Edmonton Oilers trying a move to get Connor McDavid going again

To do this, Kris Knoblauch is using a familiar trio of skill, grit and speed as the top-line, in an effort to get McDavid going.

Of course, the fact alone that the Oilers are trying to kick-start their Captain, is something new for this team. Usually, it's a given that McDavid will dominate play.

From my perspective, however, it seems that Connor is paying more attention to his defensive responsibilities, and on any given shift, finds himself deeper in his own zone, having to catch-up to the play, rather than dictating it.

This will happen when a team struggles to win games; individuals try to do more.

Also, McDavid has a TOI of 23:00 this year, the highest of his career. At some point, we must admit that he is only human and that fatigue has become a factor. Not just for him, but the Oilers' core group also.

Fans have voiced their concern for McDavid, with most of them raising valid points; namely, that it isn't one thing specifically that contributes to McDavid's and the team's underwhelming play.

Rather, it's an accumulation of many, including fatigue, injuries, mismanagement of ice-time and goaltending, to name only a few.

Sometimes, things just don't go your way. veery team goes through a slump, or has a season where they just can't get going. For the Oilers, the first 27 games is that slump.

Whether it will continue remains to be seen.