Most of us aren't very happy that another season involving the Oilers missing the playoffs for the 9th consecutive year is finally coming to a close. There are many reasons why the Oilers summer is starting early. I've narrowed it down to the 5 biggest reasons the Oilers won't be participating in the postseason and are again stuck at the bottom this season.
5. Lack of Veteran presence
With an average age of 26.236 the Edmonton Oilers are the second youngest team in the NHL. It doesn't help either that none of our top players are older than 24. Unless you consider Derick Roy and Benoit Pouliot top players which I most defiantly do not. Roy and Pouliot are doing great, however they are barely impact players on cup contending teams. We have some older players in the depth roles of our defence. However we don't have a good top two veteran defencemen to carry the load. The Oilers are losing many games because we are forced to rely heavily on our young stars due to the lack of veteran presence in our top roles. Mac T has done an alright job in bringing depth role veterans in our lineup. He's still gonna have to make a splash this summer and bring in veterans that can help our young stars carry this team to the postseason.
4. Lack of size in our top roles and consistent physical play
The Edmonton Oilers are playing in the heaviest, hard-checking division in hockey. They need more size and consistent checking throughout the game. The Oilers beat the Kings last Tuesday because they were the more physical team. They were hitting everything in sight against a team that usually pushes them around like a junior team. The Oilers have one of the smallest top lines in the NHL. They are bound to have troubles being successful against the big teams of the West. Our 3rd and 4th lines are getting bigger and starting pushing back against larger teams. If we can start to integrate big top line players into are system it shouldn't be long until we see some playoff action in oil country.
3. 2nd Line not up to par with NHL powerhouses
The Oilers active second line consist of Purcell - Roy - Yakupov. However when the Oilers are injury free their second line is usually Pouliot - Roy - Yakupov. This is a very very good 3RD LINE and a below average 2nd. It is pretty close though, in a few years Draisaitl will take over the 2nd line centre role so they are really only one accusation away. Depending on who they draft this year could also potentially upgrade our second line significantly. Although, Mac T should not focus on acquiring players for our top 6 forward crop this off season. Unless they come as part of package deal involving a top defencemen or legitimate starting goaltender. Those issues are much more severe than our 2nd line problems.
2. Horrendous defence core
Our defencive core does not even consist of one top two defencemen. Some may argue that Justin Shultz is a top 2 NHL defencemen. He defiantly has the potential to be, However he needs someone else to do the heavy lifting. Justin Shultz could become an outstanding line mate to support a large skilled defencemen. Marincin still is does not look ready for the NHL. You could likely make a very long video of mishaps and turnovers made by young Oilers defencemen this season. Although it may not seem like it our depth is coming along nicely. We are mainly just missing a strong top 2 defencemen to carry the load.
1. Goaltending
The Oilers average less shots against per game than both the Montreal Canadiens and Chicago Blackhawks. Yet they are still dead last in goals against per game. It has been an extremely long time since the Oilers have seen a true number one goalie in their system. Scrivens, Bachman, and Fasth just aren't gonna cut it if we plan on ever being competitive. Mac T has got to lay all his cards on the table this summer to insure start next season with a proven starter that can put the team on his shoulders and steal those tough games like a good starter does. We have a few great rookies in our system but they are still quite a few years away from being starters in the big leagues. So the Oilers are going to have to seek help by acquiring a proven goaltender through free agency or a trade.
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