LAST SEASON

Talk about a whirlwind season. There were few teams in the entire NHL that rode the high highs and the low lows as much as the Edmonton Oilers did. They came out of the gates swinging with one of the best starts in the league, going 9-1-0 in their first 10 games and 16-5-0 in their first 21 games.

By the time December rolled around, Edmonton had sole possession of first place in the Pacific Division. Superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl played a big part in that, but so did Mikko Koskinen in net. With Mike Smith injured shortly after the season kicked off, the big Finn held his own.

But as quickly as the Oilers rose to the top, they fell to the bottom under then head coach Dave Tippett. Through December and January, the Oilers won just six of 20 games as their defensive game imploded. Edmonton and its players looked completely lost and by the end of January, it was clear Tippett had lost the room.

NHL

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On Feb. 11th, the Oilers made the move to fire Tippett and bring up AHL bench boss Jay Woodcroft, and just like that, the Oilers’ season turned around. Woodcroft, in his first stint as an NHL head coach, carried the Oilers to not just a 26-9-3 record, but a deep run in the playoffs to the Western Conference Final. Edmonton dispatched the Los Angeles Kings in seven games before making quick work of the Calgary Flames in five games. Ultimately, the Oilers couldn’t do any damage against the Colorado Avalanche, despite it being a series tighter than it looked on paper.

 

KEY ADDITIONS & DEPARTURES

Additions

  • Jack Campbell, G
  • Mattias Janmark, LW
  • Greg McKegg, C
  • Calvin Pickard, G

 

Departures

  • Duncan Keith, D (retired)
  • Mike Smith, G (LTIR)
  • Zack Kassian, RW (Ari)
  • Josh Archibald, RW (Pit)

 

OFFENSE

Edmonton iced one of the best offenses in the league last season, scoring the seventhmost goals. These guys named McDavid and Draisaitl were largely responsible for that. McDavid posted career bests with 44 goals and 123 points, while Draisaitl scored 55 goals of his own and 110 points. They were supplemented, finally, with some solid depth scoring around them. Evander Kane was a big addition, as was Zach Hyman who scored career highs in goals and assists with 27 each and 54 points.