The Oilers look different this year

Through 16 games, the Oilers are 11-2-3 and sitting first in the Pacific. Tuesday’s shootout loss in New Jersey ended their road win streak. That second period was ugly, and Babcock said they were fortunate to get a point. Still, one bad period doesn’t wipe out the start they’ve had. A poor shift, period and even a game is going to creep in now and then as it does with any contender.

McDavid has 40 points, and his assist streak to open the season is up to 16 games, an NHL record. He also became the fastest player ever to reach 30 assists. Draisaitl is second in the league with 29 points. Bouchard has 28 and leads all defencemen. He’s also just the fourth defenceman in NHL history to reach 25 points in his team’s first 15 games. Those three are on another level right now.

Ekholm looks like himself again. He’s moving better, reading plays earlier and making that pairing work. Last season, I wondered if age had caught up with him. Maybe injuries were a bigger part of it than we realized, but this year’s version of Ekholm has been a welcome surprise.

Jarry has quieted plenty of the trade and contract talk. He had back-to-back shutouts, then made 31 saves in New Jersey. Levi has earned credit for his play before injury sidelined him, but Jarry remains the established NHL option and may have won back the net. You can’t move Jarry at this point unless you know what’s taking his place and a rookie goaltender with an aging injury prone Frederik Andersen probably isn't the pairing you want to lean on.

Babcock’s system is showing up on the ice and in the numbers. At the end of October, Edmonton ranked second in the league in dump-ins and puck battles won, and first in limiting opponents’ rush chances. It’s a more structured game. The Devils showed that Edmonton still has to take better care of the puck, but the Oilers aren’t relying on star power alone to get through every game.

Colton Dach may be one of the clearest examples of that change. He had 13 points in 61 games last season, and after Edmonton acquired him from Chicago, a lower-body injury interrupted his start with the Oilers. This season he has three goals and an assist in 12 games, including his first two-goal NHL game in New York. His rush in overtime against New Jersey was another glimpse of what he can do with his size and speed.

Is it a successful reclamation project? It’s starting to look that way. It’s still early, but Dach looks more confident, and he’s contributing more than the depth piece Edmonton hoped simply to keep in the lineup. There’s a real player to work with here.

The team is off to a strong start, but Walman and Frederic haven’t found much traction yet. Walman has one point in ten games; Frederic has one in fourteen. Their roles and minutes have moved around, but Edmonton will need more from both as the season goes on. Howard is still finding his way too, and his injury has interrupted that process. The depth group remains an area where the Oilers need to get better and I wouldn't doubt a piece outside the organization will come in at some point.

The top end is doing the damage, Babcock has the team playing with more purpose, and Dach is giving them a reason to feel good about a reclamation bet. They still need more from the bottom six and that's something Mike Babcock seems well aware of as he's touched on it on multiple occasions.

Babcock has the team playing with more purpose, and Edmonton may have found real value in Dach and Mukhamadullin. There’s plenty to like from this big body defender thus far but there’s still a lot left in the season to prove.

If the team can show this level of play with consistency this Oilers group will be on the right track and perhaps are set up for a third appearance in a Stanley Cup Final. Under a Mike Babcock coaching staff, they just may have the structure to finally seal the deed.