At The End Of The Day It's Still McDavid And Draisaitl For The Oilers

Cult of Hockey

Published Sep 02, 2023 • Last updated 6 hours ago • 6 minute read

unnamed file 46 1 Leon Draisaitl, left, and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers speak with media at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Tuesday, May 16, 2023. Photo by Shaughn Butts /Postmedia

One of the greatest things about the Edmonton Oilers fan base, from High Level to Red Deer, from Jasper to Lloydminster, is their unrelenting passion.

You can see and hear it as avoid Oilers followers fiercely debate the quality of the 5th or 6th best prospect, to the 113-th and 14th forwards.

But while admirable, the truth is that the Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup hopes still to rest squarely on the shoulders of their two best players.

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That and more in this late August edition of…

9 Things

9. Devin Shore has signed a 1-year, 2-way deal with the Seattle Kraken. Shore was the epitome of a good soldier for the Oilers, so you wish the guy success. But you also expect turnover in your bottom 6, especially in a cap world.

8. The Oilers will have North America’s eyes on them this season. The club will have 18 of its games across American networks in 2023-24, the most in the NHL. Colorado is second at 17. For ages, U.S. networks have focused on U.S. teams. Finally, ESPN and TNT will instead focus on the best players.

7. It is frustrating watching Oilers prospect Nikita Yevseyev continue to be stapled to the bench in the KHL. A prospect can develop in that league…if they play. But Yevseyev was in the single digits in Game 1 of the regular season for Kazan Ak-Bars, about where he was way too many nights in 2022-23.

6. Reid Wilkins’s Inside Sports program on 630 CHED moves to 7-8pm Weeknights as of Tuesday. There are dozens of interview, open-line and opinion-driven Sports shows on radio. But there are precious few magazines like Reid’s where he actually delves into stories as the show’s name promises. I am disappointed we only get an hour of that now, versus two, and later in the evenings. We still, of course, get Wilkins on the pre-and post-game Oilers shows. Reid deserved danger pay for all those post-game shows when the Oilers were bad. More radio in a minute…

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5. There is a real, tangible thing that Ken Holland accomplished when he signed Sam Gagner to a PTO: Holland ramped up the competition way up in the bottom-half of his forward ranks. That is a significant plus without Gagner ever playing another game for the Oilers. It is what good teams have. I think Gagner has a 50-50 chance of making the team. That would improve if injuries hit. As a fan of Sam’s (full disclosure, I root hard for this guy), what I really hope for the player is a final stanza to a proud 1,000+ game NHL career that allows him to hold his head high…whatever that looks like.

4. The hardest thing to predict about the Edmonton Oilers this year is goaltending. I think it is the most difficult thing to read My Cult of Hockey colleague David Staples writes about just that, here. My take: Yes, if Stuart Skinner regresses (not uncommon for 2nd year goalies) and if Jack Campbell continues to struggle, Ken Holland may need to engineer an in-season solution. But it is equally likely Campbell returns to around his career average (.910) and Skinner continues to progress. After all, while Skinner was a rookie in 2022-23, he already had meaningful NHL experience prior to that so I measure him differently. As for Campbell, it often takes a goalie a while to adjust to a new team. We will see.

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3. Sports 1440 on CKJR-AM Westaskiwin will hit the airwaves September 5th. It is a non-rated station in Numeris. Its reach, with a transmitter lower in power relative to what 1260 AM was, will still be from Fort Saskatchewan south to Lacombe and from Spruce Grove to almost Vegreville. But it is a full lineup. Cult of Hockey colleague Bruce McCurdy will appear on Alan Mitchell’s midday show. Kevin Karius will do Mornings. Jason Gregor is spear heading this effort, in addition to hosting his Drive Home show. One thing I’ve always said about Jason: He always puts in the work and this is no different. In the end, all radio is good, there is now more choice, competition makes everyone better, and I wish 1440 well.

2. Bob Stauffer’s Oilers Now program over on 630 AM shifts to 5-7pm as of Tuesday (and will adjust its start time on game days). For a show with the most listeners of any Sports radio show in Edmonton for 39 of the last 40 ratings periods during his old time slot of Noon-2 (Numeris FC, 2+), Bob is most certainly not resting on his laurels. Stauffer’s new lineup of regular guests reads like a nationally syndicated program: Craig MacTavish and Frank Seravalli are on Mondays, Brian Lawton (my personal favorite, he is SO smart) and Rob Brown (terrific story-teller) on Tuesdays, Elliotte Friedman (ultimate insider), and John Shannon Wednesdays. Legendary Ron MacLean and Louie DeBrusk join Bob on Thursdays and then a Seravalli reprise on Fridays along with fan favorite George Laraque. A murderer’s row lineup along with Bob’s inside insight makes the show a must-listen for hockey fans.

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1.Few things give me more confidence in the Edmonton Oilers ability to challenge as Stanley Cup champions than the determined looks of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl this past week at BioSteel NHL camp in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is hard not to feel good when you see the game faces stamped all over your two very best players in August. They sure look dialed in and it is weeks before they will play a meaningful game. If indeed the Oilers can finally break through this season and make it all the way to the finals, even though it is a team game and others will surely contribute, ultimate success will be largely on the backs of McDavid and Draisaitl. If the reasons are not obvious, here is why…

Even if we just stopped at pure goals and points production that would make my case. Connor McDavid’s 64-goal, 153-point campaign and Leon Draisaitl’s 2nd 50-goal season (plus 128 points) are eye-popping. Then, factor in the 22 minutes per night they log. Then, the minutes against elites, the very best competition the other guys can muster in order to stop them. The record-setting power play production. 50%+ faceoff men. They even contribute on the PK. And they have been off-the-charts in the post-season. Daggers in their eyes.

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If these two guys are not the most dominant two hockey players in the world, and perhaps the most dominant teammates in professional sport, then it is a short damn list. So, their performance will be the key driver in any success Edmonton achieves or any defeat they suffer. And (God forbid) if injuries strike one or either of them. That would be critical. Who then steps into those shoes over any significant length of time?

So, while it is all fine and good to debate the fine points on the outskirts of the Oilers roster, look no further than the heart of the batting order when assessing Edmonton’s Stanley Cup chances in 2023-24.

No doubt Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl hope they will be able to clean up.

Now on Threads @kleavins. Also, find me on Twitter @KurtLeavins, Instagram at LeavinsOnHockey, and Mastodon at [email protected]

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