Reviewing some hot takes for the Edmonton Oilers

With the season about to end in a few weeks, I think today is the perfect time to revisit the five hot takes I set back in September for the Edmonton Oilers.

You might be wondering why now and not the offseason? Well all five of them have essentially concluded in one way, so let’s see what I got right! (I didn’t do great FWIW).

Hot take #1: McDavid scores 50+ goals

I was close, but yet so far. Connor McDavid currently has 37 goals on the season, prorated to an entire season, and he’s looking to finish off at around 43. This season has been a weird one for McDavid and his goal-scoring. He went the first seven games averaging just two shots per game and had a single goal to show for it. He then ramped up his frequency of shots, and his goal-scoring skyrocketed from November to January.

Now, after the Olympic Break, he only has three goals in 12 games, and he keeps passing up on shooting opportunities. Before the break, he was on pace for 48, so I was /really close to getting this correct. As well, for those who wonder why I listed this as a hot take:

While on the surface this seems pretty tame, if you take a look at McDavid’s production and actually have watched how he’s played the last two seasons, you’d know that McDavid’s goal-scoring has been pretty much non-existent. Ever since that wonderful 64-goal campaign in 2022–23, he got 32 the next season and only 26 last season. McDavid also had his lowest shots per game rate in his career ever last year.

Verdict: Incorrect

Hot take #2: Mangiapane and Podkolzin combine for 70+ points

Man. This really should have happened. Andrew Mangiapane was booted out of the top-six after a few weeks into the season. but really no reason. He struggled to play any big minutes and was eventually dumped to Chicago. This, along with Viktor Arvidsson the previous season, should have been a slam-dunk fit. (I wonder how Arvidsson is doing in Boston).

Meanwhile, I was spot ON about Vasily Podkolzin!

I don’t think people outside Edmonton know how close Vasily Podkolzin is to breaking out… he had eight goals and 24 points last regular season. It’s not a stretch to say he can score 15 goals and around 30–35 points.

Through 70 games this season, Podkolzin has 16 goals and 31 points. Boom. Half-point. I am proud of this one.

Verdict: Half-correct

Hot take #3: Rust and Luukonen become Oilers

Haha. Well, that’s a stinker. Not only were the Oilers ever close to landing a quality piece like one of these players, but Pittsburgh and Buffalo did not even sell. They’re both slated to have home ice advantage in the playoffs.

Hockey is unpredictable, but wow, I was totally off the mark on this prediction.

Verdict: Incorrect

Hot Take #4: Savoie has more success than Howard

Boom! Another correct take. Matthew Savoie has been quite good in his rookie season thus far. He is such a smart, two-way player for his age. He has great passing instincts, skates hard and fast, a dog on the penalty kill, and his finishing is starting to come around. He’s likely to finish around ~32–35 points and will be in the top seven surely in Calder voting.

I do think Isaac Howard will be a solid player in this league, but like I alluded to in September, he hadn’t played a single pro game in his career. I think next season is when you’ll see him flourish.

The main reason for this is Howard has yet to play pro hockey. It’s a huge change from the NCAA to the NHL and Howard may need some seasoning in Bakersfield. Even though he possesses a hell of a shot, he may need work on his defensive game and other tools for the pros.

Verdict: Correct

Hot Take #5: Rematch and win against Florida

Florida isn’t making the playoffs, so I got this wrong already. The Oilers are in tough to even make the second round, if we’re being honest. This team hasn’t strung three good games in a row all season.

Yes, we know they can flip the switch, but there’s major questions with the roster that wasn’t even there last year, where we felt they’d get smoke by L.A. Time will tell, but for right now…

Verdict: Incorrect

Final Score: 1.5/5