The Oilers had a well deserved day off yesterday, and will be off until Saturday night when the Tampa Bay Lightning come to town. While Edmonton has lost five of their last six, they have gotten points in six of eight games this month and still sit in playoff position as of this writing.
The problem is that while the Oilers are collecting loser points (three this month) they are leaving a lot of points on the table. They should have been able to hang on in Buffalo, and the same goes for their loss in Philadelphia a week ago. The Oilers also had ample chances to beat the Wild in both of their meetings but just couldn’t finish those games off.
A big issue for Edmonton? They aren’t getting any secondary scoring right now. Connor McDavid has been sensational, while Leon Draisaitl is now driving a line, but outside of that the Oilers are really lacking up front.
They aren’t getting the production they need from players like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (we talked about this last week here), Jordan Eberle or Benoit Pouliot. I know many will say this is beating a dead horse, but this is a serious issue right now.
I don’t think it is an overreaction or too dramatic to say that the Oilers could miss the postseason because of a lack of production from some highly paid secondary scorers.
The Culprits:
When the Oilers traded Taylor Hall in June, it essentially signaled that they were making Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl the main two men up front. It became their team and everyone else became secondary pieces. That includes Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who were once thought to be backbone pieces for the Oilers.
Neither has performed in their role this season and it’s taking a huge toll on the Oilers. Without them contributing offensively, the Oilers haven’t received nearly enough secondary scoring.
Eberle has decent enough boxcar numbers (8-15-23 in 32 games) but he’s been awful offensively for about a month now. Eberle has just one goal in his last eleven games and has scored only five goals since the start of November. Four of those goals came in two games, when Eberle tallied a pair on 11/8 and 11/23.
This is a goal scorer that, quite frankly, isn’t putting the puck in the net. An even bigger issue? Eberle has been extremely quiet as of late. Outside of his strong three assist game against the Ducks on 12/3, he really hasn’t been creating any chances. He’s not playing good hockey.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is right behind him. RNH is supposed to be Edmonton’s strong two-way center, but he really hasn’t been that player this season. Defensively he’s taken a step back and offensively he hasn’t been the same. RNH has registered just ten EV points all season has just two goals during five-on-five action. His powerplay production is also way down. Overall, RNH is an underwhelming 5-10-15 in 32 games. He needs to be better.
Lastly, Benoit Pouliot has been a huge disappointment this season. His 5-2-7 in 28 games simply isn’t enough for a player making over $4 million annually. He’s also not playing his aggressive style away from the puck, which has essentially turned him into a neutral player at best. He really hasn’t been able to generate many positives for this team since October.
The good news with Pouliot? He’s looked a lot better lately, and he might have a home on the wing with Leon Draisaitl. He’s posted 2-1-3 since the start of the month, which has seen him play in seven games. That’s more around the expected output for him.
These men aren’t alone, however. The Oilers need a little more out of Patrick Maroon, Zack Kassian and Drake Caggiula offensively, if we’re being honest.
Put A Little Fixin’ On It:
If the Edmonton Oilers want to make the postseason in April, they need to fix their secondary scoring issues. The Oilers are done with their hardest portion of the season and they are still in a playoff position. If they fix their secondary scoring, they should be able to make the playoffs for the first time since 2006. Seriously.
Could Edmonton accomplish this with a trade? I think they could, but I’m not sure how likely that is. Jarome Iginla is an option, but after that the list is thin. Radim Vrbata, Martin Hanzal, Alex Burrows, Brian Gionta and PA Parenteau could be options, but none of those guys are gonna fix this issue on their own.
One thing Todd McLellan could do? Change up his lines and let McDavid and Draisaitl run a loaded up top six. I leave you with my idea to fix this issue. Feel free to leave your ideas in the comments section.
Milan Lucic – Connor McDavid – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Benoit Pouliot – Leon Draisaitl – Jordan Eberle
Patrick Maroon – Drake Caggiula – Jesse Puljujarvi
Zack Kassian – Mark Letestu – Tyler Pitlick
I think it’s the right thing to do.
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