The Edmonton Oilers are in complete chaos.
The team has had a weak start to the new NHL season, and more snow came in the house when the Oilers lost Finnish time early Friday morning in a jumbo match against the San Jose Sharks.
The Oilers’ organization has had many flaws for years and the club has been managed quite poorly.
The club’s internal operating culture inspires wrong things and it is focused on nurturing a star cult.
When we start with the things happening in the rink, the Oilers’ problems are especially related to the organization of the five-man and defense game.
The team’s own difficulties start already in the attack and midfield. For example, against the Vancouver Canucks, the Oilers deployed in a 1-1-3 midfield formation against a late start. Three players stood on their own blue line while two others took on the attack in the offensive zone.
The Canucks easily got past the first two Oilers players and attacked Edmonton’s three standing players at high speed with multiple players.
The same was evident against San Jose, when the Sharks opened the game faster.
In their own defensive area, the areas of responsibility of the Oilers players are unclear. Some of them do not implement the agreed way of playing.
Players double the opponent’s players near the wings and corners at the wrong moments, guard the same opponent’s player and directly pass here and there. The Oilers play is desperate, and part of the team overplays situations.
For this season, the Oilers changed their defensive zone defense to a more zone-oriented one, but it hasn’t worked at all.
The eyes are on, for example, Oilers captain Connor McDavid. The superstar has suffered from injury and mysteriously stated that he was “fit enough to play”, but against the Sharks, for example, McDavid did not fulfill his role as a defensive player.
There were several situations for McDavid against San Jose where the forward didn’t defend in his own defensive zone much with the stick. The center held his stick in two hands, which makes it difficult to cover the serving and shooting lines. In many situations, McDavid slid here and there with his back up and avoided duels.
The Oilers’ German star Leon Draisaitl has his own figure.
Draisaitl is the leading player for the Oilers, but doesn’t perform accordingly on the ice. Against the Sharks, Draisaitl scratched his neck when his own teammate lost the puck. In the changes of direction in the central area, he turned slowly and lazily towards his end.
Draisaitl does not implement the agreed-upon style of play, but constantly slips from his defensive obligations. When defending, Draisaitl slides instead of skates, misplaces in his own defensive zone and drifts out of play.
The defensive game simply does not work if all players do not fulfill their defensive roles in the situations.
The usual problems in the game are the responsibility of the head coach Jay Woodcroft, but the players also get to take part in the problems.
For example, when Draisaitl doesn’t follow the coach’s instructions, it indicates something much worse.
This all boils down to one word: culture. It is In the Oilers rotten.
For years, Edmonton has sworn by the cult of stars. The organization has been a model student of the trend that has plagued the NHL in recent years.
McDavid and Draisaitl have been allowed to do whatever they want on the ice, and their defensive play has not been interfered with, as the power points have compensated for weak and indifferent defensive play.
Power points have been more important than the success of your own team.
When you suddenly have to defend and play a functioning five game, the culture of the Oilers beats it. It just doesn’t bend to it, because the star players still swear by the name of individual-driven star cult hockey.
Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche have shown that you can no longer win the Stanley Cup in the NHL with star cult hockey.
The team’s internal operating culture is nurtured and monitored by the coaches and leading players. In the booth and on the rink, the leading players show by example what it means to perform and practice according to the culture.
When the leading players do not do this, it is immediately visible in the actions of the entire team. At its best, culture feeds the players forward. This will not happen under McDavid and Draisaitl.
Fostering a culture of operation often trickles down from club management, and here the Oilers have failed miserably.
You can check the result in the league table.
The Oilers, led by Connor McDavid, are a mess. AOP / USA TODAY SPORTS