The Edmonton Oilers are in a bit of a conundrum when it comes to their elusive second line. Kris Knoblauch and his coaching team are scrambling to find the right chemistry among their forwards, particularly with the trio of Jeff Skinner, Leon Draisaitl, and Viktor Arvidsson.
These three were expected to form a formidable second line from the moment Skinner and Arvidsson signed on as free agents. They had their trial during the pre-season and started the first two games of the regular season, but the results fell short of expectations.
After separating them for a few games in hopes of sparking other combinations, the Oilers reunited Skinner, Draisaitl, and Arvidsson against the Carolina Hurricanes. While they excelled in aspects of the game—dominating five-on-five play with a shot attempt share of 63% and generating a healthy number of scoring chances (37.62 per hour of ice time), leading to 3.09 expected goals per hour—they’ve been snake-bitten where it counts: on the scoreboard. Despite their control in games and having allowed only one goal against, they have yet to register a goal of their own during their time together.
In response to these struggles, the Oilers coaching staff decided to shake things up again, demoting Jeff Skinner to the third line with Adam Henrique and Connor Brown while elevating Vasily Podkolzin to that elusive second line in practice.
Following a close 3-2 overtime defeat to the Hurricanes, Knoblauch was asked about the lack of success with the initial line configuration. His response was as candid as they come: “I don’t know exactly why it hasn’t worked out.
You look at the scoring chances and what they’re generating, and most games, it’s in the positive,” he explained. “The expectation with these players is for more production and to regularly outscore opponents.
Right now, I don’t have an answer for that.”
The coach’s latest shuffle aimed to spark something new, but there’s compelling evidence to suggest that patience might be the wiser path. Arvidsson may be struggling to generate offensively on his own, but Jeff Skinner is not just holding his own—he’s thriving.
His 26 shots on goal in five-on-five play place him at the top of the league, and his individual expected goals tally of 2.51 is fifth among his peers. He’s been a linchpin in driving play forward.
Contrast this with Podkolzin, who, despite leading the team in physicality with the most five-on-five hits, has only managed five shots on goal all season. Moreover, the brief stint of Podkolzin alongside Draisaitl saw the Oilers outscored 1-0 in just four minutes of play.
The stats suggest that the Skinner, Draisaitl, and Arvidsson trio is on the cusp of clicking, and while it’s tempting to constantly tweak underperformance, sometimes a little stability goes a long way. In the high-stakes world of professional hockey, sometimes the best move is to trust the process and allow time for chemistry to develop. Given their individual capabilities and positive underlying metrics, it might just be worth letting this trio find their rhythm.
