Connor McDavid Calls Out Oilers’ Flaws — But Not Taking His Own Advice

Connor McDavid is answering questions about another slow start to a season for the Edmonton Oilers. It’s no surprise given the importance he placed on his team getting out of the gates with a strong opening. Frustrated both with the record and his own lack of scoring, McDavid said to media after a loss to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday afternoon, “Obviously, our whole team’s just a little bit out of sync.”

McDavid delivered a blunt assessment of the Oilers’ early-season struggles, pointing directly to a lack of cohesion across the roster. “Not a lot of flow to our game. We’re not connected enough, even on the power play.” Perhaps he was most disappointed in the fact that the team isn’t learning anything from past mistakes. “We didn’t find a way to win or get better today,” he said. “Maybe the second part’s more important than the first. Results matter, but I didn’t like that we didn’t seem to get any better.”

Despite outshooting New Jersey 30–23 and controlling stretches of puck possession, Edmonton was undone by costly mistakes. It was the second game in a row where the Oilers seemingly gave their opponent the win. They’ve allowed two shorthanded goals against in two games, their man advantage went 0-for-3, and the stars are, once again, trying to pass the puck into the net.

Oilers and McDavid Need to Find a Way To Turn Things Around

The captain’s comments come just weeks after signing a team-friendly two-year, $25 million extension, signaling his commitment to keeping the Oilers competitive. Yet, the team has looked anything but championship-caliber through its first five games, sitting at 2-2-1.

They’ve had one strong period against the Calgary Flames and one strong game against the Vancouver Canucks. Beyond that, the team has looked disjointed and have struggled for offense. McDavid has no goals on the season and fans simply can’t understand why he’s not shooting the puck. After saying he wanted to be more of a goal-scorer, his tendency to overpass has trickled down the lineup. The Oilers aren’t making the simple plays.

Analytically, Edmonton maintains a strong shot share at five-on-five but ranks near the bottom in expected goals. This is a sign that they are settling for perimeter play without enough dangerous net-front looks. That means getting into the hard areas, going to the net, and making the life of the opposing goaltender more difficult. McDavid said, “Everybody can be simpler. Get more pucks to the net, get more bodies to the net. All the cliches are cliches because they work.”

Perhaps he should start taking more of his own advice.

As the Oilers continue their road trip in Detroit on Sunday and McDavid has a chance to lead by example. Make the simple play. Don’t be so cute and try to win a game with the dynamic highlight-reel skill everyone already knows they have. Just get two points.

Next: Big-Name Winger Presses Pause on Contract Talks, Rumors Swirl Around Oilers