Despite Leon Draisaitl recording a point in his 12th straight game against Anaheim, he and his second line would finish with a -4 plus-minus, but the need for the entire roster to improve was apparent all around in the many giveaways and mistakes that ended up snowballing into Edmonton's 6-2 defeat.
After recording a 14-game point streak from Dec. 5 to Jan. 4, Leon Draisaitl has been on another 12-game point streak since Jan. 27. Since Dec. 5, Draisaitl has been held without a point in just two of 36 games.
“My job is to defend just as much as scoring goals. My role is to provide offense of course, but my role is also not to be minus four,” Draisaitl joked on Wednesday. “Two of those goals were on me.”
The Oilers completed a three-team trade on Tuesday, acquiring Trent Frederick and Max Jones from the Boston Bruins.
Trent Frederic, 27, a St. Louis native, has played 57 games for the Bruins this season, recording eight goals, seven assists and 155 hits after leading the team with 204 last season, but the 2016 first-round pick will likely be sidelined for two-to-three more weeks with an injury.
“With Frederic, you've got a 200-foot player, physical, can play anywhere in the lineup,” Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said. “For me as a coach, it gives me some flexibility. It gives us some bite and edge that we can use.”
Max Jones is expected to make his Oilers debut on Thursday after officially being called up from the Bakersfield Condors, along with defenceman Cam Dineen on an emergency basis. A native of Rochester, Mich., Jones was originally Anaheim's first-round selection in 2016.
“Max Jones is that player, too. We need a spark offensively and I think he can chip in every once in a while,” Knoblauch added. “He adds a little sandpaper to our team, and he makes us harder to play against.”
