Oilers are now one of the oldest teams in the NHL
The Edmonton Oilers have one of the oldest rosters in the entire NHL this season.
After years of being on the younger side of the league, the Oilers are now icing the second-oldest lineup in the league. According to LeftWingLock.com, the Oilers average age is 30.1, which is only younger than the Pittsburgh Penguins’ average age of 31.5.
Leftwinglock.com
There is no doubt that the Oilers’ activity at the trade deadline had some help in bumping up that average age. The team acquired 32-year-old Sam Carrick and 34-year-old Adam Henrique, forcing them to send down 22-year-old Dylan Holloway, the youngest player on the roster.
When you combine that with the fact that the team also has a 38-year-old Corey Perry and a 37-year-old Derek Ryan, it starts to make sense why the Oilers are near the top of their list. Their top-end draft picks from the 2010s have now all matured as well with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins now 30, Leon Draisaitl being 28, and Connor McDavid turning 27 in January.
The youngest player on the current roster is a tie between Ryan McLeod and Evan Bouchard, who are both 24 years old. McLeod is about a month older if you want to dig into things.
After over of decade of being perceived as one of the league's younger teams, the #Oilers are now the second oldest in the NHL with an average age of 30.1.
Since Holloway (22) was sent down, the youngest roster players are Ryan McLeod and Evan Bouchard (24).
— Preston Hodgkinson (@NHLHodgkinson) March 18, 2024
This should be a sign that the days of the Oilers relying on developing young talent to push this team forward are gone, and the time to make some noise in the playoffs is well underway.
With the exception of the Penguins, all the oldest teams in the league are expected to at least make the playoffs. The Oilers, Stars, and Hurricanes are all heading into the postseason with high aspirations that they can finally get over the hump for Stanley Cup.
We’ll see if the experience ends up helping Edmonton reach its ultimate goal.
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