Oilers GM Looking At New Players As Team Struggles With Consistency

The Edmonton Oilers had a great season last year and came so very close to making it to the playoffs. Fans of the Edmonton Oilers were thrilled with their team’s performance last year because they had been accustomed to seeing their team perform poorly for over a decade.

The resurgence of the Edmonton Oilers was down to the fact that they were finally playing as a team, putting in consistent performances and allowing the brilliance of Connor McDavid to shine through. The Oilers signed a long term contract (8 years) prior to the start of the season with McDavid, which resulted in him becoming the highest paid player ($105M) in the NHL.

Peter Chiarelli, the general manager of the Edmonton Oilers was very confident going into this season that the Oilers would continue to perform well and make it to the playoffs. That was before the season started! The Oilers have had an exceptionally poor start to their season and have a 9-13-2 record as of November 28.

Edmonton Oilers

Their biggest concern is the fact that they have been very inconsistent with the way they played and performed on match day. The Oilers have struggled to win back-to-back games and the roller-coaster ride has shaken the confidence of the players and the management. There are 31 franchises in the NHL and the Oilers are now in 27th position tied with the Florida Panthers.

When an NHL team goes through a rough patch, it is usually because of one or two problem areas. The head coach and the team management go to work on these areas and look to boost the team’s performance. However, the Edmonton Oilers are struggling in just about all departments. They have problems with their goalkeeping, defense and power play options.

Chiarelli did not mince words and said the Oilers were struggling because too many weaknesses and flaws were being exposed. He said that he will continue to be patient and see how things work out but warned that there was a limit to being patient. Chiarelli admitted that he was keeping his eyes open for new players and other opportunities out there that could make a difference to the Oilers.

Oilers captain Connor McDavid is feeling the pressure now that more than a quarter of the season has passed and the Oilers have failed to perform. McDavid has asked the fans to be patient and promised to turn things around for the Oilers.