The Oilers' Hot Start Raises Some Big Questions

I’ve always thought there’s a danger in trying to explain away a good start. A team wins, and we immediately start looking for reasons why it might not last. The opponents weren’t strong enough. The stars are doing all the work. The goaltending won’t hold up. Sometimes those concerns are fair. But winning in the NHL is hard, and the Edmonton Oilers deserve some credit for going 6-1-1 while dealing with injuries.

The timing is encouraging, too. Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins are returning to the top six, and the lineup is starting to look more like the one Edmonton expected. There are still pieces missing, but the Oilers have managed to collect points while waiting for their regulars to return. That counts for something.

The Stars Are Doing Their Jobs, but So Is the Supporting Cast.

Nobody should be surprised that Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are driving the offence. That’s what superstars do. When you have players capable of producing at an extraordinary rate, you expect them to carry a good deal of the load.

But I’m not sure it’s fair to suggest Edmonton’s record is simply its stars covering up problems. Vasily Podkolzin has taken another step forward and looks capable of becoming a legitimate top-six contributor. Owen Michaels has played well enough to put himself in the conversation for a regular spot, while Mathieu Joseph has given the bottom six useful minutes. Colton Dach has also shown he can help when the lineup needs him.

Those contributions matter. They may not attract the same attention as McDavid’s scoring, but teams need players who can do a little more than their job description suggests. Injuries have given some of Edmonton’s supporting cast an opportunity, and several players appear to be making the most of it.

The Real Oilers’ Test Is Still Ahead.

There’s a reasonable argument that Edmonton hasn’t faced the toughest schedule. Allan Mitchell of The Athletic has also pointed to the McDavid-Draisaitl-Podkolzin line, the Bouchard-Ekholm pairing, and improved goaltending from Tristan Jarry and Devon Levi. Those are important pieces of the puzzle. Still, good teams are supposed to beat the teams in front of them. Jason Gregor has made a similar point about other early-season contenders. You can only play the schedule you’re given.

The bigger question is what happens when the Oilers face tougher opposition and the roster gets healthier. Will the depth players continue contributing when their roles change? Can the defensive game hold up when the offence isn’t producing at its current pace?

For now, I’d rather give Edmonton credit for winning than spend too much time explaining why it might not last. The record is real, and so are the contributions from players who weren’t expected to carry this much responsibility.

The Oilers Are Winning, and That’s What They Should Do.

As the old saying goes, they don’t ask how. They ask how many. The Oilers have found ways to win, and they’ve given themselves a little breathing room as they get healthy. The next stretch will tell us more about how good they really are. But there’s no need to apologize for a good start.