Feb 25, 2016
Edmonton: McDavid's brilliance is undeniable
TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button assigns his letter grades for the Edmonton Oilers at the three-quarter mark of the NHL season. Oh, what could have been if Connor McDavid had not missed three months.
By Craig Button
A grade of F makes it feel like Groundhog Day in Edmonton. Despite new management and a new head coach, the Oilers sit in a place that has become their domain: the bottom of the NHL standings. Despite the excitement of winning the draft lottery and obtaining the prized Connor McDavid, this team needs a massive makeover. To be clear, a core group that has tasted nothing but failure must be changed and anything less than that will see the team continue its residency in the league’s basement.
Below are the Oilers’ individual player grades.
Three factors were considered in assigning grades: performance, results and expectations, as framed by age, previous performance and cap hit/contract average annual value (AAV). Skaters must have appeared in a minimum of 25 games and goalies, 15, to be graded.
Spotlight Players Grade: Oh, what could have been if Connor McDavid had not missed three months due to injury. His brilliance is undeniable. He has an ability to make those around him better and creates excitement every time he steps on the ice. McDavid is the reason for hope in Edmonton.
Editor’s Note: Follow TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button at @CraigJButton and join the discussion on his 3/4 mark Report Cards.
Grading System
A Excellent
B Very Good
C Satisfactory
D Poor
F Failing
Listed are the grades for player performance in the first quarter (1st Qtr) and the season so far (2015-16).
Oilers' grades by player
| Goalies | 1st Qtr | 3rd Qtr | AAV | W | L | OT | Sv% |
| Cam Talbot | D | D+ | $1.5 m | 12 | 21 | 3 | .910 |
| Anders Nilsson | D+ | F | $1.0 m | 10 | 12 | 2 | .900 |
| Defencemen | 1st Qtr | 3rd Qtr | AAV | GP | G | P | +/- |
| Oscar Klefbom | B- | B- | $894 k | 30 | 4 | 12 | -4 |
| Brandon Davidson | C | B- | $585 k | 44 | 3 | 8 | 4 |
| Darnell Nurse | B+ | B- | $863 k | 51 | 2 | 8 | -9 |
| Eric Gryba | C | C | $1.3 m | 53 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| Andrej Sekera | C | C- | $5.5 m | 60 | 6 | 21 | -13 |
| Mark Fayne | D+ | D- | $3.6 m | 48 | 2 | 5 | -7 |
| Justin Schultz | Inc. | F | $3.9 m | 45 | 3 | 10 | -22 |
| Andrew Ference | Inc. | Inc. | $3.3 m | 6 | 0 | 0 | -4 |
| Forwards | 1st Qtr | 3rd Qtr | AAV | GP | G | P | +/- |
| Connor McDavid | A | A+ | $925 k | 24 | 10 | 28 | -5 |
| Leon Draisaitl | A+ | A- | $925 k | 51 | 15 | 42 | -1 |
| Taylor Hall | A+ | B+ | $6.0 m | 61 | 20 | 52 | -3 |
| Jordan Eberle | Inc. | B- | $6.0 m | 48 | 19 | 36 | -12 |
| Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | B- | B- | $6.0 m | 46 | 8 | 30 | -8 |
| Matt Hendricks | C+ | C+ | $1.9 m | 48 | 3 | 9 | 1 |
| Benoit Pouliot | C | C | $4.0 m | 52 | 14 | 35 | -6 |
| Teddy Purcell | C | C- | $4.5 m | 61 | 11 | 32 | -9 |
| Mark Letestu | C- | D | $1.8 m | 61 | 7 | 16 | -14 |
| Lauri Korpikoski | C | D | $2.5 m | 50 | 6 | 15 | -9 |
| Nail Yakupov | C+ | D | $2.5 m | 39 | 5 | 15 | -13 |
| Iiro Pakarinen | C- | D | $818 k | 50 | 4 | 8 | -6 |
| Anton Lander | F | F | $988 k | 50 | 0 | 2 | -10 |
| Luke Gazdic | C | F | $800 k | 28 | 1 | 1 | -6 |