Connor McDavid’s cross-checking and the questions about the Oilers’ physical play

On Saturday night, Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid responded to a tackle by Vancouver Canucks forward Conor Garland with the game on the line and the clock running out.

McDavid’s cross-check to Garland’s face is exactly the kind of play the NHL is trying to get out of the game. Violence exists in the league, but targeting the head is punishable by suspension, and McDavid will have a hearing on the incident on Monday.

The question for Edmonton Oilers management today: Is McDavid’s cross-check and pending suspension a bad thing for the team?

It may seem like an odd question, but these Oilers have a reputation for being passive when the opposition gets dirty. The Oilers are considered a team that can be intimidated and that liberties can be taken against them. In the playoffs, when the referees put away the whistle, there are those who suggest that Edmonton becomes less aggressive and easier to play against when opponents bring the hammer.

Opponents’ strategy has two possible payoffs: the Oilers overreact and get into penalty trouble or lose focus on the game at hand.

It’s an interesting theory, but it doesn’t hold water.

Kris Knoblauch has this edition of the Oilers playing strong positional hockey and getting great results. The team does not chase big hits and takes fewer penalties. The team ranks as no. 26 in penalties (averaging seven minutes per game) compared to nine minutes and 30 seconds a year ago.

In the last 25 games, Edmonton has scored twice shorthanded and allowed 10 goals while killing penalties. The target share of 17 percent ranks as no. 7, and GA-60 (6.8) ranks as no. 11.

Over the last 25 games, Edmonton’s special teams field goal percentage (22-12, 65 percent) represents pristine discipline and execution. Those special teams accomplishments were key elements in the team’s 19-5-1 record during that time.

Opponents and commentators talk about the Oilers’ lack of pushback; the team plays a tough style from top to bottom, but that edge doesn’t get in the way of the bottom line. Positioning and closing gaps are the calling cards of the Oilers, and that includes fewer unnecessary penalties.

Intimidation?

McDavid was suspended in 2019 for a headbutt on Nick Leddy (with the New York Islanders at the time) and it was an unusual event, an outlier. It did not represent his presence on the ice at the time.

There were whispers as recently as last spring, before the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers, that the Oilers might be intimidated by pronounced physical play.

It didn’t happen.

The Oilers lost a hard-fought seven-game series by a goal in Game 7. It was a physical series, but the Oilers gave as much as they got, and that included series against the Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks and Dallas Stars on the road to Florida series.

Intimidation is part of the game and targeting the other team’s best players is a tale as old as time. What has changed in recent seasons is the Oilers’ response to physical teams.

This goes against his reputation, but McDavid has been the boss of NHL defensemen for a few seasons now, and Leon Draisaitl has always owned that gear. The two men are the leaders on the ice and set the tone. It’s a decidedly physical approach compared to, say, the Oilers’ performance in the 2021 opening round against the Winnipeg Jets.

The current controversy over his physical play comes on the heels of a recent on-ice incident against the Minnesota Wild on the same road trip that ended in Vancouver on Saturday night. AthleticsDaniel Nugent-Bowman’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman covered these items and history in general this weekend.

McDavid never shied away from contact (see Brandon Manning in 20215-16), but a decade of NHL games has hardened him. He now initiates it as a tool to separate opponents from the puck and create scoring chances. This style of play is exceptionally effective.

McDavid, along with Edmonton’s other forwards, is relentless on the forecheck and in puck pursuit. His speed has always been a weapon, but liberal use of his stick means an added turnover threat.

In doing so, that stick work means more penalties, and in recent days more plays that are attracting the attention of NHL Player Safety.

Add-ons?

Some Oilers fans are calling for a nuclear deterrent, but finding enforcers is problematic. Most power forwards in their prime are unavailable and won’t be trade bait until miles and years have worn down their bodies.

Edmonton’s roster houses a great enforcer/power forward in Evander Kane, but injuries have affected him the past few seasons. It is not known when or if he will return during the regular season. He could be a strong addition for the playoffs, but the long layoff will mean rust and injuries have popped up with increased regularity in the last 24 months.

On the trade front, Chris Johnston’s list at Athletics shows some depth options (Trent Frederic, Mathieu Olivier), but a forward who can intimidate, hang with the likes of McDavid and Draisaitl and score 15 second-half goals isn’t available for trade.

The Oilers could make an addition at the deadline to add a tough forward (Frederic would be a good fit), but the Edmonton depth chart is unlikely to see a bigger physical player arrive via trade.

Will it happen again?

The NHL does not protect the league’s best players, and in fact, franchise players have been targeted dating back to the beginning of the league’s history.

McDavid can expect to be targeted for the rest of his NHL career.

Long ago Edmonton’s captain started taking matters into his own hands and we are seeing the results of these matches in real time. The suspension in 2019 now has company on his CV. It won’t be the last.

Back to the question: Is McDavid’s cross-check and pending suspension a bad thing for the team?

McDavid’s physical edge gives him more space and leads to more turnovers, chances and goals. If he can cross-check a defender and clear the puck without taking a penalty (he does this routinely), it’s a net advantage for Edmonton.

There could be more suspensions for the rest of his career as his reputation moves from needing protection (it’s been years since that was true) to being the aggressor on most games. That’s the price he’ll pay in the NHL.

Avoiding injuries will be key to his success. Edmonton’s pursuit of the Stanley Cup should benefit from McDavid’s physical approach, added to his tremendous puck skills.

(Photo: Bob Frid / Imagn Images)