|
Johnston vs Bourgault Is The Wrong Argument |
|
|
|
|
|
Last night the Oilers were embarrassed by the Dallas Stars. Dallas sent line after line at the Oilers and Edmonton simply had no answer. Some of the players that put up points for the Stars last night included Wyatt Johnston (age 20 - drafted #23 in 2021), Logan Stankoven (age 21 - drafted #47 in 2021), and Thomas Harley (age 22 - drafted #18 in 2019). Harley is playing top pairing with Heiskanen while Stankoven and Johnston make up two parts of a dominant third line.
I see a large portion of Oilers Twitter today focused on the fact that Edmonton selected Xavier Bourgault one pick before the Stars grabbed Johnston. It's absolutely fair to say that the Oilers drafting record has been brutal under Ken Holland but that is a shallow debate. In my opinion, the far greater concern under this management group has been their inability to develop or play talent in positions to succeed.
Even if the Oilers selected Johnston, I highly doubt he would be the player he is in Dallas. Far more likely, he would either be a third or fourth line winger in Edmonton, averaging 10 minutes a game or he would be "over ripening" in the AHL.
Stankoven scored 24 goals in 47 games with the Texas Stars of the AHL last season. In his rookie season in the NHL he is averaging 15 minutes a game. Dylan Holloway averaged barely 9 minutes a game in his rookie season. Under the Holland regime, young prospects are coached and developed to be bottom six players. Holloway was drafted as a skilled, fast player that would be an excellent complimentary player with other high end skill. In 32 games this season he has played 43 minutes with Draisaitl and 22 minutes with McDavid. He has played 70 minutes with Derek Ryan and 118 minutes with Connor Brown.
The NHL of today is a fast paced, high skill, high speed game. It's a point I try to hammer home in every blog I write and why I value players like Bouchard and McLeod and grow increasingly frustrated with players like Ceci and Kane. The Dallas Stars absolutely understand that philosophy. Last night the Stars ran circles around the Oilers and if Edmonton looked slow, it's because they are. Edmonton is the oldest team in the NHL. The first number that Ken Holland looks at when deciding to acquire a player is their birth year.
Since before this season began, I was adamant that the key to post-season success this year was to play the likes of Lavoie, Holloway, and Broberg for long stretches. These are home grown talents that don't cost you much against the cap. They will absolutely make mistakes but it's far better to make those mistakes in December than it is in April.
Last night, Thomas Harley, Wyatt Johnston, and Logan Stankoven played against the McDavid line the most. That was the matchup that Dallas wanted and it absolutely worked. The Stars were not afraid to send their "kid line" against the best that Edmonton has to offer. Peter DeBoar was not telling them to play "low-event hockey" until the top lines could get back onto the ice. That line went out trying to outscore and outchance whoever they were thrown against.
---
Look at Ryan McLeod. McLeod and Draisaitl have played 184 minutes together and the Oilers have scored 14 goals when those two are on the ice together. McLeod has played 690 minutes without Draisaitl and his line has scored 17 goals. In 500 more minutes, the line McLeod is on has only scored three more goals. The cynic will say "that's because Draisaitl is carrying him," but maybe it's also safe to say that McLeod is able to produce when he is playing with legitimately skilled players instead of 4th line grinders.
Edmonton absolutely needs to do a better job at drafting but when a new GM comes in this off-season, their biggest priority needs to be a complete overhaul at how this organization develops and plays it's prospects. The rest of the NHL is only getting younger and faster and the Oilers are already a mile behind in this philosophy.
Thanks for reading.
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»
