While McDavid and Draisaitl get the fanfare, the Oilers wouldn't be where they are without these three players.

The Edmonton Oilers are an old team.

In fact, with an average age of 30.1, they're the oldest team in the NHL. One downside to having such a veteran-heavy team is that things can get predictable, there just aren't as many breakouts to dream on. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are in the top five in leaguewide scoring. Evan Bouchard is sixth among defencemen in points. The goaltending is fine. Ho hum.

But there have in fact been some pleasant surprises in Oil Country this season. So let's take a moment to highlight a few of the underrated players who have helped the Oilers get to this point.

Corey Perry

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Who said anything about veterans being boring and predictable? Though the 39-year-old Perry hasn't exactly learned new tricks, he sure is good at the old ones. 

Bringing Perry back for one more year was a gamble on the Oilers' part. His legs were gone by the end of last season, and he was a healthy scratch at times during the playoffs. There was a decent chance Perry would come back this season with nothing left.

But that's not what happened. On the contrary, Perry has been as consistent as any other Oiler this season, still mucking things up in front of the net, scoring goals, and getting under his opponents' skin like he always has. For a team that's struggled to find secondary scoring, Perry's revival has been a godsend.

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Vasily Podkolzin

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Who doesn't love a good post-hype prospect? The Oilers took a flyer on the 2019 10th overall pick after he fell out of favour in Vancouver, and it's paid off in spades so far. 

Though the point production hasn't quite been there, Podkolzin has been a perfect fit next to Leon Draisaitl as a top-notch grinder and forechecker with a mean streak that's quickly made him a fan favourite in Edmonton. Jesse Puljujarvi never really worked out in Edmonton (or anywhere else, for that matter), but the Oilers have his heir apparent in Podkolzin.

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Brett Kulak

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The Oilers came into the season with a big hole on the second pair and very limited avenues by which they could address it. Turns out, the solution was hanging out on their third pair all along.

Much has been made of Darnell Nurse's early-season resurgence and how it solidified the Oilers' blueline. Other than Nurse himself, nobody can take more credit for that than Brett Kulak, who's spent nearly half his ice time on his off-hand next to Nurse on the second pair. 

Kulak's steady brand of smooth skating, smart puck-moving, and staunch defence has allowed Nurse the space he needs to thrive and solved the Oilers' second pair problem without the need for a trade. Not bad for a guy who was supposed to be a nondescript fifth defenceman.

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