We’ve seen this movie many, many times before, but never from a team with this much promise, never from a team that so much was expected from, that expected so much of itself
There was a scene in the dark and disturbing thriller titled Seven where rookie detective Brad Pitt turns to veteran Morgan Freeman at a particularly gruesome crime scene and asks, “Honestly, have you ever seen anything like this?”The answer was no. Article content Just like the answer is no for the dark and disturbing Edmonton Oilers, speaking of crime scenes. We’ve all seen losing before — this organization has been finding new and creative ways to suck for the better part of 20 years — but the shock value of what we’re watching right now is truly chilling.
A team with two of the best players in the world, with 100 wins and five playoff rounds over the last two seasons, bettered only by the eventual Stanley Cup champions each time, was supposed to be armed, dangerous and ready for its long-awaited title shot. Instead, in an unravelling that truly boggles the mind, they have spent the first 11 games of this season kicking their enormous expectations perilously close to the edge of an all-too-familiar cliff.
We’ve seen this movie many, many times before, but never from a team with this much promise, never from a team that so much was expected from, that expected so much of itself. Every single aspect of this team — from management and coaches in the front office to Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl at the top of the roster to the large collection of passengers at the bottom — is underachieving.
Nowhere are the problems worse than in net, where Edmonton is dead last in save percentage with Jack Campbell at .873 and Stuart Skinner even worse at .856. On a team that doesn’t like to concern itself with playing smart, two-way hockey, those are fatal numbers.
That’s why, in the midst of Edmonton’s three-game road trip, Campbell was jettisoned as the first desperate measure of these desperate times. Jack Campbell
While both of Edmonton’s goalies deserve a few weeks in the minors, Campbell (who has only played two of the last seven games but has allowed 11 goals) has the higher salary of $5 million per year and has no chance of being claimed on waivers. It may also be beneficial for him to see a lot of action in the AHL in order to regain his game and confidence.
Edmonton’s Campbell investment has been a disaster. He’s two years into a five-year, $25 million contract to be their No. 1 pitcher, and he lost the starting job in less than half a season in Year One, and he’s packing for the minors after 11 games in Year Two.
Meanwhile, the hope is that one of Edmonton’s AHL goalies — Calvin Pickard or Olivier Rodrigue — will be able to rise to the occasion and steer a stumbling team in the right direction. While there is no guarantee that a minor league reliever will be able to help, this is a relatively low-risk move given that things cannot get any worse.
Sleepwalking when the Edmonton Oilers should be digging in is a long-standing character flaw that appears every season. They can’t or won’t change things on their own. They require someone from the outside to do it for them.
They were mediocre in 2019-20.500 club in December before Kailer Yamamoto arrived, breathed new life into a second line and the team, and the Oilers went on a 16-6-4 tear.
When the Oilers put the blame on head coach Dave Tippett in 2021-22, they were melting again (23-18-3) and sitting outside of a playoff spot. Jay Woodcroft was brought in, breathed new life into the team, and they went on a 26-9-3 tear.
Last year, they were coasting in relative mediocrity until Mattias Ekholm arrived at the trade deadline and breathed new life into the defense, rescuing Evan Bouchard from the flames of his defensive stumbles, and they went 18-2-1 down the stretch.
So, could a minor league goaltender be this year’s wake-up call?
Is this the only significant move we’ll see?
We’ll soon find out.
But this appears to be a team in the process of losing its will, so something fundamental needs to change quickly.
NO BIG SURPRISES
Should we be surprised that things have gotten this bad?
Yes.
But it’s no surprise that the team is taking a step back this year.
While fans and analysts were right to expect big things from this team last year, those expectations were based on what amounted to a perfect storm. The power play was the best in NHL history, four of their top six forwards shattered their career high point totals (by 18, 29, 30, and 35 points), 13 different players scored 10 or more goals, and a rookie goalie came out of nowhere to save their season.
The chances of all of that happening again were slim. True, no one expected it all to fall through the ice, but that’s what happens when it does.
