National Post (National Edition)
Oilers' finish was no surprise
Stop spinning the facts. Edmonton did not get swept in the first round of the playoffs because Connor Hellebuyck stood on his head. The Oilers were not the better team. They did not deserve better than they received. They did not outplay and outperform the Winnipeg Jets. The reason they lost had nothing to do with bad luck or a bad bounce. A costly penalty did not cause the series to shift. Neither did a costly turnover.
Instead, the Oilers were unable to advance past the first round for the same reason they came up short against the Chicago Blackhawks a year ago: they simply were not good enough.
This team is built to win scoring titles. But they are not built to win in the playoffs — much less win a Stanley Cup.
“It feels like we're light years away,” Connor McDavid said, “but I think we're a lot closer than I think it feels today.”
How close? Well, the Oilers did finish with the second-best record in the North Division. They had the top two scorers in the NHL this year, as well as a defenceman who should receive some votes for the Norris Trophy and a goalie who ranked among the leaders in save percentage. And yet, here they are, with just one playoff round win in the past 15 seasons.
A lot of that is because of the Jets, who showed they are a much better team than they might have shown in the regular season. But the other part was because the Oilers showed they are far less complete of a team than they showed in the regular season.
This is not about staying the course and remaining patient.
That word should be banned forever from Edmonton's city limits. The Oilers are not in the same position as the Tampa Bay Lightning were when they got swept in 2019 and then went on to win a championship a year later.
They aren't close. If they were, they would have added more at the trade deadline. Instead, no one should be surprised with how the series against the Jets unfolded.
In games 1 and 2, Edmonton focused on playing defence and couldn't score. In games 3 and 4, the Oilers tried to score and couldn't defend. It was a fourgame example of an incomplete team.
“We know we're on the right track,” Leon Draisaitl said. “With that being said, we know that it's time for us right now. We don't have another five years.”
That's where Oiler general manager Ken Holland comes in.
The past several years may have handcuffed Holland from breaking out the dynamite and blowing up the roster. But with eight players potentially heading to unrestricted free agency — including centre Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, defencemen Adam Larsson and Tyson Barrie, and goalie Mike Smith — this team could look a lot different than when the season begins next year.
And it had better.
The Oilers don't need to persevere or learn from their mistakes. They need to correct them in free agency and through trades. Not because of the fans, whose patience has already worn thin, but because this organization already has wasted enough of McDavid's and Draisaitl's prime years on this never-ending renovation. And it cannot afford to waste any more.
“Obviously, it's a big off-season, I think,” McDavid said. “We've got a lot of decisions to make — well, I don't have to make them, but the higher powers do … we have a great core here. Leon and Nursey (Darnell Nurse), Nuge, Lars, we want to see this thing through together and we want to do this thing right as a group. It's special to play with these guys.”
It's a nice thought. But if the Oilers are going to get better, they will have to break up their core. While the maturation of Jesse Puljujarvi and top prospects Evan Bouchard and Ryan McLeod will help the team moving forward, Edmonton needs to make some major changes.
The wish list is long. The Oilers need to find an identity beyond having the top-two scoring leaders. They need depth and to become more than just a two-man or a two-line team.
They don't just need a Nikolaj Ehlers and a Kyle Connor to play alongside McDavid and Draisaitl in the top-six. They also need to find an Andrew Copp, an Adam Lowry and a Mathieu Perreault to play in the bottom-six.
They need size and grit and experience. They need players who won't take dumb penalties, who won't panic and throw a grenade up the middle.
They don't need game-breakers. They need game-managers. Smarts and strength might be more important than speed and skill.
A lot was made about how McDavid and Draisaitl failed to make an impact in games 1 and 2. But keep in mind that Auston Matthews also had been held off the scoresheet in two of Toronto's first three games. The only reason no one was talking about it was because William Nylander and others stepped up and provided offence.
No one did that for Edmonton. And while McDavid and Draisaitl are young enough to look toward the future and trying again, the wait is over. The Oilers need to take the next step. And they need to do it ASAP.
“I'm only 24 years old,” McDavid said. “Feels like I've been in the league a long time, but ultimately I'm still a young guy in this league and I've got lots of good years ahead of me.”
Hopefully for Oilers fans, so does the team.