At a glance
2015-16 record: 31-43-8, 7th in Pacific Division, 14th in Western Conference.
2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Did not qualify
Additions: F: Milan Lucic, Jesse Puljujarvi, Kris Versteeg; D: Adam Larsson; G: Jonas Gustavsson
Subtractions: F: Taylor Hall, Rob Klinkhammer, Lauri Korpikoski; G: Anders Nilsson
Projected opening night lineup
Forwards
Milan Lucic - Connor McDavid - Jordan Eberle
Benoit Pouliot - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Jesse Puljujarvi
Patrick Maroon - Leon Draisaitl - Nail Yakupov
Matt Hendricks - Mark Letestu - Zack Kassian
Kris Versteeg
Defensemen
Oscar Klefbom - Adam Larsson
Brandon Davidson - Andrej Sekera
Goalies
Jonas Gustavsson
The Edmonton Oilers are now center Connor McDavid's team.
The No. 1 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft became the de facto leader of the Oilers when left wing Taylor Hall was traded to the New Jersey Devils for defenseman Adam Larsson on June 29.
McDavid, 19, is expected to be named Oilers captain before they open the regular season against the Calgary Flames on Oct. 12, which would make him the youngest captain in NHL history.
McDavid won't be alone in his attempt to turn around the Oilers, who have not qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the past 10 seasons. He will have a strong supporting cast after second-year general manager Peter Chiarelli continued to revamp the roster.
The Oilers added three major pieces to a team loaded with young talent which has yet to reach its full potential. Edmonton felt fortunate to be able to select Finnish right wing Jesse Puljujarvi at the 2016 draft. Puljujarvi (6-foot-4, 203 pounds), 18, was considered a top-three prospect, but the Oilers were able to take him with the No. 4 pick after the Columbus Blue Jackets selected center Pierre-Luc Dubois at No. 3.
Chiarelli then made his boldest move to date as Oilers GM, trading Hall for Larsson, designed to help Edmonton fill a void for a puck-moving, right-shot defenseman who can play top-pairing minutes.
Initially, the trade was very unpopular in Edmonton; Hall was the Oilers leading scorer and a fan favorite. But the disappointment was short-lived when Chiarelli signed unrestricted free agent left wing Milan Lucic to a seven-year, $42 million contract on July 1, helping ease the loss of Hall.
Lucic, 28, is part of a bigger, stronger group of forwards assembled by Chiarelli to compete in the heavy Western Conference. With Lucic (6-3, 233), the roster also includes physical forwards Patrick Maroon (6-3, 230), Zack Kassian (6-3, 217) and Matt Hendricks (6-0, 207). The Oilers still have plenty of offensive talent with McDavid, Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Nail Yakupov, Benoit Pouliot and Leon Draisaitl.
Defensively, Larsson will be expected to play a lot of minutes for the Oilers and is likely to be used against the opposition's top line.
Larsson likely will start the season on the Oilers' top pair with Oscar Klefbom, 23, who returns after missing the second half of last season with a broken finger and then a staph infection in his foot.
Andrej Sekera, 30, will provide experience on an otherwise young defense with Darnell Nurse, 21, Brandon Davidson, 25, and Griffin Reinhart, 22, expected to make the team.
Why they should make the Stanley Cup Playoffs
The Oilers have one of the brightest young stars in the game in McDavid, who is capable of elevating his game to another level. With Eberle, Nugent-Hopkins, Draisaitl, Yakupov and Lucic, they have a strong supporting cast. If they can get consistent scoring throughout the lineup and get their young defensemen to play up to their potential, Edmonton should end a 10-year playoff drought.
Why they could miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs
The Oilers finished 17 points out of a playoff spot last season, which is a lot to make up in one year. Edmonton struggled to keep the puck out of its own net, the biggest reason it was willing to part with Hall to acquire Larsson.
Anything that could go wrong for the Oilers has gone wrong in the past few years, which included McDavid sustaining an injury that forced him to miss 37 games. If the bad luck continues, the Oilers will set an NHL record for years out of the playoffs.
Breakout candidate
Puljujarvi. He's new to the North American game and may need an adjustment period, but has all the tools to be a dominant forward in the NHL. With plenty of offensive talent on the roster, the Oilers will not rush Puljujarvi's development, but he is capable of making an impact this season, particularly if he gets an opportunity to play on a line with McDavid.
On the hot seat
Talbot. The Oilers goaltender had a strong first season as the undisputed starter after being a backup to Henrik Lundqvist with the New York Rangers the previous two seasons. Talbot needs to have another strong year in order for the Oilers to succeed. If he struggles, the Oilers do not have many options behind him with journeyman Jonas Gustavsson expected to be the backup and unproven Laurent Brossoit as the third goaltender.
Trophy candidates
McDavid (Hart), Puljujarvi (Calder)
Quotable
"I got to play with [McDavid] last season and got to see him play in Russia at the World Championships and at the World Cup and what I see, is his game rises to the occasion. He gets better in bigger games. You watch him play at the World Cup, against the best players in the world and he gets better and better and better. He wants to be the best player in the world, he wants to win championships, that's the kind of people I want to be surrounded by on my team." -- forward Matt Hendricks
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