Edmonton Oilers 2023-24 NHL Season Preview
Nobody posed a bigger threat to the Vegas Golden Knights on their way to a Stanley Cup championship. Is this finally the year that Connor McDavid lifts the Stanley Cup? As we dissect every team heading into the 2023-24 NHL season, should we expect anything different from what we saw from the Edmonton Oilers a season ago? Enjoy your preview of the Oilers!
Line Combination (Combinations Obtained via DailyFaceoff.com)
Not shown is the goalie tandem (Jack Campbell and Stuart Skinner) which remains unchanged from a year ago.
It should be the same old story again for the Oilers. They have the best powerplay unit in the league. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are still monsters. The bottom six forward lines are still dreadful and the team defense still isn’t at an acceptable level.
New Faces
The team is virtually the same as it was a season ago. It’s hard to make additions when you have zero cap space to work with. The lone addition worth talking about is Connor Brown, who could be the steal of the offseason.
Brown signed a weird incentive-laden contract with Edmonton that will cost the team the minimum for this year. If Brown is healthy, he can earn up to $4 million, but those costs will be pushed toward the cap next year.
Brown is an enormous addition *if healthy*. Brown, 29, played in just four games last year for Washington prior to tearing his ACL. The problem is Brown is almost never healthy and hasn’t played a full NHL Season since 2018-19.
If healthy, Brown is a huge addition and is expected to fill the top line right wing spot. Brown can also put in quality minutes on the penalty kill as well. Brown has never had a guy like McDavid centering him and could be poised for a huge bounce-back campaign. Just needs to actually stay on the ice.
Three Players To Watch
- Connor McDavid
Yes, I know this one is super obvious, but I don’t think people quite understand what they’re missing from an entertainment perspective. McDavid is the greatest athlete in any sport. I’m not sure how it’s arguable. He’s a total alien and anyone willing to say another answer doesn’t watch hockey. It’s just a fact.
Even if you’re not an Oilers fan, you should be watching McDavid on a nightly basis. He’s that good. I genuinely feel bad for people who have never seen a McDavid game in person. It’s like something you have never seen before.
- Leon Draisaitl
The scary part is that there are nights when Leon Draisaitl is the better player. It’s the best duo in hockey. You don’t even have to watch the games. Just watch him and McDavid work together on the powerplay. More people need to appreciate what these two do on a nightly basis.
How is the wrist doing? They’re going to need big daddy Kane to score goals. This team turns into a different animal when Kane is pocketing goals in the back of the net. He wasn’t the same guy after he took a skate to the wrist. Let’s hope the form returns heading into this year. You can say whatever you want about Kane, he’s damn good at hockey and a total prick on the ice. The Oilers buzz at a different level when Kane is being a pest. It can’t be stressed enough how important he is to their success.
Biggest Riser
Evan Bouchard has to be the answer here. Dumping Tyson Barrie in the Mattias Ekholm deal did wonders for this team. It gave Bouchard the opportunity to play with McDavid and Draisaitl on the top PP unit and he took full advantage of it. Bouchard posted 19 points in the final 21 regular season games with Edmonton.
Buy Bouchard stock now while you still can. He’s going to eat points this year. I wouldn’t be surprised if he scores 15-20 goals either. The dude has a WICKED shot. I mean WICKED.
Biggest Faller
Identifying a No. 1 defenseman is a large hurdle toward becoming a Stanley Cup winning team. I think we have our answer on Darnell Nurse. I really like the player but he’s grossly overpaid. He was terrible in the series against Vegas last year and was part of the reason why they lost the series. It doesn’t help that Cody Ceci is his partner at five-on-five either. It doesn’t help that Ekholm probably doesn’t have a ton of quality years left either.
The Biggest Question Is…
Will Jack Campbell regain his form? That should be the number one question as it pertains to the Oilers. Campbell was terrible last year. He even admitted as such. Stuart Skinner, however, impressed as a rookie and will look to continue improving heading into year two. Imagine how good this team would be if they got high-end goalie play? Campbell, 31, sported an .888 SV% last year and is under contract through the 2026-27 NHL Season while carrying a $5 million AAV. Are we sure they can’t trade him along with a couple first round picks in a way to upgrade the roster?
Verdict
If 97 and 29 are healthy and on the ice, we know the Oilers are going to be really good again. The Edmonton Oilers remain a Stanley Cup contender unless that part of the equation changes.
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