Edmonton Oilers Cup Final Defeat x2: Offseason Plans

When the Edmonton Oilers lost Game 7 last year, I was being a good sport and watching the entire Florida Panthers team raise the Stanley Cup. After Game 6 last week, I couldn’t take seeing the same team do it at our expense for the second time in a row. If you kept your TV on and watched it after the handshake line, I applaud your tolerance. It is, however, still impossible to completely avoid seeing the celebratory pictures and videos on social media. The Oilers just became the first team since the Boston Bruins in 1977/1978 to lose a Cup Final rematch. Jake Walman’s OT laugh at Tomas Nosek didn’t age well, and the Panthers have no shame in their troll game.

We’ll have to go at least one more year being reminded that Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl still haven’t won it all. McDavid told the media that last year was heartbreak, and this year is more angry. There’s no other way to describe it than that. Full marks to Florida, they’re really damn good. Even if our team won, their team is the new standard for hockey games played between April and June. I wanted to stay positive, because no outcome is impossible. But honestly, this Final was over after blowing Game 5 at home, and our boys weren’t coming back in Game 6 on the road. An opponent that played to defend a championship title and got better wasn’t suddenly forgetting how to play defense every time they were up a couple of goals. The Cats led in games for 255 minutes of the Final, compared to the Oil leading for only 33. For as long as I’ve been a hockey fan, I’ve never seen a more lopsided statistic than that one. Edmonton was granted one miracle game in Game 4, possibly two, as Game 1 was also a notable comeback; don’t forget tying Game 2 with less than 20 seconds left. Zach Hyman being out for the whole Final hurt them; he would’ve helped in some areas of the series. But when you get too accustomed to mid or late game heroics, the magic eventually wears off. Having three Overtime games in a Cup Final made Edmonton somehow closer and farther at the same time. I’m amazed they even reached as far as Game 6 at all. Sam Bennett won the Conn Smythe trophy for Playoff MVP, scoring the most goals in this postseason. He should double-check what his bank account limit is. Players who aren’t afraid to be bullies or bend the rules while also contributing to offense is another part of Florida’s DNA. You hate playing against them, but you will take them on your team any day of the week.

Stan Bowman had, I think, the most interesting time of any franchise’s first year General Manager. Usually, when a GM lands a new gig, they’d rather run back most of what they’ve been given. They’ll just let the season play out, then decide what changes should be made depending on how the season ends. But this team, when he joined, came off losing the last scheduled game by one goal after coming back from a 3-0 series deficit. And now they just lost a Cup Final rematch in one less game, embarrassed in three of those games. Also, remember that Bowman didn’t join the management team until late July. Jeff Jackson worked both the Draft and Free Agency as the interim GM. What were Bowman’s moves after he took over? Vasily Podkolzin, Kasperi Kapanen, and John Klingberg were solid depth adds. Jake Walman was a great add, but Trent Frederic played through injuries, and I forgot all about Ty Emberson as the Playoffs continued because he wasn’t dressing anymore. The Draisaitl extension was an obvious priority, but before that, the offer sheets signed by both Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway threw a grenade at a dying prospect pool. All of those instances aside, this roster still mostly belongs to the previous GM. Ken Holland’s tenure in Edmonton left things to be desired. It was both good enough for getting this team to the status that it’s currently in and not good enough because there’s still no Cup. Our team isn’t going into a rebuild; they’re still a Playoff team, and the window didn’t close. They’re a good team, maybe a great team, that got beat and humbled by a vastly better team. What Bowman needs to do is start putting his stamp on the roster in a way that keeps the window open longer. Of course losing sucks, but don’t think as if they need to blow it up. Losing doesn’t mean you stop trying to win. I know that scrolling through Twitter will make you feel as if the world is ending in Oil Country, we all feel down. But if Florida can make three straight Cup Final appearances, there’s no reason Edmonton can’t after the second straight time. They have a lot of work to do in order to ensure that’s a possibility. You’ve shaved off your Playoff beards, you’ve put your hockey superstitions on break, now put on your armchair GM caps. The keys to the offseason are…

The McWaiting Game: Connor McDavid is eligible for another contract extension after July 1st, and I’m not worried, whether it be short-term or long-term. There’s never been any indication that he wants to leave Edmonton. A lot of people online are going to scare you with hot takes regarding his future, don’t fall for the rage-baiting. He said the same cliches that every other star player would say in this situation. He talked about his time on the team being great, but he should do what’s best for his family, and he’s in no rush. Draisaitl was the same way, and he didn’t re-sign until early September. I was honestly more nervous for that than I am for this. Most people can’t imagine the captain completely jumping ship while his best friend is staying for another eight years, given how far the team has gone the last two seasons, and his wife starting businesses within the community. He and his family made a home and a life in the Alberta capital. That being said, McDavid is politely letting management know that he doesn’t want them wasting summers or Trade Deadlines from here on out. A contract with a shorter term than the one close to expiring will inspire the front office more to make the necessary deals year in and year out. There’s been talk the last few years about both Connor and Leon wanting certain players staying on the team out of friendship and camaraderie. I’ve always defended those feelings, but if 97 wants to win in Edmonton, he may or will have to accept one or two sacrifices being made down the road.

