish Draisaitl’s passes, this line will always be a scoring threat.

Third line of Howard-Nugent-Hopkins-Roslovic

This line is all about deception. RNH plays a true 200-foot game and can cover for any hiccups from his wingers. Jack Roslovic has speed for days and an underrated shot. While Howard shoots at almost anything and has a laser for a wrister.

The wingers’ job here is to use quick passes and crafty plays to set up around the zone, while Nuge quarterbacks and plays defensive conscience. Someone should always be open to a shot here.

Line 4 of Henrique-Philp-Frederic

This is your defensive conscience line. Adam Henrique’s speed is beginning to fade (he was never a burner to begin with), but his positioning is still good. Noah Philp has the speed and defensive skill to cover the ice, and Frederic is the banger, big and physical on the glass, always getting in the way.

This line goes to disrupt the cycle and push the pace up ice. Slowing things down in the offensive zone for net-front chances from Frederic and Henrique.

These lines not only pair similar styles of players, but give the young kids a chance and hopefully foster some chemistry between players who have been here a while and players still finding a spot with Edmonton. I would love to see these lines get some real runtime and see how they flow together.