3 biggest Edmonton Oilers disappointments to start the season

The Edmonton Oilers have been one of the most disappointing teams in the NHL so far in 2023-24, despite the fact they have won a few games recently and looked more like their old selves. However, until this team starts to click consistently as a unit, it’s tough to say whether their recent resurgence will continue or if it will be short-lived. 

Three specific players must start stepping up their games for that to happen. And while those listed below are outstanding names, they haven’t performed to their respective standards early. 

One of those three is someone who you would think themselves capable of putting the team onto his shoulders. Another was a late-season acquisition who has yet to find consistent footing during his first full season in Edmonton, while the third is coming off of a terrific rookie year, but has been up and down in the early going.

3 disappointing Edmonton Oilers players to start the season

3. Connor McDavid, C

Few NHL players have put together as decorated a career as Connor McDavid, and last season, he managed to take his game to another level. A perennial All-Star, McDavid won the Hart Trophy in 2022-23 as the league’s most valuable player, the Ted Lindsay Award, the Maurice Richard Trophy, and the Art Ross Trophy. 

His 153 points, 64 goals, and 89 assists were all career-highs, so one would think McDavid would be gearing up for quite the encore presentation, right? As it turns out, that hasn’t been the case, as McDavid, a player you would expect to lift up and carry a struggling Edmonton Oilers team, has struggled right along with them, scoring just 13 points in 13 contests.

The good news? McDavid has played a pivotal role in the previous two games, snagging a goal and a plus-3 rating in the Oilers overtime win over the Seattle Kraken. And that came just two days following a win over the New York Islanders in which he had two points.