Edmonton Oilers
Oilers’ Power Move: McDavid, Draisaitl, and Red-Hot Forward Together
Gamble or a power move: The Oilers will stack Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl with their red-hot forward against Colorado.
The Edmonton Oilers are loading up. Head coach Kris Knoblauch is rolling out Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Jack Roslovic on the same line for their clash with the Colorado Avalanche — one of the NHL’s most dominant and fast-paced teams.
In other words, Saturday night is going to be like an All-Star Game when the top lines are on. The question is whether this will leave the other lines exposed.
On paper, it’s the kind of high-powered unit that should terrify opponents. McDavid and Draisaitl can dominate any game when paired together, and Roslovic’s recent surge made for the obvious choice to fill out that trio. But the question remains: is stacking the top line the right move?
Knoblauch says it’s about meeting the moment. “It’s a good challenge for our guys,” he said after Saturday’s morning skate. “I think they enjoy having those times when they’re playing against other teams’ best, and you know they’re their top line or their top five men, you know which plays a lot together, or obviously one of the best, if not the best, in the NHL.”
The Rest of the Oilers’ Forward Group
The decision brings short-term firepower, but it comes with risk. Splitting McDavid and Draisaitl across two lines gives Edmonton depth — a balance they’ve leaned on for most of the season. By putting them back together, and then adding arguably Edmonton’s next best forward, the rest of the forward group feels a like it might be lacking.
Vasily Podkolzin and Andrew Mangiapane will be on a line cetered by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The third line will include Adam Henrique, Noah Philp, and Trent Frederic. The fourth line features three NHL rookies in Ike Howard, David Tomasek and Matt Savoie.
Knoblauch said that the top line will likely play most of its minutes against Colorado’s top line (unless matchups at home give Edmonton a benefit), which hints that while the other lines may be weaker for the Oilers, their matchups will be weaker, as well.
If it works against Colorado, it could become Edmonton’s go-to weapon. If not, it might be the last time Knoblauch tries this combination of forwards.
Next: Stuart Skinner Deserves More Time — Even After Oilers’ Successful ‘Panic’ Move
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