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Edmonton Oilers: 5 burning questions for 2018-19 season

By David Rouben

EDMONTON, AB - APRIL 5: Connor McDavid
EDMONTON, AB - APRIL 5: Connor McDavid /
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After a hugely disappointing season that saw their GM become the laughingstock of the league, how will the Edmonton Oilers rebound in 2018-19?

There’s no sugar coating it — the 2017-18 Edmonton Oilers were one of the biggest disappointments in the league. A year removed from winning a series and coming so close to making the Conference Finals, much more was expected of this team. Yes, trading Jordan Eberle for Ryan Strome hurt them, but it wasn’t supposed to make them 25 points worse. Not when the best player in the world is on their team.

With Peter Chiarelli becoming a league-wide laughingstock once again, he must either make a move that will get the Oilers back to the playoffs, or they’ll have to win in spite of him.

No matter what, there will be a lot of pressure on the Oilers this upcoming season, as they simply cannot let three of Connor McDavid’s first four seasons go to waste.

ST. PAUL, MN – APRIL 02: Edmonton Oilers Left Wing Milan Lucic (27) takes a breather during a NHL game between the Minnesota Wild and Edmonton Oilers on April 2, 2018 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN. The Wild Defeated the Oilers 3-0.(Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ST. PAUL, MN – APRIL 02: Edmonton Oilers Left Wing Milan Lucic (27) takes a breather during a NHL game between the Minnesota Wild and Edmonton Oilers on April 2, 2018 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN. The Wild Defeated the Oilers 3-0.(Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

5. Can Milan Lucic bounce back?

Milan Lucic was one of the Oilers’ prized free-agent acquisitions back in 2016. His seven-year, $6 million contract looked bad at the time, but he turned in a 23-goal, 50-point season in his first year while playing a big role in their playoff push.

All was forgiven, until he went on one of the worst cold streaks you’ll see in the back half of last season. He went 15 games without a point and 30 without scoring a goal. His point total dipped to 34, while he reverted back to bad habits, as his penalty minutes skyrocketed from 50 to 80.

Suddenly, his bad contract began to rear its ugly head, and there was even talk this offseason that they would try to trade out of it. But if he keeps declining at this pace, nobody will be willing to take on his current contract.

That’s why it’s imperative, for both the Oilers and Lucic, that he bounce back and put up numbers closer to his first season in Edmonton. Putting him on a dynamic line with Leon Draisaitl and Jesse Puljujarvi could boost his goalscoring totals, but there’s a concern that he won’t be able to keep pace with them.

If they need him to produce, the best solution would be to put him on McDavid’s wing, since that’s usually foolproof.

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