Edmonton Oilers: Connor McDavid has faith in Scottie Upshall
Could Scottie Upshall be a contributor for the Edmonton Oilers? His captain Connor McDavid sure thinks so.
With the 2018-19 NHL season on the horizon, many teams are looking to fill in their roster gaps with serviceable veterans through professional tryouts, better known as PTO contracts. The Edmonton Oilers moved forward with that notion last week by signing veteran winger Scottie Upshall to a PTO along with his 813-games of NHL pedigree.
Although it’s not a name that jumps off the board in today’s hockey landscape, it signals the desperation of a franchise that noticeably struggled with its identity last season. In the face of adversity, the Oilers are looking at any and all options to shore up the offensive depth around their imminent core duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
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Edmonton ranked 20th in goal scoring league-wide but only because McDavid carried the weight with 17.9 percent (41) of his team’s goals. However, if goal scoring is what they seek, the answer may not lie in Scottie Upshall or his recent seven goal campaign.
Upshall’s career-high of 18 goals is nine seasons removed, all the way back in 2009-10 during his time with the (then) Phoenix Coyotes. Instead, the potential lies in his veteran presence and gritty play-style, presumably to further protect Edmonton’s budding young players.
Among them, Connor McDavid even went on to praise the potential impact of Upshall in several respects;
“He’s done PTOs the last three or four years now and got a contract every year. I expect nothing less. He works so hard, is hard to play against, he’s speedy. He’s a veteran guy in the room. Everything that we could really use.”
With a move like this, Edmonton has signalled their willingness to alter the makeup of the team in order to return to form as a playoff contender. McDavid’s talent alone cannot carry this team, as evidenced by the correlation of his 108-point season and his team’s performance last season. Not to mention, a season that warranted his second consecutive Art Ross Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award.
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The Oilers are hoping Upshall will help boost the Oilers’ fourth forward line, which was an issue for them last season. Effectively, he’ll be looking to replace Mark Letestu.