New general manager, new coach, new saviour.
The Edmonton Oilers had an 11.5 per cent chance to land the first overall pick in last April’s draft lottery and got lucky to receive its fourth first overall selection in six years. In came phenom Connor McDavid, which ostensibly led to a rapid makeover from the front office down to ice level.
Enter Peter Chiarelli. Enter Todd McLellan. Enter McDavid. Enter a fanbase that’s endured an unreasonable amount of losing for nearly a decade while the Oilers fumbled and bumbled season after season despite an improbable run of draft lottery victories.
It’s all about to change…at least that’s what we’ve been led to believe. The Oilers walked away from the off-season feeling good, having added a top-four defenceman via free agency in Andrej Sekera and goaltender Cam Talbot in a trade with the Rangers. It’s your 2015-16 Edmonton Oilers, and they’re all out of excuses.
Head coach: Todd McLellan
GM: Peter Chiarelli
Team payroll: $68,511,249
Last season record: 24-44-14
Goals for: 198
Goals against: 283
PP: 17.7 per cent (ranked 19th in the NHL)
PK: 76.7 per cent (ranked 28th in the NHL)
Corsi for per 60: 52.6 (via stats.hockeyanalysis.com)
Key acquisitions: Eric Gryba, Lauri Korpikoski, Mark Letestu, Anders Nilsson, Griffin Reinhart, Andrej Sekera, Cam Talbot, Connor McDavid
Key departures: Richard Bachman, Viktor Fasth, Matt Fraser, Boyd Gordon, Martin Marincin
Rookies to Watch: Connor McDavid, Darnell Nurse, Kyle Platzer, Bogdan Yakimov
Highlight of 2014-15
The golden ticket.
Pre-season letter grades
Forwards
The addition of McDavid gives the Oilers a very nice look down the middle along with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The top-six group appears strong on paper, especially given the play of Nail Yakupov down the stretch last season. McDavid, RNH, Yakupov, Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, and Benoit Pouliot should be a lot of fun to watch. Letestu and Korpikoski are improvements to the bottom-six group, to boot. GRADE: B
Defence
The Oilers have struggled to ice an NHL calibre defence corp for years. Sekera gives the club some semblance of a top-pairing player, but there’s still something to be desired on the back end. How well this group performs may ultimately depend on players like Justin Schultz and Oscar Klefbom taking big steps in their development. Reinhart is intriguing in that he hasn’t been afforded a real NHL opportunity yet and should see one in Edmonton. Of course, Nurse could be a boon to the Oilers’ hopes if he proves to be ready for the NHL. GRADE: C
Goaltending
Ben Scrivens struggled with No. 1 goalie duties last season, albeit on a very bad team. He is expected to give way to Talbot, who will be handed the reins to begin the 2015-16 season. Talbot was fantastic in limited work with the New York Rangers over the past two campaigns. He’s been plucked out of a favourable situation in the Big Apple and now we’ll see if he was merely a byproduct of great defence or a true No. 1. Regardless, he’s an improvement. We’ll bump the grade up if Talbot passes his practical exam. GRADE: C+
The Oilers will have a successful season if… McDavid ignites one of the league’s most impressive groups of young forwards, Nurse and/or Reinhart flash some top-four ability, and Talbot proves to a legitimate No. 1 goaltender. The Oilers will be better, but they’re far from a complete project. Nugent-Hopkins may be the best talent not named McDavid and he’s emerging as an elite centre. Consider him the X-factor. The fans want playoffs, but merely competing for a post-season berth would be considered a successful season for this group.
The Oilers will have a disappointing season if… Talbot crashes and burns behind a flimsy defence corp, Hall can’t stay healthy, Chiarelli enters ‘blow it up’ mode at the deadline, and the club is closer to competing for another lottery pick than the post-season.
