Top Questions Surrounding Edmonton Oilers Entering the 2022-23 Season

With the Edmonton Oilers season getting underway tonight, let’s take a look at the top questions surrounding the team heading into this season.

Is the Duo of Jack Campbell and Stuart Skinner the Answer in the Crease?

The Edmonton Oilers have battled question marks in goal for what seems to be decades now. Whenever the team fell short, it was always easy to place the blame in the crease. 

And the fanbase has grown tired of this song and dance. Everyone seems to know how to fix the issue yet year after year the Oilers wouldn’t make a trade or would pass on drafting goalies, as they did with Jesper Wallstedt.

But the Oilers decided to finally rectify the problem this offseason. 

A long-term deal was signed by former Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender, Jack Campbell, and a promotion given to longtime project, Stuart Skinner, was made. 

So the question is, is this duo better than last year’s duo of Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen?

Smith and Koskinen both pulled duty admirably. They endured a difficult campaign last season, as both goalies were out for extended periods of time. The result was not being able to lean on one another and the workload proved far too great for a 40-year-old goaltender and a career backup. 

But they showed flashes of brilliance and still led the Oilers to their first Western Conference Final since 2006. 

But that wasn’t enough. The fans weren’t happy with the inconsistent performances and wanted more confidence in their crease. 

So in comes Jack Campbell to take over the reins. 

Campbell has had his fair share of consistency issues over in Toronto. But something about getting a goalie in their prime, paired with a proven track record, seems to have ignited new hope in the fans of Alberta’s capital. 

The biggest issue I see here is going to come down to workload. 

Campbell has never started more than 50 games in an NHL season. And though that would be okay in the NHL’s evolved 1a, 1b, splits we see from today’s goaltending tandems, his partner, Skinner, has only 14 NHL games under his belt.

Doubts as to whether either goalie can handle an increased workload are fair.

That’s a lot to gamble on for a team in the midst of their championship window that so desperately needs help and consistency on the back end.

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Can the Oilers Defend like a Championship Calibre Team?

Here’s another song and dance the Oil’ faithful are growing tired of. 

During the Connor McDavid era, there has never been a question about the teams’ offense. 

The Oilers boast two of the game’s most prolific players in McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and with those two on the ice, goals are plenty. 

But unlike the goalie debacle that has plagued the Oilers’ crease for years, Edmonton’s management has actively been improving their defense for the last few years. 

Drafting Evan Bouchard (2018), Philip Broberg (2019) Luca Munzenberger (2021), and Markus Niemelainen (2016), shows an emphasis by management to address this area of weakness.

Evan Bouchard showed last season that he is ready to be relied on as a top-minute guy. 

Darnell Nurse is also a minute-muncher who is the team’s Swiss army knife on the blue line.

Brett Kulak, who came over from Montreal late last season, has been a great addition as a stay-at-home piece on the second pairing. 

And Cody Ceci has proven that his days in Ottawa of being a minus defender are well behind him. 

But defense is a team effort. And if the Oilers want to have any sort of post-season success, they will need a full 200-foot effort from everyone in their lineup, not just the defense.

Jay Woodcroft will implement a system that focuses on two-way play. And with players like Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Kailer Yamamoto, and rookie Dylan Holloway, the Oilers are well situated with their depth to accomplish this task.

The pieces are there, now it’s up to the players to buy in. 

Will Evander Kane and Jesse Puljujarvi Finally Bring Stability to McDavid’s Wings?

One problem that has faced the Oilers since the McDavid era is how to bring stability to his line.

The former first-overall pick and consensus best player on the planet has had difficulty finding chemistry with linemates.

One would think that when you’re that good at hockey that it shouldn’t matter who you play with. But the speed at which McDavid plays the game makes it rather difficult for others to keep up.

There has been a carousel of players flanking the Oilers’ captain over the years but last season brought a glimmer of hope for maintaining a stable line. 

Evander Kane was brought over at the midway point of last season. The power forward was placed on the left side of McDavid and immediately found success to the tune of 22 goals in 43 games.

The chemistry between Kane and McDavid was evident. The former fourth-overall pick enjoyed his most blistering pace in the scoring department playing next to the game’s top player. 

That chemistry poured over into the playoffs and, now, on the heels of an extension, the Oilers will hopefully get to see a full season of the duo lighting up the scoresheet. 

On the other side is another former fourth-overall pick, Jesse Puljujarvi. 

The young Finn started last season on the right side and saw his best games as an NHL’er. 

Jesse started the year on a six-game point streak. And after being held scoreless two games after, he fired off four goals in the team’s next three games.

But a bout with Covid would stall Puljujarvi’s season. When he returned to action, he had clearly lost a step and the production was gone. 

The Oilers would try the speedy Yamamoto on the top line but his performance came with mixed reviews. 

Puljujarvi will get a second crack at the top line to start the year. Head coach Jay Woodcroft believes after a strong offseason that the powerful winger is up for the task. And, barring an injury, he should cement himself as the team’s top right winger. 

What are the Expectations for the Oilers in an Improved Pacific Division?

The obvious expectation for the Oilers’ players and fans is to win the Stanley Cup.

After making the Western Conference finals last year and bolstering their roster, anything short of a Stanley Cup will feel like a failure.

But the season is a marathon and we are many months and games away from when the Cup is handed out in June.

So what will this team look like on its journey to early summer?

There is plenty of excitement in the dressing room and the boys are hungry to get back out there. The Oilers will certainly start off with plenty of energy to jumpstart the year. 

The Oilers averaged 3.48 goals per game en route to a 104-point, fifth-place finish in the Western Conference. 

One could argue that the Oilers had the luxury of playing in a relatively weak division and conference. Often resulting in lopsided victories and boosted team stats.

The Blue and Orange rolled to a 22-4 record against non-playoff opponents in their conference, outscoring their opposition 103-64.

This is in comparison to a 14-9 record against playoff foes where they were, despite a winning record, outscored 77-81.

Aside from the Arizona Coyotes and Chicago Blackhawks, every team in the west saw improvements that will be felt this season. 

The Oilers are still a powerhouse of offense and should keep their scoring rate up. But their margin of victory will probably inch closer together. 

The importance of a complete, 200-foot game will be imperative this season. Especially if they look to replicate another 100+ point campaign. 

Answers Await

These questions certainly won’t get answered in tonight’s season opener.

But as we leave the preseason behind and embark on game one of 82, we get our first real glimpse into a team with championship dreams and a will to leave their fanbase with only one question by season’s end.

Where will we plan the parade?