The Edmonton Oilers are finally showing some signs of life since the trade deadline. After making a few minor tweaks, the Oilers look a bit more settled than they did prior to the Olympic break.
With eight games to go in the regular season and four points separating them from the Pacific Division-leading Anaheim Ducks, the Oilers will hope to continue breathing down their necks with playoff seeding on the line.
One man who concurs with the idea that the Oilers look a lot calmer under pressure since the deadline is franchise legend Craig MacTavish, who waxed lyrical about GM Stan Bowman’s moves.
Oilers’ Trade Deadline Additions Get Craig MacTavish’s Blessing
For the second year running, the Oilers traded for three players at the trade deadline. Last year, those names included Jake Walman, Trent Frederic, and Max Jones. This time around, GM Stan Bowman did business with the Chicago Blackhawks to bring Jason Dickinson, Connor Murphy, and Colton Dach to Edmonton.
So far, Dickinson and Murphy have steadied a relatively rocky ship when it comes to the Oilers’ blue line. MacTavish noted as much during an appearance on the Oilers Now podcast with Bob Stauffer.
“The personnel changes that Stan’s made have hit the bullseye,” MacTavish said.
“They’re not flashy, Connor Murphy and Jason Dickinson. But they get the job done. And they’re a great example to other guys on how to win battles. Connor Murphy: on how to win battles low. Jason Dickinson: great positioning, good on the faceoffs, defensively savvy. Not to mention the veteran presence in the locker room.”
While Dickinson and Murphy have hit the ground running, 23-year-old Colton Dach’s start was disrupted by an injury. In just his third game in Oilers’ colors, Dach picked up an injury during a game against the Colorado Avalanche. Edmonton then placed the forward on long-term injured reserve. As things stand, he’s still working his way back.
In any case, this is crunch time for the Oilers and head coach Kris Knoblauch. They’re four points behind the Anaheim Ducks, who just dropped a couple of points against the Toronto Maple Leafs in an eventful 5-4 overtime loss.
The Oilers have eight games to go in the regular season, starting tonight against the Seattle Kraken, followed by games against the Blackhawks, Vegas Golden Knights, Utah Mammoth, San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings, Colorado Avalanche, and the final regular-season game against the Vancouver Canucks.
The run-in for the Oilers looks pretty straightforward, but with Leon Draisaitl still out, their strength in depth will be put to the test with one eye on locking down the rotation for the postseason.
As things stand, the Oilers will face off against the Golden Knights in the first round, unless they can hunt down the Ducks to go top of the Pacific Division, in which case they will take on the Utah Mammoth, who are in the first wild-card spot.
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