Is “Pretty Close” Good Enough for the Oilers to Start the Season?

The Edmonton Oilers are probably one top-six forward away from having an ideal group up front. But one analyst is making the case that “pretty close” is probably good enough and the Oilers don’t need to make a desperate move to acquire another winger before the season.

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Tyler Yaremchuk of Oilers Nation argued this week that Edmonton shouldn’t feel pressured to sign another 20-goal scorer. His reasoning is twofold: first, the Oilers already have several players capable of reaching or nearing that mark, and second, they can always add that type of scoring depth later in the season if needed.

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are locks to score 20. Zach Hyman probably is too. When you add in Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Matt Savoie, Vasily Podkolzin, and Kasperi Kapanen, that’s seven players who can potentially get you 20 goals each in a season. If all stay healthy, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see four or five of those players reach that mark.

And, even if they fall short, McDavid, Draisaitl, and Hyman all have the potential to score 40-plus goals each. That should be more than enough offense to start the season, and there’s no reason to assume that having one fewer 20-goal guy is going to make or break the season.

Who Can the Oilers Add Later?

Talk has been that Edmonton might look at Vladimir Tarasenko. They were also kicking tires on Claude Giroux. Some rumored interest was said to involve Patrick Kane, but it is believed he’s narrowed down his choice to Buffalo or Chicago. If the Oilers don’t get any of these players, is that a problem? No.

The thing about going into the season with cap space is that GM Stan Bowman will have the ability to make a trade in-season for a player who pops up that no one saw coming. Teams will inevitably fall out of contention and start selling. Or, as happened with Jack Roslovic last season, a player who has been waiting for a deal, but doesn’t get one, becomes available on the cheap.

That’s the better play for the Oilers. Let the stars you have carry you for now. Add when the near-perfect piece is there to accentuate the group.

Pretty close is good enough.

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