Oilers News and Rumors: McDavid, Skinner, Holland – Hockey Writers – Edmonton Oilers

In Edmonton Oilers news and rumors, Connor McDavid is on the verge of 1000 points. He almost got there on Tuesday. Will he get there Thursday against Nashville? Meanwhile, is Jeff Skinner in the doghouse with the training staff? His minutes were at a season low and things just weren’t going right. Finally, former Oilers general manager Ken Holland took a new job with the NHL. What are you doing?

Connor McDavid Set to Make History, Just One Point Away from 1,000 in NHL Career

Connor McDavid is on the brink of a milestone, needing just one point to reach 1,000 in his already storied NHL career. After a four-point performance against the New York Islanders on Tuesday, McDavid will become the fourth-fastest player in league history to score 1,000 points, doing so in just 659 games.

Only Wayne Gretzky (424 games), Mario Lemieux (513 games), and Mike Bossy (656 games) have done it faster. Unsurprisingly, McDavid’s journey will join some of hockey’s biggest names, underscoring his production talent.

Despite the hype surrounding his impending success, McDavid remains focused. “Nothing has happened yet,” he reminded reporters. “Something is yet to go.” Focusing on the task at hand, Thursday night’s game against the Nashville Predators gave him a platform to make history.

Teammate Leon Draisaitl praised McDavid, calling him “the greatest player to ever play” and acknowledging the huge impact McDavid had on the game. The question for Thursday is, how fast can McDavid get to his 1000th point so the team can focus on winning the game?

Jeff Skinner Trending in the wrong way

Jeff Skinner’s struggles continue to be a point of frustration for the Edmonton Oilers, as his season-long decline in minutes has been one of the clearest signs that things are not right. With a full no-movement clause, there are no options to trade or cut him and the Oilers may not be there at that point. Still, head coach Kris Knoblauch has taken steps to address the issue, reducing Skinner’s ice time as he waits for the winger to come out of his slump.

Related: 3 Takeaways from Oilers’ Overtime Win Against the Islanders

During the Oilers’ 4-3 overtime victory against the New York Islanders, Skinner played a season-low 8:53. A critical error on the offensive line against Ryan Pulock, was the exclamation point on another rough night. Skinner finished with 1 strikeout and has only managed three goals and three assists this season.

Skinner was expected to easily surpass 20 goals this year. With multiple 30-goal seasons under his belt his production pace is not where it needs to be.

Ken Holland Takes a Job with the NHL

The NHL confirmed in a statement Tuesday that former Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland has taken a job with the league as a Hockey Operations Consultant. “We are excited to welcome Ken to NHL Hockey Operations, where he will provide valuable insight from his decades in the game as a player, scout and executive.” NHL Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell added in a statement, “He offers unparalleled expertise in many areas.”

Holland was largely responsible for getting the Oilers to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last season but his contract expired at the end of the game and CEO Jeff Jackson and the rest of the Oilers ownership group chose to go in another direction. The theory was that Holland wanted a more demanding job, getting the chance to spend more time with his family.