Is it good or bad that the Edmonton Oilers only have three Olympians?

The Minnesota Wild has nine players taking part in the Games, while the Colorado Avalanche has eight. The Dallas Stars and the Vegas Golden Knights are each sending seven players.

Would you prefer to aim for a gold medal at the biggest event in the world or grab another drink at a beautiful beach in North America?

Which place would you choose? Also, what does it say about the Edmonton Oilers that nearly all their players are in the sun and sand instead of the Winter Olympics?

It could show that Edmonton’s season isn’t going as well, given that they only sent three players to Italy: Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Germany’s Josh Samanski, who has only played five NHL games. In contrast, some of their main competition in the Western Conference are sending nearly half their roster.

The Minnesota Wild has nine athletes participating in the Games, the Colorado Avalanche has eight, and both the Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights are sending seven.

Even the struggling Vancouver Canucks are sending five players.

Is this a good thing? Or would it be smarter for them to rest up and get ready for a busy schedule ahead instead of playing, knowing they’ll be tired when they come back?

“You can see it in two ways,” mentioned Minnesota coach John Hynes. “Your players are competing in important games with other skilled athletes.

“It’s a chance for them to learn and play at a high level instead of going to Cancun or another place for 13 days and then coming back trying to get back to normal. I see the experience they gain and competing at this level as a good thing for our team. ”

He has already noticed this with the five Minnesota Wild players who played in the 4 Nations Face Off, especially with younger players like Matt Boldy and Brock Faber.

“I’ve definitely noticed improvement in those guys from that experience. They’re learning from other coaches, facing top players on every team, and just being around really skilled players. Seeing how they get ready, their concentration, what they talk about on the bench, and how they behave. All of these things help our players grow. ”