Projecting every NHL team’s chances of hoisting the Stanley Cup in 2019
15. Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are fascinating team. Heading into last season they were Stanley Cup contenders, and it felt pretty safe to say they would make the playoffs. Then the whole thing collapsed, and the Oilers were knocked out of playoff contention early in the season. They never recovered
The Oilers are the biggest wild card team heading into this season, because they will either be Cup contenders or total busts. Last year they almost pencilled in to be a top five team in the league, and they fell all the way to 22nd in the league with 78 points.
Why they could win
The Oilers have the best player in the world right now in Connor McDavid, and they will go as far as he can take them. McDavid has won back-to-back Art Ross trophies with 100+ point seasons and back to back Ted Lindsey trophies, and is still just 21 years old. As long as his teammates are semi competent, they will make the playoffs. It’s harder to miss the playoffs when you have McDavid than it is to make them.
There is talent around McDavid, and most of it is with Edmonton’s top tier center depth. Down the middle is McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, which is easily a top-five center core in the league. They even brought back Kyle Brodziak to give them the fourth-line center they were missing all last year. Now all they need is for the young players like Puljujärvi to step in and give them support on the wings.
Cam Talbot had a bad season last year due to being overworked the last few years, but this season the Oilers brought in a steady back-up with Mikko Koskinen that can give him the breaks he needs or keep the team afloat if he is to get injured again. If Talbot can bounce back and give the Oilers at least decent goaltending, they become that much more dangerous.
Why they won’t win
If you take Connor McDavid off of this team, it’s without a doubt still a lottery team. McDavid scored 108 points last season and the team still finished 23rd, not even close to competing for a playoff spot. He and Draisaitl are not enough to carry this team, and they didn’t take the proper steps to solve those problems this offseason.
Edmonton’s wing depth is terrible, and its why they couldn’t get off the ground last year. They have great centers with McDavid, Draisaitl, and Nugent-Hopkins, but there is nobody to support them. Milan Lucic is making $6 million for the next five seasons and he can’t even keep up with any of the young players. There’s too much mediocrity and not enough talent surrounding their stars.
The defense was also a mess last year with injuries and underperformance across the board. It could improve this year if everybody stays healthy, but thats’s still counting on Oscar Klefbom to carry the load after rumors that he would be traded this offseason. Adam Larsson is good, but he still bring back bad memories for Oilers fans, best not talk about him.
The Oilers did not really attempt to patch any holes this offseason, maybe hoping that last year was a one off that won’t happen again. Still, it’s bold for a team that was never close to playoff contention to stand pat as if everything is fine when it’s clearly not.
Conclusion
Sticking the Oilers in the dead middle feels fair. Missing the playoffs for two straight years with Connor McDavid is incredibly difficult. Everything went horribly last year, it’s fair to suspect a massive bounce back season for the whole team. Can they make the playoffs this year? Without a doubt. Even if everything doesn’t go to plan, they can absolutely make the playoffs comfortably.
It boils down to one philosophy — don’t bet against McDavid, but don’t bet on the Oilers. Nobody has any clue how this season will go for them.