The Edmonton Oilers are struggling this season. That’s a major surprise for a team that has made it to two consecutive Stanley Cup Finals.
Just about every pundit picked the Oilers to run away with the Pacific Division this season. Despite their overall shortcomings, no one really expected Edmonton to be out of a playoff spot at Thanksgiving. Yet, two points out of a spot they are.
The easiest place to pin the blame is in the crease. But according to analyst Craig Button and former NHL goalie Marc Denis, that’s not the main issue.
During the November 27 edition of Insider Trading on TSN, Button slammed the Oilers’ defense for its “abysmal” play.
Button went off the rails, stating:
“You could put Dominik Hasek in his prime in the Edmonton Oilers’ net right now, and the defensive play of the Edmonton Oilers is so abysmal that they would have significant problems.”
That’s not hyperbole. Button placed his finger on the pulse of Edmonton’s problems. That situation prompted him to declare:
“They might not be as evident, but the defensive play of the Edmonton Oilers is minor league.”
Button focused on key metrics such as slot shots against, high-danger chances against, and rush-chances against as the primary culprits for the team’s defensive woes.
As such, the solution, in Button’s view, is not to find a so-called dream goalie. Instead, the solution is to shore up the team’s defense. But based on the eye test alone, the Oilers need to work quite a bit on improving their overall defensive game.
Oilers Defensive Issues Should Be No Surprise
The Oilers are part of a failed model in the NHL. Before the current crop of offense-first stars, defense-first teams ruled the land. These are teams like the New Jersey Devils who lived and breathed the neutral zone trap.
The problem with the trap was that it vaporized scoring. That was the major issue plaguing the NHL in the early 2000s. And in the league’s view, that was no bueno. So, the philosophy started shifting toward faster, skilled, mobile players who could outpace the trap and generate more scoring chances.
That’s why Oilers players like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl became so good, so soon. But nearly two decades of experimenting with an offense-first approach have shown that it doesn’t really work in the playoffs.
The only real offense-first team that’s won the Stanley Cup in the last 10 years has been the 2022 Colorado Avalanche. The Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers have proven that a balanced, hard-checking, defensive-minded team will shut down even the most talented squads.
Avalanche, Golden Knights Proved a Top-Tier Goalie Not Needed to Win Cups
The 2022 Colorado Avalanche and the 2023 Vegas Golden Knights proved that a top-tier goalie is not necessary to win a Stanley Cup. The Avalanche had Darcy Kuemper, and the Golden Knights had Adin Hill.
Even the Oilers, with Stuart Skinner, reached back-to-back Finals. So, pinning the blame on Skinner and Calvin Pickard is a flimsy excuse intended to mask Edmonton’s real issue. They are a skilled team that doesn’t like to play defense.
This is the 1980s. Back then, teams could outscore their non-existent defensive play. That’s not the case anymore. If Edmonton is serious about winning a Stanley Cup, it’ll have to play defense sooner rather than later.
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