There are many benefits to assembling a young team, but there can be almost as many risks. Speed and enthusiasm are great assets but inexperience and inconsistency can send a youthful group into a downward spiral that’s difficult to stop, as the Edmonton Oilers have discovered since their promising October turned into a sobering November.
The Kings’ average age of 28 puts them among the NHL’s oldest teams, while the Oilers’ average age of just over 26 places them among the youngest. Still, the old guys weren’t ready to concede anything to the kids Thursday.