Patience. It’s a word Edmonton Oilers fans know all too well.
It has been brought up by many management groups with the Edmonton Oilers over the years, dating all the way back to when they selected Taylor Hall No. 1 overall in the 2010 Entry Draft. And then Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. And then Nail Yakupov…
To their credit, Oilers fans were able to remain quite patient in the early days of their ‘rebuild’. Thankfully, Connor McDavid came in and helped turn this team around, despite very questionable management over the years.
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Things in that regard have changed for the better however, as Ken Holland has done a solid job since being hired as the franchise’s General Manager in early May of 2019. Once again though, he has stressed the same thing to Oilers fans. Be patient.
While many fans were hoping the Oilers would be all in on a player like Taylor Hall at the NHL Trade Deadline, it sounds as though that was never the case as Holland had no interest in parting with his First-Round pick, and doesn’t have a Second-Round pick to give like the Boston Bruins ultimately did.
In one sense, you understand his reasoning for not parting with a First-Round pick, especially for a rental player like Hall. However, not doing this proves he does not believe his team is ready to contend for a Stanley Cup just yet, and will continue to build up for the future. The question becomes, just how long can you wait?
Connor McDavid’s frustrations with the Edmonton Oilers
Over the years, media has speculated that Connor McDavid has been frustrated with the team’s lack of success, with many claiming he was wanting to be moved out of Edmonton during the 2019 offseason. Thankfully, both Holland and respected veteran Head Coach Dave Tippett were brought in around that same time and have helped turn things around, but the team still failed to do a whole lot last season, losing in the Play-In Round to the Chicago Blackhawks during last year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs.
For the second straight year, the Oilers are having a good regular-season, currently sitting third in the North Division with a 25-15-2 record. They certainly have improved, especially on the backend, but still have some holes in their top six and lack overall depth in their forward group.
Again, one can understand Holland’s approach here, but is continuing to build for the future really the best option when you have two of the game’s top players in McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in their primes? These are two players both wanting and deserving of a contending team to be put around them. Sure, they both still have plenty of years left on their contracts, but at what point do they again begin to get frustrated with Holland’s lack of urgency?
Players like Connor McDavid want to win, especially while at the top of their game. Yes, this year is tough to make moves due to the flat cap, everyone understands that. This approach however needs to change from ‘patience’ to ‘win now’ mode in the very near future, perhaps as soon as next year. This team has been blessed to land two elite superstars, and it is time they are able to get surrounded by a contending team like they deserve.