'Lots of weapons': McDavid pumped with Oilers roster as team comes together in Edmonton

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid speaks to reporters after a skate in Edmonton on September 12, 2022 (Source: TSN).

The goal lights at Rogers Place should be busy this year, predicted Oilers captain Connor McDavid after a pre-training-camp shinny game Monday with his teammates.

New goalies, along with the return of sniper Evander Kane and the progression of young players like Kailer Yamamoto, Evan Bouchard and Ryan McLeod have fuelled higher hopes for the squad that beat both the L.A. Kings and the Calgary Flames in the playoffs.

"There's lots of expectations this year both outside and in the locker room. Obviously last year was a step forward but we gotta come in here and start all over again," McDavid told reporters.

"We got lots of weapons. It's always going to be about keeping the puck out of our net here in Edmonton, that's always the main focus...We're not going to have trouble scoring goals."

The team will have a new tandem stopping pucks with free agent Jack Campbell hitting the ice Monday and 23-year-old Stuart Skinner likely to back him up.

The Oilers scored 290 goals last season, the seventh most in the NHL. They allowed 252 goals against, ranking sixteenth fewest.

"The buzz around the room is excitement and eager to get going again," Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said after the skate.

"We want more. We just want to keep getting better and better."

Most of the forwards and defencemen who are expected to make the team are returning from last season. The exceptions are winger Mattias Janmark, who played in Vegas, and defenceman Ryan Murray from Colorado. Blueliner Philip Broberg is also expected to play more games for the NHL squad.

The Oilers are still considering trading forward Jesse Puljujarvi to free up salary cap space before the season, TSN's Ryan Rishaug reported.

"If it doesn’t happen they can still start with what they’ve got but it’ll be razor thin margin budget-wise and could cause issues later in season," he tweeted from the rink.

The man fans lovingly call "Nuge" believes this version of the Oilers is probably the best he's seen since being drafted first overall in 2011.

"I think if you look throughout the lineup we're as deep as I've ever been a part of and we keep getting better," Nugent-Hopkins said.

The Oilers' first preseason game is Sept. 25, at home against the Winnipeg Jets.