The Edmonton Oilers rank first in the NHL on the power play at 30.0 percent, but they haven’t looked the same since Leon Draisaitl got injured on March 15. In Draisaitl’s absence, the Oilers are 2-for-19 on the man advantage, for an abysmal 10.5 percent. That ranks 30th in the league during that span. They have struggled, and adjustments must be made.
Edmonton has utilized Vasily Podkolzin and Matt Savoie on the top unit, with no success. They put Podkolzin in Draisaitl’s spot for the one-time option, which didn’t work. No disrespect to Podkolzin, but he doesn’t have Draisaitl’s lethal shot; nobody does.
Related: Oilers Continue to Succeed Without Draisaitl
Then, they replaced Podkolzin with Savoie. Savoie isn’t a trigger man and doesn’t have the best shot. He’s a workhorse who’s great at retrieving pucks and finding Connor McDavid, but they already have Zach Hyman on that unit, who does the same thing. Other than Evan Bouchard, they don’t have anyone else on that top unit with a shoot-first mentality. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and McDavid are facilitators, and Hyman is the net front presence.
Draisaitl is an elite player who can’t be replaced. However, they need to fill his void with someone who has similar attributes. Without the German superstar, the Oilers look lost on the power play because they haven’t found the right fit. With that said, there are a few adjustments the Oilers can make to improve the man advantage.
Jack Roslovic Should Get a Look
Jack Roslovic should get an opportunity on the top unit. He has 20 goals this season, good for fourth on the team. He’s a goal scorer and has a deceptive release. The 29-year-old doesn’t have the hardest shot, but he gets it off quickly and can pick the corners.
He’s a shifty player who can create time and space with his offensive instincts. He’s quick on his edges and can move around the offensive zone, finding soft spots and shooting lanes. Sometimes, the Oilers’ power play is too stationary, and Roslovic could add more pace and motion. That should force the penalty killers out of position and make it difficult to defend, creating quality chances.
Podkolzin and Savoie are smart, defensively minded players, but they aren’t consistently there yet offensively, which doesn’t make them a good fit on the power play. Therefore, Roslovic is a better short-term option and should be worth a shot.
Oilers Could Run 2 Defencemen
Most teams in the league typically have four forwards and one defenceman on the man advantage, but the Oilers could add a second defenceman instead, and Jake Walman makes sense. If they want the one-time option from Draisaitl’s spot, Walman is the best player to fill that role. He can rip the puck, and that’s what’s missing right now.
On Oct. 21 against the Ottawa Senators, he hammered a one-timer upstairs in overtime. He blistered that puck, and the goaltender never saw it. He has that ability; we just haven’t seen it much this season. But if he gets an opportunity with the top unit, that could change. The 30-year-old blueliner has had a tough season, so if he can utilize his strengths more often, he could gain some much-needed confidence heading into the postseason. Draisaitl is irreplaceable, but Walman could be the next best thing if given that opportunity.
Successful power plays have dual shooting threats to keep the penalty killers guessing. Having Walman and Bouchard together would create an unpredictable power play, and that’s a good thing.
Hyman commented on the power play before their last game against the Seattle Kraken. “Leon is often times the finisher, so when you’re missing that element, you have to find new looks and find new ways to score.” They aren’t producing with their current group, meaning a small change could be beneficial. As Hyman said, they need to find new looks, and adding Roslovic or Walman to the mix could spark the group and give them what they are missing: a finisher.
Both options could work, as they each bring something unique to the table. How should the Oilers address their struggling power play? Keep following The Hockey Writers for all your NHL content throughout the season.
