September 14th, 2020

We have reached part five of our Columbus Blue Jackets mini-series on Trading Partners. In case you missed part four, we discussed the Calgary Flames. Today we look at their Northern Alberta neighbors the Edmonton Oilers. What a disastrous end to the season for the Oilers. They were knocked out of the bubble in four games by the Chicago Blackhawks. Even worse, they lost the series while playing all of their games on home ice. It couldn't have been drawn up any worse. This meant another lost opportunity for Connor McDavid to attempt a deep playoff run. As good as his season was, even his heroics were not enough to overcome the defensive deficiencies the team still has. Until he, Leon Draisaitl and the rest of the team can find drastic improvement in that area, they seem stuck in quick sand. Connor McDavid and the Oilers need to improve defensively. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) So one would surmise from this that defense is what they would be targeting this offseason in any...