Edmonton Oilers: Connor McDavid can learn from Alex Ovechkin
By Jasmine Yen
What can the Edmonton Oilers and Connor McDavid learn from the Washington Capitals and Alex Ovechkin?
In hockey, change is very slow and people tend to stick to what they know. It’s a copycat league and once one team finds success, everyone tries to model their team accordingly. The Washington Capitals found success after separating Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. Can the Edmonton Oilers do the same with their stars?
The Pittsburgh Penguins have done this plenty of times before and it is a huge reason why they won two Stanley Cups in three years. Splitting Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Phil Kessel is the reason why that team is so deep. Every line has a superstar and they elevate the level of play of their teammates.
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Having at least two bonafide centers is now required if you wish to become a Stanley Cup contender. Look at the powerhouse teams like Nashville (Ryan Johansson, Kyle Turris, Nick Bonino) and Winnipeg (Mark Scheifele, Paul Stasny). The 2018 Stanley Cup champions took a page out of these teams’ books and the return was enormous.
The Oilers can learn from the Capitals as they look to put a disappointing year behind them. They have two world-class players and they need to use that to their advantage. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl cannot play on the same line if the Oilers wish to have prolonged success.
"“I think one of the things they’re going to have to figure out is how to convince Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl that they shouldn’t play together.” – 31 Thoughts"
They don’t even put up good numbers when they are together, as explained by David Staples of the Edmonton Journal as explained by David Staples of the Edmonton Journal here. The unfortunate thing is that not only do both players want to play together, Todd McLellan is convinced that they are the solution.
Hockey is a team sport and separating the two is for the team’s greater good. Having two superstar centers gives the Oilers more depth and the wingers will benefit as well. Look at how well Jake Guentzel and Dominik Simon play with Crosby. McDavid and Draisaitl are so good that they will have a ripple effect on whoever they play with.
Separating the two does not include powerplay and 3-on-3 hockey. Play them all you want in those situations, but 5-on-5 requires more depth and spreading out your talent for a full 60-minute game. Edmonton needs to stop going back to the dry well and to start thinking of new ideas to improve the team. They have the talent, it’s a matter of how they deploy them.
Next: 3 reasons why the Oilers missed the playoffs
If Ovechkin and Backstrom can separate after ten years and find success, I’m sure McDavid and Draisaitl can too.