Insider Says Oilers Trying to Survive in Spite of Core Defenseman

NHL insider Frank Seravalli joined Bob Stauffer on Oilers Now on Monday and heavily laid into the Edmonton Oilers. Suggesting there’s a troubling issue with the roster mix, some key players, and how the coach is handling deployment, Seravalli seemed to suggest the Oilers have a sizeable problem.

These comments come on the heels of Leon Draisaitl being quite critical of how things went for the team in the final few games before the Olympic break.

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Servalli Lays Into Darnell Nurse

“On paper, this should have been one of the stronger, particularly on defense, stronger defense corps that the Oilers have had during the McDavid/Draisaitl era. That has clearly not been the case.” He added, “Darnell Nurse is this team’s biggest problem, start and finish. Like, you can end it right there. At $9.25 million, he needs to be an impact piece, and the Oilers are trying to survive in spite of him.”

He then said, “So park that one side of it, that’s off to the side.”

The Forwards and the Coach Are Not on the Same Page

He then said that, up front, this version of the Oilers is giving off flashbacks to the end of the Peter Chiarelli tenure. He called the team thin at forward, only made thinner by the way the coach is deploying his players. “There’s a very clear distinction between the top six and the bottom six, and I can see it both ways. I do have some sympathy for Knoblauch and his coaching staff. They’re asking someone to step up and show they deserve more minutes. No one has really done so. However, forwards who aren’t getting an opportunity probably feel they can’t step up because they aren’t being played. “We’re not getting an opportunity, how can we possibly show you something?”

He said the stars are giving everything they have and probably can’t give more are going, “It can’t just be on four of five of us to carry this team all season long, because that’s just not a recipe for success.” They’ve been through this story before and already know it doesn’t work.

Seravalli says there is frustration because the coach doesn’t think he has the pieces he needs. The depth guys aren’t being given a chance and the stars know they can’t do it without help. “Around and around in a circle we go,” he said.

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