Things are looking pretty good in Edmonton right now. The Oilers are the only NHL team without a regulation loss, and Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard sit atop the league scoring race as the season gets rolling. That kind of start naturally invites a bigger conversation, and it’s hard not to think about one of the sport’s classic pairings: Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito.
For a lot of hockey fans, Orr and Esposito remain the benchmark for a forward/defenceman duo. But with McDavid and Bouchard tearing out of the gate, that old standard is starting to get real company.
The list of great pairings across NHL history is short, but it’s loaded. The New York Islanders had Brian Trottier and Denis Potvin.
The Oilers once rolled out Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey. The Penguins had Mario Lemieux and Paul Coffey.
In the modern game, Sidney Crosby and Chris Letang have made their case, and so have Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar in Colorado. Still, McDavid and Bouchard are putting themselves into that conversation fast, and they may only be at the beginning of it.
Orr and Esposito set the bar in 1969-70, when Orr led the NHL with 120 points and Esposito finished right behind him with 99. That run didn’t just last a season or two.
From 1969-70 through 1974-75, they were at the center of league scoring for five straight seasons and helped Boston win two Stanley Cups along the way. That’s the kind of resume every other duo gets measured against.
McDavid’s own track record is already staggering. He just played his 800th NHL game, and in 10 seasons he has won the Art Ross Trophy six times, tying Gordie Howe and Lemieux for second-most in league history behind Gretzky’s 10.
Bouchard is the guy whose ascent makes this pairing feel different. He finished 11th in league scoring last season with 95 points, then opened this year with 14 points in six games.
Add in his improved work in his own zone, and he looks like a real Norris Trophy contender.
What keeps this from being a complete comparison to Orr and Esposito, at least for now, is the hardware. McDavid and Bouchard can chase the numbers, maybe even pass some of the old milestones, but they’re still short on Stanley Cups. Almost every great forward/defenceman duo on the all-time list has at least one championship to its name.
That’s why Edmonton’s start matters so much. Under new head coach Mike Babcock, the Oilers are off to one of their best starts in years, and the team looks to have found a confidence and swagger that has been missing for a while. If this is the season McDavid and Bouchard finally bring a Cup to Edmonton, the case for them joining the very top tier of NHL duos only gets stronger.
In Other News...
Oilers May Have Pulled Off Two Steals And One Looks Even Bigger
The early returns on Edmontons recent trade work have been hard to ignore, especially with Vasily Podkolzin giving the forward group a burst the Oilers could use. He has scored seven goals in six games and already looks like the kind of addition that can push deeper into the lineup over time, not just fill a spot in the middle six. For a team that has opened the season with a strong record, those kinds of quick returns can make a front office look awfully sharp.
Devon Levi has added a different kind of value in goal, staying undefeated and turning in impressive numbers in his recent starts. His arrival gave Edmonton another option in a position where stability always matters, and the fact that both moves are paying off at once has only raised the profile of the deals. One looks like a timely boost, the other may be starting to feel like a bigger swing altogether, which is exactly the sort of outcome the Oilers were hoping for. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Keep Winning But This Latest Escape Raises A Real Debate
The Oilers kept their unbeaten run rolling with a 4-1 win over the Kings, moving to 5-0-1 and remaining the NHLs only team without a regulation loss. Leon Draisaitl helped drive the offense, Vasily Podkolzin scored twice, and Connor McDavid piled up four assists in his 800th game, another reminder that Edmonton can still tilt a night its way even when the shot totals say otherwise.
Devon Levi may have been the biggest reason it all held together. He turned aside 39 of 40 shots while Edmonton spent long stretches defending rather than dictating, which only sharpened the conversation around how sustainable this start really is. The wins are piling up, but the formula has looked different enough each night that the Oilers early-season success now comes with a lingering question about what happens when the margin for error finally shrinks. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Face A Goaltending Decision That Could Define Their Season
Early in the season, the Oilers are already staring at a familiar but urgent problem in net, with Tristan Jarry, Frederik Andersen and Devon Levi all under scrutiny as the club tries to steady the position. It is the kind of issue that can quietly shape everything around it, from the way Edmonton manages its games to how much pressure lands on the skaters in front of the crease.
The market for a fix looks complicated. Connor Hellebuyck, Sam Montembeault, Jordan Binnington and Adin Hill all surface as possible answers, but each comes with real obstacles tied to contract status, performance concerns or the sheer difficulty of prying a goalie loose. For now, Edmonton may be left weighing whether the cleanest move is no move at all, and simply hoping one of its current options settles in before the season gets away from it. [Read more 🡒]