McDavid believes Oilers can rebound
‘It’s important that we get back to our level,’ Captain says of team’s recent performance
TORONTO — The whistle blew and Connor McDavid took off. With the puck on his stick and a crowd of campers urging him on, the Edmonton Oilers captain raced towards a set of obstacles that were meant to mimic a team full of defenders. One by one, he deked around them all, carving tight circles into the ice.
The drill, which ended with McDavid beating an actual goalie with a wrist shot, was designed to simulate an actual game situation. But in this case, it must have felt even more real.
After all, there was no one to pass to.
As a two-time defending Art Ross Trophy winner, McDavid scored a league-best 108 points — eight more than he did in 2016-17 and six more than the next-best player. But unlike Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux (102 points) or Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov (100 points), what made his offensive display even more impressive was that he did it without a steady supporting cast.
McDavid’s linemates last year ranged from rookies learning the ropes (Kailer Yamamoto and Ty Rattie) to centremen-turned-wingers (Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins) to whatever warm bodies Edmonton had lying around. No combination seemed to last more than a month. Nothing clicked.
While McDavid and second-line centre Draisaitl both finished in the top-35 in scoring, their next-best forward ranked outside the top-120.
“I think you’re just looking for a little bit of chemistry,” McDavid said after participating at a hockey skills camp run by Power Edge Pro on Tuesday. “It’s funny that we’re still talking about it. It’s been three years now. I was able to find a little chemistry with Nu ge and Ty Rat tie at the end of the year. You hope to come into training camp and stay with someone and build your game with someone.”
If McDavid is going to find chemistry, it will have to be with a re-tread. The same team that finished in 12th-place in the Western Conference last season and had the 12th-worst offence has so far not used the summer to dramatically improve its roster.
Jeff Skinner, who the Buffalo Sabres acquired in a trade last week, would have looked great next to McDavid. On a smaller scale, even Conor Sheary or Thomas Vanek would have been upgrades over what Edmonton currently has. But while the teams around them have been making moves, the Oilers have stood pat.
Their big free agent additions have been depth forwards Tobias Rieder, who scored 12 goals and 13 points with Arizona and Los Angeles last season, and Kyle Brodziak, who had 10 goals and 33 points with St. Louis.
Neither is expected to see any time with McDavid. Then again, based on the rotating door of linemates he’s had in the last few seasons, don’t rule anything out.
“I think the message has been all along that if there was a move to be made, they were going to make it. But nothing too promising came up,” said McDavid. “That’s good. You want to keep the group together. We were a good team two years ago. Obviously the team we were last year wasn’t up to our standards. It’s important that we get back to our level.”
There might be some truth to that.
After trading Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson and Jordan Eberle for Ryan Strome, it might be wise for GM Peter Chiarelli to avoid making another move that could blow up in his face. Or, as McDavid said, perhaps the team is not quite as bad as last year’s record would suggest.
Two years ago, the Oilers were a goal away from reaching the Final and headed into the 2017-18 season as a Stanley Cup favourite. Not much has changed since then. Well, except for Milan Lucic losing a step or two during a disastrous 10-goal season.
It’s unlikely that Lucic regains his stride, but it’s quite possible that goalie Cam Talbot gets back to his old form or that youngsters Yamamoto, Rattie or Jesse Puljujarvi take giant steps forward.
They will have to if they hope to make the playoffs. After all, if last year taught the Oilers anything, it is that McDavid can score as many goals and points as he wants to.
But if you don’t surround him with players who can do the same, the team is going to finish near the bottom.
“I think there just has to be a point where you get sick of losing and you just don’t anymore,” said McDavid, who added he is encouraged by the team’s play in the final months of the season. “Guys came together and guys were sick of where the team was going and they’re ready to play hockey the way it should be and the way that you need to play to win.
“It’s a good learning experience.”