Surprising Oilers who have stepped up to fill gap left by McDavid, Draisaitl

There is never a good time for the Edmonton Oilers to be without Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

Luckily for the team, it has rarely experienced that. The Oilers’ 5-4 win against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday was just the third time in 10 seasons that McDavid and Draisaitl were both out of the lineup, and the first time because of injuries. (The Oilers held McDavid and Draisaitl out of the regular-season finales in 2021-22 and 2023-24 so they could rest ahead of the playoffs.)

Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters Monday that his superstar centres are not expected to play this week. Knoblauch also said this is an opportunity for others to step up as the playoffs approach.

“We hope in the long run this is good for us,” Knoblauch told reporters. “Do we ever want (McDavid and Draisaitl) out of the lineup? No. (In) the short term, it’s harder for us to win games and move up in the standings, and we want to win as many games as possible. But, collectively, we want to be at our best for the playoffs. That’s the most important thing, and this little break without having those two, maybe that helps other guys find their games.”

McDavid’s and Draisaitl’s absences have afforded Ryan Nugent-Hopkins an extended run at centre, which has done wonders for his game. Edmonton’s longest-serving player has nine points in his past four games, including his first hat trick in six years, against the Kraken.  

Since shifting back to centre five games ago, Nugent-Hopkins has exhibited pinpoint accuracy on his passes. He has completed six of his eight pass attempts into the slot (75 per cent) — a huge jump from his season average of 58.7 per cent — and 58 of his 68 attempts in the offensive zone (85.3 per cent).

In the win against Seattle on Saturday, Nugent-Hopkins had 34 successful offensive-puck touches — tied with Evan Bouchard and Darnell Nurse for the team lead and around six more than his season average.   

“His best games this year, a lot of them have been him playing centre,” Knoblauch told reporters last week. “(When you’re playing) on the left wing, you just don’t have the same flow. … When you get to play (down the) middle, you’re always moving.”

Jeff Skinner, whose 1,066 career regular-season games without a playoff appearance are the most in NHL history, is also starting to prove his worth down the stretch. The veteran forward has been in and out of the lineup as a healthy scratch this season, spending most of his time in the bottom six.

Over the past two games, though, Skinner has scored three goals while also recording his two highest ice-time totals of the season. Before McDavid suffered his lower-body injury, Skinner started twice while on left wing on McDavid’s line opposite Zach Hyman. They generated 72.1 per cent of the expected goals and outscored their opponents 4-0 at even strength. Seven of the 13 scoring chances created by that line came off the rush, which plays to Skinner’s strengths.

Knoblauch scratched Skinner four times over six games between Feb. 25 and March 8. In the seven games since Skinner rejoined the lineup, he ranks third on the Oilers in both offensive-zone carry-ins (24) and rush scoring chances (seven).

If Knoblauch decides to keep Nugent-Hopkins at centre instead of putting him back on the left side of the top line, Skinner could be the best fit alongside McDavid and Hyman.

“He’s used his legs a lot more,” Oilers defenceman Mattias Ekholm told reporters. “I just think he looks rejuvenated. … Sometimes with players like that, they're almost like a magnet to the puck. The puck just seems to find him right now.”

The Oilers learned the importance of secondary scoring during their run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last season. McDavid and Draisaitl, as always, will determine Edmonton’s playoff fate. But the contributions of Nugent-Hopkins, Skinner and others will go a long way.