2014-15 record: 24-44-11 (62 points)
Missed the playoffs
Captain: Andrew Ference
The light at the end of the tunnel has arrived for the Edmonton Oilers. Not since the days of Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier has one player been seen as The Guy like Connor McDavid, and given the Oilers' luck lately, they need him.
Other than the Buffalo Sabres and Arizona Coyotes, no team was a bigger disaster than the Edmonton Oilers last year. The Dallas Eakins era lasted all of a season and a half before he was finally given his walking papers and though interim head coach Todd Nelson did indeed inject a little life into the horrible offense, the defense was still an outward mess, as both regular goalies (Ben Scrivens and Viktor Fasth) registered a GAA of over 3.00 each, and the blue line was a special kind of terrible. Gone is Fasth and in his place is Cam Talbot, who showed he can play when he substituted for Henrik Lundqvist, but the question is whether he can replicate some of that success behind a still unstable defensive unit. Speaking of that unit, the Oilers are bringing in some new faces, as they picked up a puck mover (Andrej Sekera), a stay-at-home player that is still growing as a player (Griffin Reinhart), and a hard-hitting sandpaper type of player (Eric Gryba). Don't forget about Darnell Nurse, who could be a major player if he makes the team this season.
Up front, the young talent up front hasn't turned into what the Oilers thought they were getting, and much of that is the lack of continuity with coaching systems. While Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins did alright, Taylor Hall missed a fair amount of time and Nail Yakupov only did well once Eakins was shown the door. Now, throw in Leon Draisaitl, who was nearly ruined at the hands of the previous regime, and of course, Connor McDavid, and the offense should be better. As for the coaching and front office, Todd McLellan adds credibility to the coaching spot and though he could never get San Jose to the promised land, just guiding the Oilers to playoff contention would be enough this year. If nothing else, the players will buy into what McLellan is selling on both offense and defense. Peter Chiarelli brings experience to the General Manager position, something that the often Oiler legend retreads showed little of in the times since the lockout of 2005.
Prediction: 6th in the Pacific Division
With so many new faces and yet another new system, it may take a while for the Oilers to find their rhythm. Instant success, even with McDavid there, won't come easy, but for the first time in years, hope is finally here for a fan base that has suffered since 2006.
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