Remember when the Edmonton Oilers got blown out 9-1 at home by Colorado? How about that 8-3 shellacking from Dallas, also at Rogers Place? Remember when they were firmly locked out of the playoff picture, looking like a team that might not even make the postseason?
Yeah, that feels like a lifetime ago.
The Oilers have quietly gone from disaster to dominance, and now they're sitting in first place in the Pacific Division with a vise grip on the top spot. And somehow it happened without much fanfare. One day they were embarrassing themselves at home, the next they're running the division.
So what changed?
Start with the obvious: Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins got healthy. When those two were out, the Oilers' depth evaporated. Hyman's forechecking, net-front presence, and ability to finish around the crease was missing. Nugent-Hopkins' two-way play, playmaking, and chemistry with Connor McDavid left a massive hole. You can't lose players of that calibre and expect to just plug in replacements and be fine. The Oilers learned that the hard way.
Their returns stabilized everything. Lines that were Frankensteined together suddenly made sense again. The power play, which had sputtered without Hyman's presence in front, started producing. Depth scoring returned. Suddenly, the Oilers weren't relying exclusively on McDavid and Draisaitl to drag them through games.
Speaking of McDavid, he's playing the best hockey he's probably ever played. That's saying something for a guy who's already won multiple Hart Trophies and is widely considered the best player in the world. But right now? He's attacking with purpose, taking over games, and dragging his team to victories through sheer force of will.
The goaltending has also stabilized. Stuart Skinner went through a rough patch during those brutal losses, but he got traded. Connor Ingram hasn't sucked. Tristan Jarry will return at some point. Calvin Pickard is still what Calvin Pickard always was—not the problem. When your goalie is giving up 5+ goals at home, confidence throughout the lineup craters. When he's making timely saves and giving the team a chance to win every night, everything else becomes easier.
Defensively, the Oilers have tightened up. They're certainly not perfect, but they're not giving up the easy chances they were earlier in the season. Evan Bouchard is playing more complete hockey. Mattias Ekholm is eating minutes and making life difficult for opposing forwards. The structure is better, the commitment to defending is higher, and the results speak for themselves.
Was the start to the season embarrassing and hard to watch? Absolutely. Getting humiliated at home by those in your conference in lopsided blowouts is inexcusable for a team that says they can win a Stanley Cup. Those games were statements about how far the Oilers had fallen. The effort wasn't there. The structure wasn't there. The pride wasn't there.
But it's over now. The Oilers have righted the ship, and now they're rolling.
Here's the problem, though: this can't become the pattern. The Oilers can't keep doing this thing where they suck for increasingly long stretches, dig themselves massive holes, and then have to claw their way back. It's exhausting. It's stressful. And eventually, the math won't work out. You can't count on being able to win enough games down the stretch to overcome a disastrous start every single season.
How about this instead: secure first place immediately and then maintain it. Novel concept, right? Start strong, build a cushion, and coast into the playoffs with home-ice advantage locked up and your best players rested. Instead of playing every game in March and April like it's life or death because you dug yourself a hole in October and November.
The Oilers have the talent to be the best team in the Pacific from day one. They've proven they can dominate when healthy and engaged. So why not do it from the start next season? Why go through the drama of digging out of a hole when you could just never fall into one in the first place?
Right now, they're in great shape. First place in the division. McDavid playing out of his mind. Key players healthy. They've turned a disastrous start into a dominant position. But the lesson here shouldn't be "we can always come back." It should be "let's never put ourselves in that position again."
The Oilers have shown they can recover from disaster. But they should avoid it entirely.
Bookmark The Hockey News Edmonton Oilers team site to never miss the latest news, game-day coverage, and more. Add us to your Google News favourites, and never miss a story.