Oilers Penalty Kill Struggles Could Force Another Roster Move For Young Talent
The Edmonton Oilers inconsistent start to the season has largely been because of poor special teams play, which could be grounds to make a roster move.
The Oilers powerplay hasn't been producing at its normally elite rate, but Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will eventually figure that out. The larger concern is the penalty kill that's been atrocious, and lost some key personnel from last season.
The penalty kill operating at only 59% makes it the worst in the NHL at the moment, and that simply can't stand. The goaltending has been awful on the PK, which is one major reason for its results, but the Oilers are leaving too much open space on the kills, allowing for easy chances against.
The Oilers lost a significant amount of great penalty killers last year in Warren Foegele, Ryan McLeod, Cody Ceci, and Vinny Desharnais. On the forward side that's a lot of lost speed, something that could be remedied by calling up a younger forward for a fourth line role.
Noah Philp and James Hamblin are two younger forwards who may be able to make an immediate impact on the penalty kill if they're called up. One of these players could be called up now with the Janmark injury, but perhaps they should be considered for a longer role on the team if they have success.
Right now, the Oilers aren't getting the success they need with the vets. Derek Ryan has had a great career, but if he's not keeping up to speed at 39, he can't be put out there every time.
There's only so long the penalty kill can continue operating at basically 50/50 for a goal before personnel changes need to be made. Hopefully, the Oilers are seriously considering it.
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