Evaluating if the Edmonton Oilers are still cup contenders

For the third straight season, the Edmonton Oilers have had an awful start to the year. The team currently sits in fifth place in the Pacific Division and has a record of 4–3–3 in its last ten games.

During the offseason, several moves gave the roster a different outlook. Has this damaged the team’s overall chemistry? Or is it just another slow start in Oil Country? At this point, they certainly are not contenders to begin the year.

Let’s take a look at why the Oilers may be doing so poorly to start the season.

A bad habit of bad starts

As briefly mentioned before, this is the third straight season that the Oilers have started off on the wrong foot. One could argue that this should not be worried about since the last two seasons resulted in runs to the Stanley Cup Final. However, these bad starts may eventually become difficult to recover from. The slow start certainly does not put bets in their favour. Beginning the season on a bad note has become a poor habit for the Oilers.

We saw this kind of start in the previous two seasons. Last year, the Oilers started the season with a 4–6 record, suffering embarrassing losses in their first three games. Fortunately, the team really began to hit its stride in early December, when it won eight out of ten games.

This momentum carried on into January, as the Oilers began to dominate the entire NHL. Believe it or not, the start of the 2023–24 season was even worse. The Oilers began the season with a jaw dropping 2–10 record through their first twelve games. Significantly, this team went on a historic run in December when they won sixteen straight games. Looking at these old statistics definitely lowers the stress levels on another rough start.

The recent win against the Columbus Blue Jackets may have been exactly what this team was looking for. One could argue that they did not deserve to win this game, but there were many positive takeaways from this game. Edmonton battled back from a deficit late in the third and managed to get a clutch win in overtime. This win will provide lots of good vibes going into the upcoming seven-game road trip.

Lineup uncertainties

To this point of the season, Connor McDavid has been the one to pull the team up when they are down. It’s the same thing that has happened over the last three years. Yes, a superstar talent like him is supposed to be your best player, but there is going to come a time when the captain is tired of pulling everyone else’s weight. There needs to be more consistency when everyone else needs to show up throughout the entire season.

Dating back to last season, the current roster has lost some important players. Corey Perry, Evander Kane, Connor Brown, and Jeff Skinner all moved on to different teams in the offseason. Skinner and Kane were not all that important last season, but they were still part of a Stanley Cup Final caliber team. The loss of Perry and Brown has had an impact early on in the season. Perry’s veteran presence is gone now, and Brown’s speed and penalty-killing abilities are missing from the bottom-six. Matthew Savoie and Isaac Howard have been acceptable replacements, but these young players require some time to develop their game.

The most significant loss for the Oilers this season has been Zach Hyman. He got injured back in the playoffs of last year and has yet to return to the lineup. Hyman is potentially the most important forward on the team behind McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. His goal scoring and energy are unmatched by anyone else. Once he is back in the lineup, this team could really turn the ship in the right direction.

What lies ahead for Edmonton

Looking ahead in the month of November, the Oilers do not have an easy schedule. First of all, they hit the road for seven straight games, making stops in tough opposing cities such as Carolina, Washington, Tampa Bay, and Florida. The Oilers have a sickening record of 2–7 on the road this season. This seven-game stretch could be a key factor in determining how the remainder of the season will go. Easier opponents such as Buffalo, Philadelphia, and Columbus will be must win games.

After this gruelling road trip, the Oilers get a much needed rest. To end the month of November, they get the last six of eight days off. They only have one more home game this month, which will come against the Dallas Stars on the 25th.

Just like the previous two seasons, this team will look to get hot at the beginning of December. Luckily enough, that month begins with a five-game homestand. This will provide them a great chance to swing their season in the right direction.

What do you think needs to happen for the Oilers to improve? Is a change in net needed?