Although there was a lot of uncertainty at the start of the season, the Edmonton Oilers are a competitive team when healthy.
The Oilers are only one win away from tying the 1992–93 Pittsburgh Penguins for the longest winning streak in NHL history thanks to an incredible 16–game winning streak.
Though their recent performance has shown that they are a serious contender, Edmonton’s management still needs to be concentrated on bringing in a big upgrade or upgrades at the trade deadline. This run has given them more time to make more moves, so it shouldn’t be used as an excuse to back off and do nothing.
This roster is strong in many areas, but there are a few spots that could use some improvement. There’s still more this team can achieve.
This article will centre on Edmonton’s defensive core, with a particular emphasis on the calibre of their right defence, which has generated some controversy among the supporters. Here’s a detailed look at why I think Edmonton could become one of the league’s top defensive teams with a RHD upgrade.
With Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard, Darnell Nurse and Cody Ceci, and Brett Kulak and Vincent Desharnais as their top-four pairings, Edmonton has essentially used the same defensive pairings for the majority of the season.
The Oilers are the only team in the league with three lineups that have combined for at least 400 minutes of play.
In comparison to elite competition, Nurse and Ceci have averaged 5.3 and 5.2 minutes per game, respectively, while Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm have averaged 5.6 and 5.4 minutes per game, according to PuckIQ. Instead of having a clear first and second pair, Edmonton’s top four pairs have played comparable minutes against elite competition, making them more of a balanced top four.
But given that they also spend more time with Edmonton’s top line, the Ekholm and Bouchard duo would be regarded as the best pair technically.
One the one hand, the pairings of Ekholm and Bouchard and Kulak and Desharnais have performed remarkably well in their respective parts. The league’s top ten defensive lineups this season at 5v5, arranged by predicted goal differential, are as follows:
At an astounding 63 percent expected goal share, Ekholm and Bouchard lead the league. They also outscore opponents at a fantastic ratio of 36 to 26 actual goals.
Ekholm was probably not at full strength at the start of the season, which contributed to their rough start. Since October, Edmonton’s comeback has been greatly attributed to the play of this defensive duo. At all points along the ice, they have been nothing short of extraordinary.
Kulak and Desharnais have an incredible 59 percent expected goal differential, which puts them fourth in the league. Edmonton has created 98 high-danger chances for and given up 50 against with this duo on the ice, almost a perfect 2:1 ratio. Although less time with Edmonton’s top forward line probably plays a part, their net goal differential is even, mostly due to a fairly low on-ice shooting percentage of 6.7 that is unlikely to sustain
A player of Brett Kulak’s calibre would have mostly been found in Edmonton’s top four in previous years. At some point, a large, strong, 6’7 defenseman like Vincent Desharnais would have also probably been given a chance to play in the top four. Both have played on Edmonton’s third pair for almost the whole season, which speaks highly of the team’s increased defensive depth.
