Eberle says media attention hurt confidence in Edmonton

After an individually fruitless playoff performance last spring, Jordan Eberle's time with the Edmonton Oilers was done.

Eberle recorded just two assists across 13 postseason games, and earned the ire of his coach midway through the club's second round series versus the Anaheim Ducks.

As a final result, Eberle was shipped to the New York Islanders in the offseason for Ryan Strome, and the 27-year-old has since admitted the constant pressure from his former town negatively affected his performance.

"The Edmonton media can be pretty brutal and your confidence goes and this is a game you can't play if you don't have confidence," Eberle said, per Sportsnet's Tim Panaccio. "It's that simple. It's the Edmonton Oilers and everything around it. When you read articles every day about how much you suck, it's tough."

Despite a sour ending to his tenure with the Oilers, Eberle was actually quite consistent in Edmonton, recording 382 points over 507 games. Through his first 22 contests this season with the Islanders, he's notched eight goals and eight assists.

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