Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid admitted that he led an “average team” this year, which is why they were eliminated in the playoffs.
In a first-round playoff upset, the Anaheim Ducks beat the Oilers 5-2 in Game 6 to win the series 4-2. For the Oilers, this is a disheartening loss after the team went to the Stanley Cup finals the last two years, coming up just short both times to the Florida Panthers. But if you ask McDavid, while he’s disappointed in how things ended, he’s not totally surprised given how the team performed all season long.
Speaking to reporters immediately after the Oilers were eliminated from the postseason, McDavid was blunt in his assessment of the squad, calling the group an “average team” this year.
“It was tough (this season). We were an average team all year. An average team with high expectations, you’re going to be disappointed. We just never found it,” McDavid said.
Connor McDavid Deserves Better
McDavid is universally regarded as the best player in the NHL, but he can’t do everything alone. This series showed that this Oilers team simply isn’t good enough to compete with the other elite teams in the NHL, and they need to make serious changes this offseason if they are going to make another run for the Stanley Cup next year.
McDavid signed a two-year extension for $25 million total with the Oilers last year, leaving money on the table so the team could go out and fill holes on its roster. But GM Stan Bowman made several costly mistakes with the salary cap, essentially wasting the savings that McDavid’s team-friendly deal provided. Due to all of those fatal errors, Bowman’s job may be on the line. Head coach Kris Knoblauch signed an extension with the team for three years before the season began, but after getting bounced by the Ducks, his future is also up in the air at the moment.
Oilers Need to Improve Goaltending
One of the main areas the Oilers can improve in is in net, which has unfortunately been an issue for the team basically the entire time McDavid has been on it.
The Oilers began the season with a tandem of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard, but by the end of the year, it was a duo of Connor Ingram and Tristan Jarry. Neither goaltender played particularly well for the Oilers this year, especially Jarry, who the Oilers paid a high price for in a trade from the Pittsburgh Penguins, only to see the acquisition blow up in their faces. If the Oilers are going to go anywhere next season, they need better goaltending.
The Oilers figure to make some big moves this offseason, so don’t be surprised if the team goes out and trades for an established No. 1 goalie. There have been rumors linking the Oilers to a trade for Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck, though he would cost a pretty penny in a trade. Still, if the Oilers want to maximize the final two seasons of McDavid’s contract, then they need to go out and trade for an elite goalie, or else they’ll never win the Stanley Cup despite having the NHL’s premier player in the prime of his career.
Connor McDavid Admits the Oilers Were an ‘Average Team’ This Year