Posted by 
9 Things
9. The Oilers have added Nate Dicasmirro to the Bakersfield Condors coaching staff. The Canadian-born winger had an admirable career between the AHL and Europe, producing points at a solid rate. But speaking more about his ability as a coach, Discamirro never backed away from the rough going and had a reputation as a good leader and teammate.
8. I understand why L.A. would bring Anze Kopitar back on a 2-year extension that keeps him a King through 2025-26. The move I blinked at was the 8-year, $8.5m deal for Pierre-Luc Dubois. He is a 60-point/year center who is sub-50% on the faceoff circle. I am not sure the juice is worth the squeeze. Meanwhile, it is one less club who could have been interested in and been able to afford Leon Draisaitl in his UFA year. More on #29 in a minute…
7. On paper, the Oilers signing of Connor Brown looks like a win-win. But the reality is that Brown is coming off a serious, season-ending injury. He tore his left ACL early in the 2022-23 season against Vancouver and spent the rest of the year rehabbing. Had the Capitals made the post-season, perhaps a return would have been possible. Alas. Now the focus will be on Brown at training camp, and how well he is able to bounce back, physically.
5. Zach Hyman signed with the Oilers 2 years ago this week. To say that he has come as advertised is not only an understatement. It is easy to argue that Hyman has been ever better than expected. He has produced back-to-back career seasons in terms of goals and points. He is top-notch on both the PP and PK. His engine is always running. He is great in the heavy going. And he is one hell of a person to boot. One of Ken Holland’s absolute best pieces of work.
4. Speaking of the General Manager, a loud minority that continues to give Holland the gears for his record in Edmonton. But Ken’s record suggests otherwise. He has made this club better one season after another. By and large, his record on player recruitment and retention is top-notch. As for those worried about his incentive in what is likely his last contract year as an NHL General Manager, you don’t think Ken Holland wants to go out on top? Do not think his legacy is important to him? His reputation as a winner? That he does not want to leave this franchise in excellent shape for whoever follows his act?
2. There is a 3rd line LW slot wide open on the Oilers for Dylan Holloway in 2023-24. The rookie was 3-6-9 in 51 games last year. But that boxcar is more than a little deceiving. Holloway’s time on ice was only an average of 9:35. And a huge majority of it was spent parked on the 4th line. I had little to criticize Jay Woodcroft about last regular season. He pushed a lot of the right buttons at the right time. Jay clearly “had the room.” But his handling of Holloway was off. The leash was too short, and I feel it not only stunted Holloway’s growth. Woodcroft will say that Holloway got hurt. Sure, but that was only after he spent the better part of the season riding the pine. So, this season is a fresh start for both men. And yes, the player has to take the opportunity and skate with it. But before Holloway can do that…he needs the opportunity.
1.Edmonton’s Stanley Cup window remains open so long as Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are Oilers. It is an enviable advantage this organization has that most others in the NHL do not have the benefit of: Two of the absolute best players available, on the same team, at the very same time. So, as a comparison with true championship caliber players let us take the regular season statistics of two of the greatest players of the last 20 years from their three Stanley Cup winning seasons, Sidney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin. Then, let’s stack them up again two of the greatest players of the last 5 years: #’s 97 and 29.
-McDavid and Draisaitl. Over heir last 3 years, the dynamic duo has combined for. McDavid has gone 33-72-105, 44-79-123 and 64-89-153. That is 381 points in 218 games, or 1.75/game. Draisaitl has gone 31-53-85, 55-55-110 and 52-76-128. That is 323 points in 216 games, or 1.50/game.
-In 2009, 2016 and 2017, Crosby went 51-58-109, 36-49-85 and 44-45-89. That is 283 points in 232 total games, or 1.22/game. Teammate Malkin in his championship seasons went 35-78-113, 27-31-58 and 33-39-72. That is 243 points 201 games, or 2.11/game. Was that in a slightly less offensive league? O.K.
But you can see, the numbers are not really close. That is how truly dominant McDavid and Draisaitl were and are. Now, you may say “Sure, Leavins, but Crosby and Malkin have the three cups.” Yes, and that is the point. The Penguins had the luxury of two franchise-level players to build around. So do the Oilers.
Pittsburgh kept surrounding these elite, future first-ballot hall of famer superstars with a different combination of players until one of those combos finally clicked. Did Crosby and Malkin continue to evolve? Sure. Crosby will go down in history as one of the best ever.
But the primary difference was the people surrounding them in Pittsburgh. And that is what Ken Holland, and whoever it is that will follow him as General Manager, needs to keep doing as Holland has again this Summer…
…moving the pieces of the roster puzzle around and around until it all finally falls into place.
