The team captain was supported by radar partner Leon Draisaitl:
– It’s just like Connor says, we’re all here to win. When you do not succeed, it is of course disappointing. We have to talk together as a group, make the necessary changes and try to turn this into something positive for next season. But yeah, it’s Stanley Cup or failure.
Despite the frustration of the stars and the high expectations, the Oilers have avoided making any major changes to the lineup; a vote of confidence for the group that in the last two years was knocked out in the playoffs by the team that later won the Stanley Cup (Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights).
McDavid’s Erie Otters junior teammate and chainmate, Connor Brown, is expected to step right in with the first-string team captain; a move that, in that case, would create an extraordinarily strong second chain in Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Draisaitl and Evander Kane. Exactly where Brown fits in and how best to balance his chains will be an important task for head coach Jay Woodcroft during the 2023-24 preseason.
Another important task for Woodcroft will be to assess how goalkeepers Stuart Skinner and Jack Campbell have managed their summer training and which of them will take the lead between the posts when the season gets underway. Campbell has a higher salary and was seen as a prestige signing when he signed a five-year deal before last season, but Skinner slowly but surely took over the starting spot last year.
Can Campbell reclaim the role via a strong training camp and preseason?
Mattias Ekholm, who came to the club in connection with the NHL Trade Deadline last season, this year gets the opportunity to play together with the rest of the team already during training camp and pre-season – something that will strengthen both the 33-year-old himself and the Oilers in general, as well as the back partner Evan Bouchard in particular.
2023-09-07 13:50:33
#Preseason #Edmonton #Oilers #NHL.com
