Ryan McLeod has been struggling greatly in the playoffs, and after last game, Oilers General Manager Ken Holland spoke with him.
The most recent release of the Oilers+ behind the scenes content showed the locker room fired up after their Game 7 win over the Canucks, but Ryan McLeod was noticeably dejected after a brutal game. McLeod made a brutal giveaway that lead directly to a goal and took a double minor penalty that nearly sparked a Canucks comeback. Oilers GM Ken Holland looked like he was comforting McLeod and assuring him with his confidence.
Connor McDavid also came by to comfort McLeod, and both gestures were incredible to see, especially from the General Manager. It's incredible leadership from the highest level of the team to instil confidence in their homegrown third line center. McLeod has the speed and ability to succeed in the playoffs, but simply hasn't put his game together to match the physicality and intensity of the opponents. After his giveaway, Knoblauch noticeably benched McLeod, seemingly fed up with his play.
Hopefully he can be rejuvenated by this vote of confidence. As the playoffs wear on, every player needs to make a contribution to the success of the team, and McLeod simply needs to do more.
Also interestingly at the end of the Oilers locker room clip, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl seemed to be calling out their teammates for the quality of their passes. Connor led the speech demanding more from the Oilers in the final two rounds and Leon joined in soon after. Clearly, the Oilers stars know they need to continue to elevate their game until they reach the goal of a Stanley Cup.
With this kind of leadership coming from the highest levels of the Oilers organization and their star players, they're demonstrating they know exactly what it takes to win - now they just need the whole team to come together and execute.
