EDMONTON - The Edmonton Oilers’ decision to reunite Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on the top line heading into the 2025-26 season is generating some discussion.
Already a question before Wednesday’s 4-1 pre-season loss to the Seattle Kraken, there is even more uncertainty growing among the fan base.
The pairing, while offensively dynamic together, weakens the depth of the remaining forward lines. The theory is that putting each player on their own line and driving the offense elevates the performance of at least four other players.
Oilers coach Kris Knobluach argued otherwise in a recent media availability.
“For the most part, we can split them, or we can play them together,” Knoblauch told reporters. “One thing when they are playing together, you get a lot more out of the rest of the three lines. That might sound a bit ironic, but the others get more ice time that is available when those two are playing 21 and 22 minutes (apart), there isn’t much ice time left for the third and fourth lines, and often they feel left out.”
Trent Frederic joined McDavid and Draisaitl on the top line on Wednesday. The Oilers only potted one goal against the Kraken, which came off the stick of Andrew Mangiapane after a nice feed from Evan Bouchard. The offense generated shots but lacked the finish that might have come with the two superstars on separate lines.
As for why the Oilers are taking this route, the answer is fairly straightforward.
Zach Hyman is sidelined by injury, and Vasily Podkolzin is temporarily back in Russia following the unexpected passing of his father. The Oilers are shorthanded, meaning they’ll be relying on the offense generated from the two big guns more than they might if all players were available and healthy.
In the meantime, the hope is that someone (currently Trent Frederic) can step up.
“Freddy hasn’t had the opportunity to play top six very much in his career, and we feel that hopefully he can complement them,” Knoblauch said. “He's really good on the walls. I don't think he gets appreciated enough for the playmaking abilities that he does have, and he's also a big body that's not afraid to get to the net.”
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The results on Wednesday were mixed, but Knoblauch says he will stick with it. McDavid and Draisaitl created flashes of offense, but the trio also struggled defensively, each finishing minus-3. Frederic had trouble at times keeping up, but there’s likely a learning curve that will accompany these three as they find the right chemistry.
“If we can help (Frederic) become more productive and successful, then we’re going to do that,” Draisaitl said.
With this experiment far from over, questions about the Oilers’ second and third lines will surface. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Adam Henrique and Mangiapane will need to elevate rookies Matt Savoie and Ike Howard while helping carry the offense across four lines.
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