The last time I looked, the Stanley Cup was still won in June and not November. That’s why I find it puzzling that a well-respected hockey pundit such as Craig Button could make made such a bold statement that in his mind the Edmonton Oilers don’t have a team good enough to contend for the Stanley Cup.
Button made this statement recently on Sportsnet with Jay Onrait and mentioned that, “they (the Edmonton Oilers) don’t have enough good players to be Stanley Cup contenders…that’s the bottom line.” These comments came on the heels of one the Oilers 3-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Nov. 18 – one of the Oilers worst performances of the season. The Oilers bounced back the next night with a 5-2 thumping of the Ottawa Senators to make their three-game eastern Canadian road swing look somewhat respectable.
There’s a lot of hockey to be played between now and the beginning of the playoffs, and despite the Oilers somewhat-slow start to the season, I would respectfully counter Button’s commentary by saying that there are a few factors that still make the Oilers a team to watch out for in the NHL’s Western Conference.
Oilers Have Key Players on the Injured List
The Oilers sick bay is starting to pile up with Viktor Arvidsson and Zach Hyman out day to day, Darnell Nurse out until late November and Evander Kane on long term injured reserve (LTIR) after preseason hip surgery. Kane is a key factor for the Oilers as he will not only add a sorely-missed physical presence to the lineup when he returns, but if remains on LTIR until the playoffs, the Oilers could possibly add another impact player at the March 8 NHL Trade Deadline.
They would have to take a page out of the Vegas Golden Knights’ LTIR playbook, where veteran forward Mark Stone has returned from LTIR just in time for the playoffs the last past three seasons. This point about LTIR and Kane’s eventual return signifies that the Oilers roster is still a work in progress, and I would see how the team is doing in late March and early April before saying whether they’re Stanley Cup contenders or not.
Improvements To Oilers’ Defence Will Come
It’s no secret the Oilers are looking for help on the back end. In a recent interview on Oilers Now, former NHL general manager (GM) Brian Lawton told host Bob Stauffer that there’s room for improvement on the blue line that could help the goaltenders. They discussed the possibility of the Oilers hitting the jackpot in a similar fashion to how they did when trading for Mattias Ekholm in 2022-23. Can lightning strike twice for the Oilers? There’s a lot of pressure on Oilers GM Stan Bowman to bring in a top-four defenceman. Right now the Oilers are relying on Ekholm, Evan Bouchard, Brett Kulak, Travis Dermott, Ty Emberson and Troy Stecher to carry the load. Bouchard looks as though he’s emerging from his early-season slump and it looks like the Oilers have an emerging d-man in Emberson, so the sky isn’t completely falling right now. However, they could still use another proven defenceman for a drive to the playoffs.
Oilers Forward Group Hasn’t Found Their Stride Yet
The Oilers seem to be front end loaded but the reality is Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are currently carrying the team. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman, Jeff Skinner and Arvidsson are all under performing. There’s still a lot of runway left in the season for this group of forwards to turn things around. It might be wise for the coaching staff to give Skinner more time on the top two lines. He’s a proven goalscorer and point producer, and needs an opportunity to gel and find some chemistry with some line mates. Once that happens, the floodgates could open.
Goaltending Will Improve
Many fans are screaming for the Oilers to go out and get a Dominik Hasek type of goalie who can win games by himself. But top-end goalies don’t come cheap and the Oilers are tight against the salary cap. Is there a cheap Chris Osgood type goalie who performs well within the system established, or do the Oilers already have that in the duo of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard?
Related: Oilers’ Goalie Stuart Skinner Has Proven Himself, Despite Mounting Criticism
Unless Bowman can fleece another team for a top-end goalie with salary retained, the Oilers will drive towards the postseason with Skinner and Pickard. Skinner especially needs to pick up his game, and he is capable of doing that. He’s still the guy that out-dueled Dallas Stars starter Jake Oettinger in the Western Conference Final last season. He just hasn’t found his game yet, but seems to have the talent and mental capacity to improve. Meanwhile Pickard, though not flashy, is still reliable. It’ll be interesting to see whether Bowman makes a move for a goaltender on or before the trade deadline.
Oilers Currently in Contention in the Pacific Division
It seems like nobody is running away with the Pacific Division. As of Nov. 21, the Oilers are just two points back of the division leading Golden Knights and are right in the thick of things after 20 games. The Oilers have a history of having a strong second half to the season and if they can stay with the pack in the Pacific over the next two months, they could have a legitimate shot at winning it. They are also currently only two points back of the Dallas Stars in the NHL’s Western Conference, and despite the strong start from both the Minnesota Wild and league-leading Winnipeg Jets, you just never know where things will land once winter turns to spring.
It’s really hard to make predictions and look into the future. I don’t take much stock in the pre-season Stanley Cup predictions. They’re fun for fans and good for debate, but there are so many things that happen in a long NHL season. Right now the Jets look like the team to beat in the NHL but the playoffs can be a different animal. That’s why I wouldn’t count out a battle-hardened team like the Oilers to make some noise once the postseason comes. After all, they still have McDavid and Draisaitl on their roster and that alone can make all the difference.
