5 questions facing the Oilers as training camp nears

Matt Blewett/Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

A trip to the Western Conference Final has heightened expectations around the Edmonton Oilers.

Understandably so.

Boasting two of the top premier talents in the National Hockey League, returning a projected 40-goal scorer, and adding a new netminder to the crease certainly won’t lower the temperature in Edmonton this season, either.

With expectations at an all-time high under the Connor McDavid tenure, the pressure-cooker in Edmonton has cranked up.

Here are the burning questions surrounding the Oilers as training camp nears:

1. What can Kane do with an 82-game schedule?

Evander Kane provided the Oilers with some additional pop to their lineup, helping better fill out their top-six upon arriving in Edmonton in January. In 43 games with the Oilers last season, Kane netted 22 goals and 39 points riding shotgun on the team’s top line with McDavid. He went beast-mode in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, helping Edmonton to the West Final by netting 13 goals in 15 games. With a freshly-signed four-year deal worth $5.125 million annually, he’ll get the chance to pick up where he left off.

Simply put, can he do it again? Is there room for more from the player that has averaged 30 goals a season over his NHL tenure?

2. Is Campbell the Oilers’ answer in net?

Jack Campbell was arguably Edmonton’s prized catch when free agency opened in July. The Oilers rewarded the (albeit small) body of work Campbell had in three seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, inking the happy-go-lucky goaltender with a five-year, $25 million contract to be the solution between the pipes in the start of a crease overhaul that featured the departures of duo Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen. Campbell has a career .916 save percentage and 2.53 goals-against average in 135 games over parts of seven seasons with the Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings, and Dallas Stars.

Can Campbell provide the much-needed stable goaltending? Is he an improvement over what they’ve gotten in recent years?

3. Which youngster will make his mark?

Stuart Skinner will help Campbell form Edmonton’s duo in net, and the rookie goaltender was steady in limited action for the Oilers last season, posting a 2.62 goals-against average and .913 save percentage in spot duty. Philip Broberg, who played 23 games in Edmonton last season, has the opportunity to crack the blue line. Dylan Holloway, entering his second season of professional hockey, has first-round pedigree and the chance to work himself into a bottom-six role. Restricted free agent Ryan McLeod, just 22, has an excellent shot at improving on his first full NHL season, as does blueliner Evan Bouchard.

Which prospect will steal a veteran’s job? Which established youngster will take the next step in his development and move from piece player into key cog?

4. What does a full season under Jay Woodcroft do for the Oilers?

Head coach Jay Woodcroft turned the tide for Edmonton after he was hired to replace Dave Tippett in February, guiding the Oilers to the NHL’s third-best winning percentage at .724 by way of a 26-9-3 record through the remaining 39 games on the docket. He also helped the team to its first appearance in the Western Conference Final since losing to the Carolina Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup Final in 2006. Woodcroft, who finished tied for 12th in voting for the Jack Adams Award for NHL Coach of the Year after joining the Oilers in February, was rewarded with a three-year contract in June.

What does a summer to prep, and a full camp, do for Woodcroft’s Oilers? What else can he implement to get the team over the hump?

5. Are the Oilers full-blown Stanley Cup contenders?

They made it to the final four in the quest for hockey’s holy grail, and now the expectation is that they do it again while returning largely the same roster that came within eight wins of their first Cup victory since 1990. The forward core has never been deeper around stars McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and the bulk of the supporting cast — Kane, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Zach Hyman — are all in their primes.

How much did last season’s success, and disappointment, prepare Edmonton for another Cup run? Will they learn from a sweep at the hands of the eventual Cup-winning Colorado Avalanche? Can they reach those heights again, with a more productive result?

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