3 Underachieving Oilers Who Need to Step Up This Week

Over the next seven days, the Edmonton Oilers have five games. It starts with a matchup against the New York Islanders on Tuesday and is followed by meetings with the Nashville Predators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, and Ottawa Senators. That’s a lot of games in a week and against teams the Oilers should beat. But, it will take a few underachieving Oilers to step up and shake their slumps, offering support scoring to some of the key stars on the roster.

With 18 points in 15 games, Leon Draisaitl has played well. Zach Hyman is starting to find his scoring touch and Connor McDavid is back and starting to look like the McDavid fans know and love. Still, several players on the roster were expected to play critical roles and they’ve not pulled their weight.

Evan Bouchard Underachieving Compared to Last Season

The inconsistent play of Evan Bouchard this season is becoming an issue. This is a defenseman the Oilers need to be producing at an elite offensive level. His underlying numbers when he’s on are much better than some give him credit for, but he’s looked shaky in 2024-25 and not as confident as he normally does.

Rob Brown said on the Got Yer’ Back podcast, “I don’t think Bouchard looks anywhere as confident of a player as we saw in the playoffs last year. Not only was he great offensively, he wasn’t making mistakes.” It’s those mistakes that have been magnified because the Oilers are weaker on their blue line this season than they were last season.

Bouchard needs to keep his poise, but add a level of urgency to his game and make the simple plays he was making last season toward the end of the year. Should he not, he’s looking at costing himself millions in a contract year.

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Jeff Skinner Underachieving as a Top-Six Scorer

Jeff Skinner was signed as a UFA this past summer and the expectation was that he would be an obvious fit on one of the top two lines. The idea was to put him with Leon Draisaitl and Viktor Arvidsson, but that didn’t last and Vasily Podkolzin has taken a spot on that second line. Skinner hasn’t lasted consistently on the top line either, recently playing his second-lowest minutes this season in the Oilers’ recent 7-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks. If Skinner can’t get gravy minutes in a blowout, what does that say?

Skinner has three goals and six points this season and while he’s got finish and skill, it’s his style of play that seems to be conflicting with his ability to get consistent minutes. Skinner needs to find a way to play more of a north-south game and move the puck a lot quicker instead of holding onto it for so long. Shoot quickly, move and go, and strike fast when possible.

He’s getting the start on the top line tonight versus the New York Islanders. He needs to make the most of his opportunities.

Adam Henrique Underachieving on the Third Line

Adam Henrique has one goal and one assist in 15 games for the Oilers this season. He’s been close on a couple of others and he’s not playing terrible hockey in a more limited role than he’s used to, but the Oilers need more out of him. That third line of Henrique, Connor Brown, and Mattias Janmark was brought back this offseason because they were so good in the playoffs. They haven’t seen anywhere near the same level of success this season.

Henrique is a veteran who has several 20-plus goal seasons on his resume. He may not hit 20 this season, but to be on pace for under six goals is not acceptable.

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