Lineup Do Over: Not all of it, but a good chunk of it. They entered the 2024/2025 season being the oldest roster in the NHL. On July 1st last year, we initially loved Jeff Jackson’s Free Agent Frenzy. You look at it in hindsight now, and some areas didn’t totally pan out the way we thought they would. Not every player over 30 will be gone, but this team needs to get younger. If they sign or trade for a scoring winger, if one or two of their up-and-coming prospects are NHL ready, they should be given consistent opportunities to contribute and succeed instead of just being in the bottom 6, bottom pairing, or a healthy scratch all the time. People think the Oilers have little to no depth because it’s not always utilized properly and it’s hardly given a real chance. As hard as it is to argue against a coaching staff with a good record, I hope they don’t keep having biases with their lineup decisions. Just ice the lines, pairings and starter that give you the best chance to win. Shedding salary will play a big part in how this goes. I’ve been reading and hearing reports that Trent Frederic will be re-signing with Edmonton for 8 years. I’m not crazy about him sharing the same term as Draisaitl, but having healthier seasons than this one might be worth however many dollars they give him. The Oilers have to wait for the NHL to finish investigating Evander Kane’s LTIR route. Of course this is being looked into after a Canadian team did it and not after a couple of American teams did it. Evan Bouchard, the second most important contract this summer, is an Restricted Free Agent, bringing back nightmares of Broberg and Holloway. Bouchard told the media he wants to stay in Edmonton, so we probably shouldn’t fear an offer sheet that much. McDavid told the media that re-signing him is a priority. The Bouchard haters may not have liked hearing that, but he’s an important piece of the puzzle.

Goaltending: The most polarizing position on the team all season long. Bowman decided at the Trade Deadline to not change the goalie tandem that came 1 win away from a Cup last year, and they went all the way to the Finals again. Calvin Pickard sported a 7-1 record, most notably his 6-0 start when he took over after the first round’s second game. Stuart Skinner posted 3 shutouts after coming back in the middle of the Vegas series as redemption for his LA series performance, and he outdueled Jake Oettiger in Round 3 once again. But then the Cup rematch happened, Sergei Bobrovsky happened, and it was all she wrote. Do I blame all four Final losses and goals against only on the goalies? No, but they still set the record for the worst save percentage in a Cup Final with .865; stats don’t lie. People in the Oilers mediasphere are hesitant to call out when either Oilers goalie plays a bad game or lets in a goal that they shouldn’t. Not every fan has overly cynical takes on the goalies, but the massive level of bias from the team’s analysts is what a more rational fan will take issue with more than the goalies themselves. I’m not saying this excuses bad defensive play or mistakes in front. Sometimes, your goalie just needs to make more saves, even the hard ones. Edmonton was two league-average performances away from possibly celebrating with the Cup this week. The third goal against in Game 6 was unforgivable. Would they be able to come back from 2-0 in the third period, would there be no empty net goals? We’ll never know now, plus Florida was just too good at shutting their offense down. Stan Bowman gave the Cinderella tandem a chance to repeat. A second straight Final appearance was really good, most goalies or tandems that are miles better on paper can’t say they’ve done that. Bowman kind of alluded to that in his end-of-season availability, but it still came up short again. How much trust does the front office have that Skinner and Pickard can learn from this, improve next season, and not be responsible for a negative three-peat? They can hope they’ll stop running into the Panthers, but I think it’s time to just move on and look for another netminder to switch things up. The free agent market for goalies is pretty weak and not enough to really push the envelope. An above-average change will have to come through trade; it’d better be for someone more than just a stopgap and not too big of an overpay. If the Oilers keep one of Picks or Stu, they’ll be no more than the backup. Will it be the hometown 3rd season 26-year-old they drafted, developed, and sadly rushed, or the 33-year-old feel-good story journeyman with a slightly cheaper cap hit?

This summer should feel longer than last year’s for the Edmonton Oilers fanbase. Buckle up.