TIME IS NOW FOR OILERS
Team looks to take the next step
Despite boasting some of the most familiar faces in the National Hockey League, the Edmonton Oilers head into another season as something of a mystery.
Is this the team that contended for a division title down the stretch, showing the resolve to fight back from a gruesome December slump that would have buried most teams for good?
Or is it the team that wilted badly in the play-in round, allowing itself to get pushed out of its own bubble by the 23rd-ranked team in the league?
Do you focus on a pair of Art Ross and Hart Trophy winners and a lethal power play, or team defence and goaltending that let them down in the clutch?
“That's an interesting question,” said captain Connor Mcdavid as the Oilers gathered for the start of training camp. “It's hard to just dismiss the 70 games that we played but, obviously, we remember the season based on what we did last, and we didn't play very good, obviously.
“I think we build on what we worked on all season long. And we've added some new pieces here, which are exciting. We'll come into camp Day 1 ready to go.”
The questions will be answered in a hurry when the Oilers open an abbreviated and intense regular season on Jan. 13. There won't be any room to hide in what promises to be a wildly entertaining — and revealing — Canadian division.
What doesn't need to be asked, is what the reasonable expectations are for this team. That part is not even up for negotiation.
The Oilers, with their talent and recent history, are long past the point of “hoping” to make the playoffs. This is a team that is not only expected to make it, but expected to make a decent run when they get there.
Enough is enough. The time is now.
“Our message is we have to take another step,” said head coach Dave Tippett. “I thought we did that over the regular season last year, but the play-in round was a step backwards. There is lots to learn from that.”
First and foremost among those lessons is the need to shore up their own end of the ice. It's an area that drowned them in that four-game loss to Chicago, and could again this year if they don't figure it out.
“I don't think we have a problem scoring goals,” said Mcdavid. “It's keeping the puck out of our net. A lot has been made about that. No one is putting their head in the sand here. Everyone understands where we're at. We've got to keep the puck out of our net if we want to be successful.”
The Oilers being successful is long overdue. The players are first to admit the program is behind schedule, but they truly believe they are better for those growing pains. They see a more galvanized and motivated group that's ready to mature into something good.
“I think (the atmosphere) has changed a lot over the years,” said defenceman Darnell Nurse. “A lot of the younger guys are coming into bigger roles now.
I'd say it's a hungrier room than when I first came into the league.
“Whether you're playing a three-on-three game or a fiveon-five game, no one wants to lose out there. Even in the scrimmages before camp. As long as that continues, I think with the talent we have and the passion we have, we'll be a good team.”
Adam Larsson sees it, too, in a leadership group that is ready to break through its own glass ceiling.
“We've been playing together for a long time,” said the veteran defenceman. “We have players who were really young who are now getting older, getting smarter, getting more experienced. We have a really good team here now. We've got a lot pieces. We have a lot of expectations on ourselves. I really hope, and believe, that this is a year where we take a big step.”
It's a step they think would have been taken last year, had the season not been paused for five months. Now, still just as hungry and armed with what they believe is even more depth and talent, you can almost get the sense that just asking them to make the playoffs is setting the bar too low.
“We're looking at a team that showed it pretty much all season,” said Leon Draisaitl. “We were playing for a division title, and that's the team we want to be, and that's the team that I think we will be. Obviously, the playoffs didn't go the way we hoped; we weren't as prepared as we should have been, but I think we're looking at the team that was playing for a division title.”
General manager Ken Holland bolstered that team in the off-season by adding Tyson Barrie to help offset the loss of Oscar Klefbom, Kyle Turris to fill the glaring hole at third-line centre and Dominik Kahun for supplemental scoring up front. And who knows what they'll get out of Jesse Puljujarvi?
As Mcdavid begins his sixth season in search of his second playoff appearance, he believes the pieces are in place to make some noise.
“What Kenny (Holland) and the whole staff have done over the off-season has been amazing,” said Mcdavid.
“They don't have much room to work with, and they were able to add a bunch of good pieces, a bunch of really good players and people. It's up to us as players now.”