Evan Bouchard is ranked second. When it comes to shooting and passing, the number of NHL d-men in Bouchard’s class can be counted on one hand.
Cody Ceci is ranked fifth. He’s bounced back from an injury-plagued and mediocre 2022-23 season to provide consistent, smart two-way play.
Derek Ryan is ranked tenth. The more he plays, the better the Oilers’ chances of winning are.
Mattias Janmark is number thirteen. The Oilers’ best defensive winger since Fernando Pisani donned the jersey.
Mattias Ekholm is ranked 14th. Is there a better two-way NHL d-man at even strength in the last month? Possibly. However, the Viking is crushing it.
Zach Hyman is ranked 18th. The Oilers’ most consistent impact player this season.
#21 Adam Erne. He’s figuring out how to be useful, as evidenced by his big goal against the New Jersey Devils.
Darnell Nurse, No. 25. In the last two months, he has played the smartest, most sound, and best hockey of his career.
Brett Kulak is ranked 27th. He skates like a jet and is rarely caught off guard. In his prime hockey years.
Connor Brown, No. 28. The intelligence and hustle are there, and the legs will follow in a few weeks.
#29 Leon Draisaitl. Is his Executioner’s Shot the most feared weapon in the NHL? I suspect so.
Calvin Pickard (#30). His consistent play may just earn him a spot on the team.
with the Oilers this year, maybe next year as well.
Warren Foegele is ranked 37th. He was Edmonton’s second-best winger in 2023, a top-tier two-way player at even strength.
Dylan Holloway, number 55. He was bringing his “A” game before getting hurt, and his “A” game befits an Oilers Top 6 forward.
James Hamblin, number 57. If he can keep this up, he’ll be the NHL’s next Derek Ryan.
Ryan McLeod, 71. Few NHL defensemen can stop him when he has his feet moving with the puck.
Vincent Desharnais (#73). He is self-assured, and he enjoys uncertainty. He is a member of the NHL and will win the Stanley Cup.
Stuart Skinner (#74). Big Stu demonstrated last year that he can lock it down in net for weeks at a time, and he’s sending signals that this could happen frequently in 2024.
Philip Broberg (no. 86). Paul Coffey will be his coach when he gets his next shot with the Oilers, and Paul Coffey will bring out something special in this ultra-fast and agile player.
Sam Gagner, 89. If Sam Gagner’s third season with the Edmonton Oilers is any indication, I can’t wait for the fourth.
Evander Kane (#91). He’s as tough as they come, and his toughness helped lift the Oilers out of their funk in late October and early November.
#93 Nugent-Hopkins, Ryan. At even strength, he’s found his sweet spot as the glue player on a line with aggressive Hyman and Captain McDavid.
Connor McDavid, #97. The captain will lead the Oilers to the Stanley Cup this spring because he refuses to lose.
The Oilers’ 2023-24 season has been difficult and dangerous thus far, but the best is yet to come.
And, as one poet put it:
I wish you a joyful holiday season.
I wish you a courageous New Year.
All anguish, pain, and sorrow.
Leave your heart behind and let your path be clear.
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