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Oilers stars Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid are one and two years away from new contracts, so they’ll be playing for raises, which is in Edmonton’s favour going into next year
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Published Jun 25, 2024 • 2 minute read
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Oilers superstar Connor McDavid has a jaw-dropping combination of speed, strength, balance and timing, Jack Todd writes. Photo by Codie McLachlan /Getty Images
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It was 42 days ago that the Vancouver Canucks had the Edmonton Oilers’ season in harm’s way, with the Oilers feeling forced to start backup goalie Calvin Pickard trailing the Canucks 2-1 in their best-of-seven second round playoff series.
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We all know what happened after that.
The Oilers’ post-season finally came to an end on Monday night, losing 2-1 to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. That resiliency that Edmonton showed in rallying against Vancouver shone throughout their playoffs. Against the Panthers, the Oilers became just the 10th team out of 211 in NHL history to rally from a 3-0 series deficit to force a Game 7. They would have been the fifth to win a series in such circumstance and just the second in a Stanley Cup Final, joining the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs.
If you’re a Canucks’ fan, you’d like to think that Edmonton’s success the rest of the playoffs is something coach Rick Tocchet and Co. can rally around. They’ve seen up close what it takes. There’s all sorts of history across the NHL of teams needing to learn what the playoffs are about before having success.
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The Oilers’ run has undoubtedly given them belief and strengthened their chemistry, and those are powerful things that will carry over into the regular season next year, when they’re matching up with the Canucks and the rest of the Western Conference.
The Oilers players clearly bought the ideals of head coach Kris Knoblauch and his staff. The Oilers killed off 66 of 70 penalties in the post-season — that’s a 94.3 success rate. A large chunk of that is about systems and what the coaching staff is doing.
You can add in, too, that Leon Draisaitl is one year away from unrestricted free agency and Connor McDavid is two. Edmonton has two of arguably the five best players on the planet, and they’re playing for new contracts.
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On the flip side, Edmonton will have roster turnover, much like Vancouver. The Oilers have 10 unrestricted free agents. They have two restricted free agents as well in forward Dylan Holloway, 22, and defenceman Philip Broberg, 22, who are their two best young players.
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Courtesy : https://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/canucks-had-oilers-on-ropes