Oilers are having a nightmare before Halloween What was supposed to be a dream season for the Edmonton Oilers has turned into their worst nightmare.
And there doesn’t seem to be a clear answer.
You can fire the coach, fire the general manager, start trading players, but what is the answer?
What really works?
How could this talented team that led the Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights to Game 6 in the second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs fall off a cliff so quickly in 2023-2024?
?
If you have an answer, send it to new Oilers manager Jeff Jackson.
Because he is a man who can make a difference.
The Oilers currently have him at the bottom of the NHL in almost every category.
With one win and three points after seven games, the Oilers are currently just two points adrift of last place in the league.
Who could have predicted that?
Goalkeepers Jack Campbell and Stuart Skinner are currently near the bottom of the league in goals saved percentage and goals against average, despite their short-term heroics.
They’re trying to learn a new system that clearly isn’t working, and it looks like the core of their defense has been completely lost.
And it’s clear that a highly regarded group of high-scoring strikers can’t buy goals.
What is the answer?
Critics come out behind the scenes There’s a lot of negativity coming out against the Oilers right now from outside voices saying, “We told you so,” obviously in a state of shock.
Even the Oilers’ own fan base in Rogers Place has started booing the team.
The boos heard during the Oilers’ 3-0 loss to the New York Rangers on October 26 have only gotten louder.
The whispers that Leon Draisaitl won’t re-sign with the Oilers when his contract expires next season could turn into shouts.
Will Connor McDavid ever want to quit?
Or can this group turn things around?
Is Ken Holland calling to make a trade?
The roster Holland has assembled for the Oilers’ 2023-24 season clearly needs a jolt.
Could trading one or two players turn the tide?
Perhaps it’s time to give up on Filip Broberg and see what they can accomplish in a trade.
And maybe it’s time to realize that Adam Arne isn’t the answer.
Could another team use a goaltender like Campbell?
I know he’s going into the new season with a new attitude, but after his time with the Oilers, it may be time to put him and his $5 million annual salary behind him.
Is it time to bring in some help from the Bakersfield Condors and inject some youth and excitement into the Oilers roster?
Xavier Bourgaud, Lane Pederson, and Raphael Lavoie could help.
Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft is looking for answers This team is clearly salary cap bound.
With a limited NHL roster on the edge of the salary cap, coaches can’t use traditional coaching methods like demoting players or moving players to the bench because the Oilers don’t have enough of a roster to play a role.
That’s a sad statement.
And while that can be attributed to Oilers general manager Ken Holland, he too has kept his hands tied since taking over four years ago, especially considering the stagnant salary cap and rising player salaries.
ing.
Perhaps it’s time for Jay Woodcroft and his coaching staff to abandon the new zone defense system.
The team looks as lost as the Keystone Police Department.
Perhaps they can just go back to what made them successful the past two seasons and hope for the best if they can make the playoffs.
That’s a big IF for now.
The Ball Is in the Players’ Court The answer may not be obvious right away, but the players will probably figure it out, at least by the Heritage Classic on October 29th.
I hope McDavid can return from his injury soon.
The team, which should have attacked and caught the bull in his absence, instead retreated.
Have you heard their press clippings during the offseason when so many were pegging them as Stanley Cup champions, or at least Stanley Cup contenders, before the 2023-24 season began?
After a decade of merry-go-round coaching and management changes, the players could do something to help the franchise.
If anyone has an answer, please submit it now.
The Oilers may need a miracle to turn their season around.
A miracle is something the Oilers could use right now.
As the calendar approaches November, we cannot afford to continue this losing streak.
Creative solutions are needed today, not yesterday, and perhaps Oilers CEO Jeff Jackson is in the right place to make the tough decisions.
With the Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche running away from the NHL’s Western Conference, all the Oilers can do now is make the playoffs and hope for the best from there.
It’s hard to lower expectations, but the Oilers need a reality check.
They are never enough.
Maybe start with one win and then another to get things back on track.
If that doesn’t work, it may be time for a big change.
And for a fan base that has experienced years of disappointment, that can be really tough.
The 2023-24 season has the potential for a Halloween horror movie like The Exorcist.
Who wants to see players and coaches turn heads like Linda Blair?
I’d like to think there might be hope for the Oilers.
They are a team with too much talent.
Maybe they can write a comeback story over the years.
If so, you better start winning now before it’s too late.
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