The Edmonton Oilers had an unforgettable 2018-2019 season. They fired General Manager Pete Chairelli and also Head Coach Todd McLellan during the middle of that season.
Ken Hitchcock became the coach during that time and he was not brought back after the season.
David Tippett is the new head coach for this team this season and he has the Edmonton Oilers off to a 5-0-0 start with 10 points. Edmonton is the first team this season to reach the 10-point mark.
Please, raise your hand if you had that happening, because I certainly didn’t.
One of the reasons why they are off to this hit start is because of Connor McDavid, Leon Draistail, and James Neal.
Neal was acquired in the offseason from the Calgary Flames for Milan Lucic. It was a big deal for Edmonton to get rid of Lucic’s contract because it was not working out for them.
James Neal has scored seven goals in five games so far this season. He has yet to record an assist and his plus/minus rating is even.
Connor McDavid might be the best player in the world right now. He has scored four goals and has already recorded eight assists in five games so far this season. His plus/minus is 3.
Leon Draisaitl has scored four goals and recorded seven assists so far this season in five games. His plus/minus is 2.
This team doesn’t have a whole lot of depth, but Mike Smith is a very good goalie.
Smith’s record so far this season is 3-0 with a .907 save percentage and a 2.67 GAA.
If this team can get solid defense and goaltending and some scoring depth moving forward, this team could very well get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2016-2017.
Ken Holland is the new general manager for the Edmonton Oilers and he has a lot of work to do, but what Holland has done so far has been promising.
This team needs to be in the playoffs every year with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. One of the reasons why this is the case is because they are young and talented and their primes can’t be wasted.
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