There’s been much conversation at Oilersnation this past week about whether the Edmonton Oilers will miss Evander Kane or not. Whether that is true or false, somebody needs to step up in his absence either way. Initially, when the news broke in the summer that he could miss time, the assumption was that Dylan Holloway would fill the void. Obviously, that didn’t work out as planned. So what’s the plan now?
On Daily Faceoff, Mattias Janmark is pencilled into the third-line left-wing spot alongside Adam Henrique and Connor Brown. This trio played exceptionally well during the Western Conference and Stanley Cup Finals. Much of their damage was done shorthanded, but they still played a positive role at five-on-five. While the hype from the postseason may still linger around Janmark, the smoke will clear once the regular season begins. While a good player in many ways, Janmark isn’t going to fill the net like Kane.
I’ve heard many arguments that if the third line “stays even,” they’ll be okay. That side of the argument isn’t wrong, but that can’t be the standard for a team looking to challenge for the Stanley Cup. Take a look around the other contenders in the Western Conference. The Colorado Avalanche, who might not even be a true contender, are the only other team that is weak in that position.
Goals in 2023–24:
Nils Höglander – Vancouver Canucks – 24
Jamie Benn – Dallas Stars – 21
Nino Niederreiter – Winnipeg Jets – 18
Alexander Holtz – Vegas Golden Knights – 16
Miles Wood – Colorado Avalanche – 9
Mattias Janmark – Edmonton Oilers – 4
As stated by Daily Faceoff.
In an ideal world, Janmark is playing on your fourth line, but that likely only happens if Vasily Podkolzin finds his scoring touch again. Podkolzin is the closest comparable the Oilers have to Kane. He has the potential to score 15+ goals at even strength. He’s a power forward with a 6’1″, 190-lb frame, and he has that toughness to him as well. The only problem is that Podkolzin has scored four goals in the past two seasons in the NHL. He needs to regain his confidence before the team can consider pushing him too high up the lineup.
The first plan is for Podkolzin to make the spot his own. The second plan is to acquire someone at the deadline if Kane is out for the remainder of the regular season. The options are good, with Taylor Hall, Andrew Mangiapane, and Andrei Kuzmenko all possibly available. Waiting for the deadline feels like the most likely possibility because of the talent available. Acquiring Kuzmenko from a divisional rival would be difficult and Mangiapane’s availability is going to depend on how Washington is performing at the time. A reunion with Hall is the most likely, with the Blackhawks not competing for the playoffs again. Waiting for the deadline feels like the most likely possibility because of the talent available.
The analytics may have shown that Kane wasn’t the greatest defensively, which is true, but 24 goals are 24 goals. Ryan McLeod and Jesse Puljujarvi are worshipped by the analytics crowd, and that hasn’t worked out so well. Hopefully, the Oilers can fill the void collectively, but they’re going to need more than the combined four goals from Janmark and Podkolzin last season.
