The Stanley Cup Final was such a rollercoaster of emotions for the Edmonton Oilers that they had little time to think about what might come of it.
Who will be the next general manager? Leon Draisaitl signing this summer? How is the team managing the cap? Does anyone remember if the club has any draft picks left?
The most sensational question of all: What if the Oilers won Game 7?
Canada!
The last time a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup was in 1993. That’s 30 years of misery for fans above the 49th parallel.
For many years now, Canadian NHL teams seemed to take turns losing in the Stanley Cup finals.
In this century, the Calgary Flames (2004), Oilers (2006), Ottawa Senators (2007), Vancouver Canucks (2011) and Montreal Canadiens (2021) have all had the opportunity to end the sequence.
No team was able to complete the job.
If the Oilers win, expect a nationwide celebration. It was an unlikely scenario not long ago, but this edition of the Oilers has captured the imagination of fans across the country. Highlights of an Edmonton victory received roars of approval at a Toronto Blue Jays home game this week.
It’s been so long that the whole country is ready to party.
The decade(plus) of darkness that has passed
If the Oilers win the Stanley Cup, the pressure of winning in the Connor McDavid era will dissipate.
For every member of the team, this will be the realization of a lifelong dream.
For Oilers fans, who have supported a generation of teams with disappointing results, a Stanley Cup victory would represent the ultimate reward for nearly 20 years of hard times.
For owner Daryl Katz, winning would mean the completion of a 16-year odyssey from fan to owner to championship. His progression in this role mirrors that of Mike Ilitch of the Detroit Red Wings.
The similarities are evident when reading the book “The Road to Hockey Town” by Jim Devellano. Illitch purchased the Red Wings in 1982. The team won its first Stanley Cup under his ownership in 1997, 15 years after the purchase. Katz purchased the Oilers in 2008. Winning the 2024 championship would represent a 16-year gap between purchasing the team and winning the Stanley Cup.
The similarities between Illitch’s maturation as an owner (as detailed in the book) and Katz’s are uncanny.
The journey to this moment has a lot to do with Katz becoming an owner.
The importance of youth development
It was never breaking news in the spring, but the Oilers moved young players aggressively up the depth chart.
Goaltender Stuart Skinner was an impact player in the Finals, even though this is only his second full season in the NHL. His .909 save percentage in the Finals is a far cry from that of Florida starter Sergei Bobrovsky (.889), via Natural Stat Trick.
Defender Philip Broberg made the difference in the final. Through the first six games against the Panthers, his five-for-five minutes total (84:21) ranks third among Edmonton defensemen. He also owns a 71 percent goal share in the final (5-2 goals), which leads the team’s defenders.
Forward Dylan Holloway scored two goals in the final and played a leading role. He played on the wing with Leon Draisaitl at center (Warren Foegele on the other wing) in the crucial Game 6. The line delivered an expected goal share of 71 percent, scored a goal and Holloway shot a penalty.
The young people were pushed into the race for the Stanley Cup this spring. This will benefit all of these young players and the Oilers for years to come.
Coach Kris Knoblauch is not a player, but he is a young, emerging coach. He too is part of the new group of impact personnel helping this team.
Contractual challenges
Negotiations with Draisaitl will be in the news all summer. It’s unclear whether a Stanley Cup will improve his chances of re-signing. Logic dictates that negotiations to put the big man under contract after the summer of 2025 might be easier with ultimate championship success as a backdrop.
Evan Bouchard will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2025; getting his name on a long-term deal would also help solidify the organization’s future.
The other aspect of these signings is the cap conundrum, and that could involve things like buying out Jack Campbell.
One area that could become more attractive with a Stanley Cup win: More and better free agents could come knocking over the summer. Some of these free agents might be willing to sign a valuable contract in hopes of winning the Stanley Cup in 2025.
Holland’s heritage
Oilers general manager Ken Holland won the Stanley Cup during his five years at the helm of the Oilers team.
All indicators have him either retiring or moving to another NHL destination. Holland’s age (68) might mean an NHL organization passes on the opportunity, but his appeal would increase significantly with another Stanley Cup championship as a new item on his resume.
McDavid’s legacy
The captain would realize a dream and climb the only mountain remaining on the list of his breathtaking career achievements.
For those who question his greatness, it’s important to remember how many obstacles McDavid had to overcome during his NHL career.
He was drafted by an organization that (despite dozens of draft picks from 2010 to 2014) lacked real NHL talent, then dumped much of what was available in a crazy series of trades that will live in infamy.
Transforming Jordan Eberle into Ryan Strome into Ryan Spooner; trading Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson; dealing out two high picks in a brilliant draft for Griffin Reinhart were the early headliners, but there were others and these curious moves didn’t stop when Peter Chiarelli left town.
McDavid also had to deal with an expansion-seeking NHL that wanted to provide immediate and exceptional competition to the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken. There is no precedent in league history for stacking the Pacific Division with hyped expansion teams from 2017.
The captain also had to move past the old hockey mantra that generational talent is “tough enough” to win. This led to injuries against the Philadelphia Flyers and Calgary Flames.
Conclusion
No matter what happens Monday night against the Panthers, this edition of the Oilers proved to be special.
We doubt things will ever be the same in Edmonton.
These Oilers have climbed Everest and are one win away from perhaps the greatest comeback in NHL history.
Winning Stanley is always special. Winning this way would be remembered forever.
No team, not even the Oilers of the 1980s, would have delivered such a great run of games on their way to Stanley.
(Photo by Stuart Skinner, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl: Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)