It could be worse. It could be 2011, smack dab in the middle of the Decade of Darkness™. Or at 6 p.m. MT on April 18, 2015, minutes before the National Hockey League’s draft lottery that year, when the then-adrift Edmonton Oilers were on a crash course to (probably) take Dylan Strome with the third-overall pick that June, their fifth Top 3 selection in six years. More on that later. But the Oilers’ first-round exit from the NHL playoffs Thursday night after losing Game 6 of their series with the Anaheim Ducks feels something like the Aprils of those lost seasons of yore, partly because the ride the team and its fans had been on the last four years was hella fun. Playoff series wins are enjoyable, it turns out, and the Oilers won nine of them in that time, reaching the Stanley Cup Final twice, albeit without championships. But now that the blue-and-orange-clad local heroes have crashed, it’s time for an extended, spring-and-summer-long burn. And like the 10-year black hole that was 2007-16 for E-Town hockey fans (and the hand-wringing over missed post-seasons in 2018 and ’19), the puck talk around backyard fire pits will centre around what went wrong, what changes should be made, and what players may come and go. No need to wait for buds on the trees or greening lawns for that, however. Connor McDavid gave them fodder for those convos immediately after Thursday’s loss, the captain calling his Oilers “an average team with high expectations.” The 29-year-old superstar – the top pick of the 2015 draft by the lottery-winning Oilers that year who’s considered the greatest player in hockey – was anything but average this regular season, however. He delivered the second-best offensive performance of his career by putting up 138 points to capture his sixth league scoring title. And he carried the team into the playoffs when fellow superstar and oft-linemate Leon Draisaitl missed the final 14 games of the regular season with an injury. To hear him say those words shouldn’t sit well with anyone, particularly Oilers management, who are tasked with assembling the right mix of players and coaching to complement the likes of McDavid and the 30-year-old Draisaitl. Consider that it was a little less than seven months ago when McDavid signed a two-year contract extension that begins next season. Before I go any further and write ‘cue a blockbuster trade watch,’ however, we’ve got to consider just how much hockey the Oilers, particularly their superstars, have been playing in recent years. I’ve already mentioned the nine playoff series wins and the two losses in the Cup Final. Add this year’s Winter Olympics and last year’s 4 Nations tourney. Maybe things feel “average” because they’re tired. Physically. Emotionally. I know I needed a vacation after chipping away on the ice (coating my van’s windshield) all winter. They’re definitely injured. McDavid apparently hurt his right leg during the Ducks series. Draisaitl, who admittedly looked healthy these playoffs, sat out the final five weeks of the regular season with an ailment. Zach Hyman sat out a few games near season’s end, too, as did trade-deadline acquisition Jason Dickinson. Who knows what the Oilers could have done with a healthier lineup this year, although one could say that any given playoffs. And perhaps we shouldn’t read too far into McDavid’s “average” comments – it’s no secret that he and Draisaitl are the catalysts of this team and have been for years now. The stars are still in their Stanley Cup ‘window,’ but like most of their NHL brethren, the Oilers will have personnel decisions to make based on needs, availability and money – there’s a salary cap, after all. Players, management and coaches will face the media music in the coming days before they go their separate ways until September. Some questions, particularly around injuries, may be answered. Others won’t – or can’t be just yet.
