Each week, we check in with our readers on social media and e-mail to see what is on top of their mind, explore the hot topics of conversation and answer hard-hitting questions about the Edmonton Oilers. This past week saw no shortage of reaction to a recent column Gerry Moddejonge wrote on the topic of Connor McDavid's captaincy. Here are some of the best.
Reader Reactions
Brian Lysak commented: "THE LACK OF SUCCESS IS ONE HUNDRED PER CENT ON THE INEPT MANAGEMENT. You are an idiot to suggest that he cannot lead the team. You wrote this to get a reaction. You got it. Congrats."
Another reader noted: "This team appeared rudderless all season long, not just in their brief playoff run. The issue is leadership. And that goes beyond blaming the former head coach. And the head coach before him. And the three before them. Connor McDavid will be on his sixth different head coach next season, and his captaincy serves as the common denominator between all of them."
The same reader continued: "Yes, management dropped the ball with a bad trade and some questionable contracts there, as you point out, but the core of this roster has played together long enough and is still in its prime. There is no good reason for this team to have taken such a noticeable step backward from Cup contender to mediocre, at best. So, leadership comes into question."
They added: "And if the guy wearing the C cannot be a big part of that discussion, then my question to you is, why not? We have become so accustomed to talking about McDavid being the best at things that it is sacrilege to even suggest he might not be good at something."
Defending McDavid
Another reader, JP (@JPRandomTakes on X.com), wrote: "Could have given a valid argument like they needed better defence and 97 should have led by example, but no … the article is just a bunch of nonsense and gibberish. Wasted 5 min of my life reading it."
Moddejonge responded: "If you read this as a column blaming McDavid for all the Oilers' woes, then you did not read closely enough. All I did was expose a hole in this team, as I see it. The reaction was up to you."
He concluded: "Asking him to do even more is not the answer. The whole point of it is to take the biggest responsibility of leadership off his plate, not keep piling on more and more duties by asking him to lead the way in a team focused on defence."
