The Edmonton Oilers’ 6-1-1 start looks clean on the surface, but there’s still a real question hanging over it: how much of this is sustainable, and how much is the product of surviving while pieces were missing?
What’s been clear so far is that Edmonton has managed to keep winning even before it’s fully healthy. That matters.
Several key players were unavailable early, and the Oilers still found ways to collect points. On Monday at practice, the lineup finally had the look it was supposed to have, with Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins both back in the top six.
A few more pieces are still not in place, but they are expected to be close. Once that happens, the Oilers will finally get a better read on what this roster can do when it resembles the version drawn up on paper.
The bigger point is that Edmonton has been able to shape its own results, even with the lineup scrambled. When the Oilers play to their strengths, they’re in every game. When they slip into old habits, they leave the door open.
There’s also more depth here than the record alone might suggest. The stars are carrying a huge share of the load, but that’s the price of having elite talent.
Connor McDavid is off to the best start since Mario Lemieux in 1995-96, and production like that can paper over a lot. Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard are also expected to deliver.
That part isn’t a surprise.
What is becoming more interesting is how those top players are helping raise the floor around them.
Vasily Podkolzin stands out most. He has grown into a legitimate top-six threat, with what could be a 30-goal season on the table. Some progress was expected, but not necessarily this much.
Owen Michaels wasn’t on the radar at the start of the season, but he may very well stick around once everyone is healthy. That’s how strong his play has been.
Mathieu Joseph has also settled in as a useful piece in the bottom six, while Colton Dach has shown he can slide into the top six when needed.
That kind of support has mattered, especially while injuries have thinned the roster. It might have gone unnoticed if the lineup had been intact all along.
Allan Mitchell of The Athletic draws a sharp line between a hot streak and actual progress, pointing to the McDavid-Draisaitl-Podkolzin line, the Bouchard-Ekholm pairing, and goaltending from Levi and Jarry, both of whom have bounced back after rough starts.
The bottom six is still the area that raises the most questions. As the roster gets healthier, Edmonton should get a better sense of whether that group can keep holding up, especially once the schedule stiffens and the pressure shifts to the supporting cast.
For now, though, the simplest truth is the one that matters most: the Oilers are winning. And in the end, that’s what counts.
As the old saying goes, "They don't ask you how, they just ask how many." For Edmonton, the record is the answer, at least for now.
In Other News...
Oilers Face A Risky Malkin Decision In Their Cup Push
The idea of Edmonton chasing another high-end center is the kind of front-office talk that naturally follows a team in a Cup push, and Evgeni Malkin is the latest name to surface in that conversation. Reports around Pittsburgh suggest the Penguins are listening on veteran forwards as they lean into a youth movement and look for draft picks or prospects in return, which is enough to stir speculation even if there is no sign Malkin is actually being shopped.
For the Oilers, the appeal is obvious: an accomplished veteran center could deepen a lineup built for the spring and add another layer of experience to the middle of the ice. The challenge is just as clear, though, because any deal of this sort would have to clear a number of hurdles before it ever became real, and for now it remains more of a tempting roster puzzle than a completed path forward. [Read more 🡒]
Connor McDavid Is Forcing A Bigger Oilers Question Again
Connor McDavids opening stretch has once again put the focus on just how far his individual brilliance can carry the Oilers. After another fast start, the conversation around Edmonton is not only about whether he can keep producing at an elite pace, but also about what kind of support he needs around him while he does it. Coach Mike Babcock has already praised the way McDavid has looked, and the early comparisons being made speak to how dominant he has been.
The bigger question, though, is the one Edmonton keeps circling back to whenever its captain catches fire. Around the league, Canadian teams have been finding answers in net in unexpected places, with Winnipeg managing without Connor Hellebuyck, Ottawa getting strong early play from Linus Ullmark, and Vancouver getting help from waiver pickup Leevi Merilinen. For the Oilers, that kind of stability in goal remains the conversation they cannot quite escape, even as McDavid keeps forcing attention back onto the other end of the ice. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Are Suddenly In A Trade Debate Fans Will Understand
As Edmontons forward mix starts to change with injured regulars working their way back, Isaac Howard is one name that suddenly has to be part of the conversation. The 22-year-old left wing prospect gives the Oilers something valuable to weigh because he is young, talented and still early in his pro career, which is exactly the kind of profile other clubs are chasing as they try to get younger without tearing down their rosters.
It is the sort of trade puzzle that can get complicated fast, especially when teams are shopping for youth and Edmonton has to decide how much patience it can afford with its prospects. Howard has not been officially tied to any specific deal, but with the Penguins and Maple Leafs both in the market for younger talent, the speculation around where a player like him could fit is starting to pick up steam. [Read more 🡒]