Oilers Make Curious Line Change as Injuries Mount and Effort Wavers

According to Edmonton Oilers Head Coach Kris Knoblauch, both Noah Philp and Curtis Lazar will be out for the remainder of the road trip with upper-body injuries. Because the Oilers have limited cap space, they will go 11-7 for the next few games.

Edmonton has also made an interesting change at forward, moving Zach Hyman down to the third line, despite being one of the better forwards since his return to the roster. The red-hot Jack Roslovic will be elevated to the first line with Connor McDavid and Matt Savoie. Hyman, meanwhile, will play with Adam Henrique and Trent Frederic — two of Edmonton’s least impactful forwards of late.

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Oilers Looking for Better Effort Level

Most insiders and analysts seem to believe the Edmonton Oilers are a better team than they’re showing. Elliotte Friedman appeared on the Oilers Now show with Bob Stauffer and said that he’s not panicking. His big concern is that the Oilers aren’t showing any passion, and they look “meh.”

His big concern was how lifeless the Oilers have looked at times this season. They’ve been able to scrape out some wins, but the energy levels haven’t lasted. For example, the Trent Frederic fight energized the team for a few minutes, but Edmonton barely pulled out a win versus Columbus. The Oilers scraped by the Flyers, and for Zach Hyman’s return, they barely beat Carolina. Immediately after many of those games, the Oilers showed up and got dominated.

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While he admitted some of the players were struggling, he believes it’s not because Edmonton is a bad team. His stance was that Edmonton wasn’t taking ownership of the things within its control. Friedman isn’t the only analyst taking that point of view.

Two former players-turned-analysts—TSN analyst Mike Johnson and former NHL goalie Jamie McLennan — both had takes that highlighted a similar concern. Neither was writing off the Oilers, and McLennan was confident while on the Barn Burner podcast that there was time to figure it out, but there are troubling signs. The Oilers lack energy, a factor they can control.

Johnson opened by recounting a telling exchange he had earlier that day. “I had a little conversation with Troy Stecher this morning,” he said. “I joked about him walking into the fire, and he basically said, ‘I just left the fire.’” Johnson noted that the pressure Stecher felt in Edmonton isn’t much different from what he sees now in Toronto, where both teams are struggling. Johsnon added, “When you face teams like Buffalo or St. Louis, there’s this assumption you’re supposed to win.” he called it an unfair assumption, but it is the reality, so when a team like the Oilers gets creamed by Buffalo, it’s worrisome.

McLennan suggested his biggest concern was that the Oilers simply aren’t playing well and that they aren’t motivated. The hint seemed to be that they were tired, but there comes a time when the group has to start playing to the level they are capable of.

Both analysts agreed the Oilers are vastly underperforming. “They’re playing at 20%,” McLennan said, arguing that the team is much better than its record shows. He gave room for their stars to get back to full speed, but it was pointed out by a host of the show: “My concern is how far do you fall? It’s not a light switch. You can’t show up on January 1st and say, ‘Okay, we’re going to win 20 in a row.’”

Is There a Silver Lining for the Oilers?

McLennan did suggest that Edmonton has had the most brutal schedule in the NHL, and it hasn’t been helping. Saying they’ve traveled out east twice and had a seven-game road trip, the Oilers are victims of a battle to try to stay energized. “They’re better than they’ve shown,” he said, “but how much better?

Johnson noted, “Maybe everything isn’t okay.” At the same time, no one was ready to write off the Oilers yet. Not by a long shot.

Perhaps Hyman being moved to the third line isn’t about Hyman, but about the others on his line. Hyman pushes. He’s got an engine that won’t quit, and Frederic could use a bit more of that in his game. Perhaps being on a line together will force Frederic to up his effort level. Henrique, meanwhile, is someone McLennan says has looked his age.

Will this help? Perhaps. With an 11-7 deployment, the lines are written in pencil, far more than they are in pen.

Next: Insider Says Kris Knoblauch’s Seat is Getting Warmer in Edmonton