The Edmonton Oilers can take comfort in knowing that their disjointed efforts in preseason may not and do not have to translate to the regular season. Edmonton lost another game, this time 4-1 to the Vancouver Canucks, and it wasn’t pretty. there should be no excuses. The roster the Oilers iced was as close to their regular season lineup as fans will see and they still look disinterested and clumsy.
Edmonton outshot the Canucks, but got badly outhit. The power play was 0-4, and the lack of chemistry in some cases was troubling.
Every other team can throw away the preseason, but not the Oilers.
Oilers Wanted To Find Their Game, But Didn’t
A short offseason meant less rest for the Oilers than everyone but the Florida Panthers. The team was coming back after what felt like the shortest break for most of these players in their careers. That meant less time skating and nursing bumps and bruises. Preseason was an opportunity for them to find their games and quickly.
There were new faces on this team and a fair bit of changeover. Out was Vincent Desharnais, Warren Foegele, Ryan McCleod, Dylan Holloway, Cody Ceci, Philip Broberg, Sam Carrick, Sam Gagner, and Adam Erne. In was Jeff Skinner, Viktor Arvidsson, Josh Brown, Ty Emberson, Travis Dermott, and others. This team needed time to gel and the preseason was it.
For some odd reason, the coaching staff decided not to play the Oilers’ new second line until the second half of the eight preseason games. The defense pairing of Darnell Nurse and Ty Emberson played together once and not until the final game. There’s a clear hole on the blue line that the team knows they need to address. The group is slower and not as mean. Finally, their penalty kill took a hit.
There is reason to be concerned.
The 2-9-1 Start From Last Season Will Haunt This Team
One of the main reasons preseason matters for any NHL team is because it’s a chance to test prospects, work on special teams, and find line chemistry. For the Oilers, it’s more than that.
This was a team that started the 2023-24 season so badly, there was talk they might not make the playoffs and their results got their coach fired. Connor McDavid said it was important Edmonton avoid another start like that this season and it’s one of the main reasons he wanted to play five out of eight preseason games.
But, to go 3-5 and look so out of sync is not a good sign. Even when the full roster was in, the Oilers looked nothing like the team that went to the Stanley Cup Final. That 2-9-1 record from last year has to be reminding them that things can get ugly in a hurry.
Next: Can Evan Bouchard Capture the Norris Trophy This Season?
