NHL November power rankings: Not even Connor McDavid is enough to save the Oilers

Connor McDavid might be one of the best hockey players to ever play the game, but even he can’t fix the Edmonton Oilers woes on his own.

It’s been a few weeks since the start of the 2023-24 NHL season, but already we’re getting some interesting early returns less than a month in. One of these intriguing early storylines has been the Oilers, who are statistically one of the worst teams in the NHL this season. The Oilers were predicted by many to be a major Stanley Cup contender before the season began, but their 2-5-1 record to start the year has them in danger of missing the playoffs entirely if they don’t get their act together soon.

Much of this blame falls on general manager Ken Holland for his lackluster roster construction. The Oilers haven’t had a legitimate starting goaltender since the beginning of the McDavid era, relying on the Mike Smiths of the hockey world to get it done in net. And the supporting cast around McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have all been hit or miss too. When the Oilers are on their game, no one can stop them offensively. But right now, everything’s gone ice cold in Edmonton and it’s threatening to derail their season before it even begins.

Like the hit musical Chicago once said, McDavid simply can’t do it alone!

As for the rest of the NHL, here’s how we see the league shaping up after a few weeks of play in our November 2023 power rankings.