What the Edmonton Oilers are thankful for in 2021

Really, it’s hard to pick just one here. One leads the NHL in scoring with 45 points and the other, well, also leads the league in scoring with 45 points. There is no other duo as dominant as McDavid and Draisaitl are around the league. Both can dominate their own lines and when they’re put together, they’re even more potent. Both are franchise players in their own right and when many teams don’t have any, they have two.

To that end, Edmonton is also quite thankful that both are signed long term. McDavid has the richest deal in the league at $12.5M but many would argue that’s below market value and he’s signed through 2025-26. Meanwhile, Draisaitl is definitely on a below-market contract; his $8.5M AAV doesn’t crack the top-30 league-wide. He’s locked up through 2024-25 meaning the Oilers will have their superstar pairing intact for at least three years after this one.

What would the Oilers be even more thankful for?

More secondary scoring. Zach Hyman has certainly helped in that regard as he already has 11 in his first season with the team. It goes downhill after that, however, as only one other player on the team has more than five tallies. Nugent-Hopkins, who admittedly is more of a playmaker than scorer, only has three goals, their defense has just ten combined (including only one from Darnell Nurse whose big extension kicks in next season), and their bottom six have pretty much all vastly underachieved. This is how a team that has the two top offensive players in the league is barely in the top ten in goals scored. If even one or two players can pick up the pace, Edmonton would become a lot more dangerous in a hurry.

What should be on the Oilers’ Holiday Wish List?

After reading the last paragraph, secondary scoring might seem like it should be atop their list but there are other areas of concern. Mikko Koskinen has done better than expected this season but he and the currently injured Mike Smith are a tandem that would appear to be on the weaker end heading into the playoffs. Adding another capable veteran – even if it’s one that just raises the floor of their goaltending group – would certainly help.

So, too, would bringing in another defenseman. Injuries to Duncan Keith and Slater Koekkoek have thinned them out and their younger prospects aren’t quite ready for full-time NHL duty. Another veteran to serve as injury insurance and bridge the gap to the youngsters would be beneficial while a top-four addition would be a critical addition.

However, wishing for this is a lot easier than actually getting it done. Edmonton is well into LTIR and by the time they get their players back, cap space will be at a premium. They won’t be able to bank any space as they will still be in LTIR thanks to Oscar Klefbom, Josh Archibald, and Alex Stalock so it’s going to be pretty close to a money in, money out situation. Accordingly, it’s far from a guarantee that they’ll be able to add anything on their list.