Edmonton Hockey Daily has no direct affiliation to the Edmonton Oilers, NHL or NHLPA
Oilers biggest problem this season hasn't been their goaltending
Photo credit: Jim Rassol - USA Today Sports
The Edmonton Oilers' biggest position of need is surely goaltending, and although their tandem has struggled, the concerning problems lie with the defence.
It's a total shock to see the Oilers regress to their current level defensively. This is entirely the same group of veteran defenders that posted elite results last year and in the playoffs.
Heading into this season, top analysts at the Athletic even ranked the Oilers defence as the best in the NHL. So what on earth is going on this year?
Oilers defensive results rank near-worst in NHL
Oilers analyst Jason Gregor crunched some numbers, and found absolutely horrendous results through the first 25 games this year.
They are 31st in goals against/game at 3.72.
They are 31st in goals against/game 5×5 at 2.64.
They have allowed the most slot area scoring chances (71) in the NHL via Clear Sight Analytics.
They rank at the bottom of most scoring chances, after being a top-10 team overall last year. Defensively, they've been horrendous.
- Jason Gregor
They are 31st in goals against/game 5×5 at 2.64.
They have allowed the most slot area scoring chances (71) in the NHL via Clear Sight Analytics.
They rank at the bottom of most scoring chances, after being a top-10 team overall last year. Defensively, they've been horrendous.
- Jason Gregor
Oilers fans have seen it play out on the ice all through this season. Bouchard has turned a corner this month, but was heavily criticized earlier this season. Ekholm looks to be showing his age. Walman is often injured. Darnell Nurse is regressing further away from his $9.25M salary. Even the steady Brett Kulak has struggled.
When every player at one position regresses, it's probably not just the players. Sure they're making mistakes, but systemic failure is on the coaching staff.
Losing Paul Coffey was a serious blow to this team, and Mark Stuart's inexperience as an assistant coach is starting to come into question. Ultimately, Coach Knoblauch needs to find a way to adjust, and get his defence out from underwater.
These are the same defenceman that had incredible success last season. They can find it again.
| POLL | ||
3 HOURS AGO | 41 ANSWERS Oilers biggest problem this season hasn't been their goaltending Who's to blame for the massive defence problems? | ||
TRENDING NOW
