The Oilers and Connor McDavid will be fine

Remember six weeks ago when Connor McDavid said he believes in this year’s version of the Edmonton Oilers and their chances of winning the Stanley Cup?

Well, people seem to be forgetting that pretty quickly.

We’re not even one full month into the NHL season, and already there are people, both inside and outside of Edmonton, pushing this ridiculous narrative that the Oilers captain won’t just sit around patiently while the team pushes through a mediocre start.

That narrative is absolutely insane. And it’s not the only one that’s been irritating me lately.

First off, the Oilers’ start to the season hasn’t been bad. It’s been average.

There are some concerning signs, sure, but this is mainly the same group that’s rebounded from truly horrendous starts in previous seasons.

Last year, through 15 games, the Oilers had 15 points, one less than they do right now.

Back in 2023-24, they had just 11 points through 15 games. They needed a coaching change to spark them, but they eventually turned things around.

This group always starts slow. Whether it’s the goaltending, the lacklustre 5v5 play, sloppy defensive-zone mistakes, or whatever issue is plaguing them in a given year, there’s always something. And they always bounce back.

Do you really think Connor McDavid is sitting there right now questioning whether he should have signed his extension because the Oilers had a bad first month? There’s no chance. He knows this team is more than capable of figuring things out as the season goes on, just like they have in each of the last two years.

They’ll be fine, and their captain knows that.

Secondly, the idea that there’s pressure on Stan Bowman to do something drastic to fix this start is also ridiculous.

Less than a month ago, he signed Jack Roslovic to a bargain one-year, $1.5 million deal that already looks like a great move. He’s the only GM in the league who’s made a significant addition so far this season, and people are still criticizing him.

The Oilers have limited cap space and limited assets. They can’t do anything major until much closer to the trade deadline.

Is there pressure on the front office to win this season? Of course. But that pressure has always been there. It has nothing to do with McDavid’s extension or his discount.

The pressure exists because Edmonton is a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. They’re facing pressure the same way Colorado or Dallas is facing pressure.

Speaking of McDavid’s extension, the notion that he’ll be more frustrated because he took less or that the front office feels extra pressure because of it is idiotic.

His new deal doesn’t even kick in until next summer. He’s still playing on his old contract. There are no cap savings this season. Next year, sure, they’ll have extra money and need to use it wisely. But right now, McDavid’s extension has zero impact on what the front office can or can’t do.

The Oilers haven’t played great hockey yet, and there are multiple reasons for that.

When McDavid and Draisaitl are off the ice, they’re really struggling to generate 5v5 offense. Without those two, they’ve been outscored 16-8 in 367 minutes. That’s flat-out not good enough.

Defensively, they do well in preventing shots, but the breakdowns they do have are brutal and lead directly to goals. The issue isn’t the volume of chances, it’s the quality and timing.

The goaltending has been inconsistent too, but we’ll save that discussion for another day.

There are things they need to clean up, but this team has proven time and time again that they know how to find their game when it matters.

Forget the garbage narratives. Connor McDavid isn’t losing his patience. Stan Bowman doesn’t need to make a panic trade. Kris Knoblauch doesn’t need to be fired. It’s November 5th. The season isn’t even a month old.

If you don’t have confidence in this Oilers team, you simply haven’t been paying attention for the last two years.