As Mike Babcock revives the controversial "nuclear strategy," fans fear a top-heavy lineup could once again undermine Edmonton’s depth despite the duo's undeniable offensive chemistry.
Mike Babcock likes Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl together.
A lot of Edmonton Oilers fans would prefer to see them apart, considering how many coaches have reached the same conclusion as Babcock and how often Edmonton has eventually gone back to having its two best players centre their own lines.
Todd McLellan used McDavid and Draisaitl together, as did Dave Tippett, Jay Woodcroft and Kris Knoblauch as the "nuclear strategy". Each had his own reasons for doing it, and each had the rather convincing option of putting two of the best offensive players beside each other whenever the Oilers needed more from their offence.
There were plenty of times when it worked.
McDavid and Draisaitl have played some exceptional hockey together over the years, and the production between them makes it difficult to argue that the combination itself has ever been the problem.
But one has to take a step back and look at the rest of the lineup.
Draisaitl has long since proven he can centre his own line, and having him do so gives Edmonton the chance for McDavid to take one draw while Draisaitl takes another, and the Oilers can spend most of the night with one of them driving a line.
It makes sense that some fans don’t particularly like hearing that Babcock wants to move away from that.
Just forgive us for wondering whether the history of McDavid and Draisaitl playing together should determine what Babcock does with them now. Oilers fans aren't wrong about what they’ve seen, and Edmonton has struggled to find enough offence behind McDavid and Draisaitl when they were together. Separating them has often led to a better distribution of talent across the top six.
The Oilers, however, hired Babcock to coach differently than before, even if that means committing to something his predecessors had previously used when nothing else seemed to work. If Babcock believes the players in Edmonton will make it possible for McDavid and Draisaitl to play together, there’s some logic in seeing whether he’s right before asking him to change it.
It was Kris Knoblauch who spent last season watching lines struggle and decided to move Draisaitl onto McDavid’s wing in response. Babcock has had time to look at the roster he has, consider how he wants to use it and decide that, at least for now, he likes the idea of his two best players playing together.
That’s hardly an unreasonable conclusion. But again, it's not the only one.
The Oilers have a Hart Trophy winner in Draisaitl. It's not as if he needs to be on McDavid's wing to produce at a high pace, and taking advantage of that ability has obvious benefits for a team that has spent much of the past 10 years trying to find enough offence outside of the top line.
There’s also no guarantee Babcock keeps them together once the season starts.
That he likes the combination now doesn’t prevent him from changing his mind after seeing it, nor does it mean McDavid and Draisaitl have to remain attached when the score changes, a different team calls for a different approach, or the roster needs a new look.
We’d expect there to be some movement there.
What works in October might not work in January, and what makes sense against one team might make considerably less sense against another.
For now, Babcock thinks having McDavid and Draisaitl together makes the Oilers better.
Fans know to question him on this, as they should. Babcock, however, should get the opportunity to find out if they’re right.
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.
