Edmonton Oilers Need More From Players Not Named Connor McDavid

If the Edmonton Oilers intend on legitimizing their Stanley Cup contender status, the team will need a lot more from players not named Connor McDavid.

The Edmonton Oilers have lost three straight games since their opening-night victory. In those three losses, they have allowed 14 goals while scoring just five. To make matters worse, the 1-3-0 team hasn’t exactly been beaten by the league’s elite. Edmonton has lost to the Vancouver Canucks, Winnipeg Jets, and the Erik Karlsson/Craig Anderson-less Ottawa Senators.

Losing to two non-playoff teams from a year ago and another team missing its two best players is a tough way to start the season, given the high expectations placed on the Oilers. Many experts predicted Edmonton could go as far as the Stanley Cup Finals.

What those experts didn’t predict was McDavid single handily doing everything, which is what has been happening with the Oilers. The reigning Hart Trophy winner currently leads the team in goals, points, and shots. McDavid is also second on the team in ice time, trailing only defenseman Oscar Klefbom.

To make matters worse for Oilers forwards, four of the top-five shot attempt producers on the team are defensemen. Klefbom, Adam Larsson, Kris Russell, and Darnell Nurse cannot all be in the top-five of shots taken for Edmonton, especially when the quartet has combined for only four points.

The other forward in the top-six on the Oilers for shot attempts is the recently injured Leon Draisaitl. It remains unclear how long he will be out of the lineup. But if it’s for any significant amount of time, it’ll leave a massive hole on the team’s depth chart.

With McDavid unable to do it all himself and Edmonton’s second-best forward out of the lineup, it’s even more crucial for other forwards to step up. There was plenty of talk in training camp of Milan Lucic working hard over the summer to improve his skating. However, he hasn’t been able to find the back of the net just yet.

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2017 first-round pick Kailer Yamamoto impressed so much in the preseason, he earned a roster spot. However, he hasn’t been able to carry over his play into the regular season, managing just a single assist.

After Edmonton traded away fan favorite Jordan Eberle in the offseason for Ryan Strome, some thought a change of scenery could help ignite Strome’s play. So far, he hasn’t recorded a point in four games. Meanwhile, Eberle has managed three assists and leads the New York Islanders in shots.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has gotten off to a decent start with two goals in four games, but has only taken five shots. He is known more for his playmaking than his goal scoring, but given his hot start and Edmonton’s desperate need of goal support behind McDavid, five shots in four games is unacceptable.

Kris Russell, known mostly for blocking shots on defense, has even managed six shots in four games. When a stay at home defenseman like Russell is outshooting a former first-overall draft pick in Nugent-Hopkins, it is a clear sign the team needs more from its forwards.

With the severity of Draisaitl’s injury still unknown, the Oilers need more from the likes of Lucic, Strome, and Nugent-Hopkins in Draisaitl’s absence. If opponents only need to focus on McDavid and don’t fear anything else in the lineup, eventually the opposition will find a way to slow McDavid down.

Next: 3 Burning Questions For The Oilers

If that happens then Edmonton might find itself in an all-too-familiar discussion regarding another potential first-overall draft pick instead of the 2018 Stanley Cup finals.

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