As a fan of the Edmonton Oilers since the 1979-80 NHL season, I usually feel anxious during the offseason about the upcoming season. During the Stanley Cup-winning years from 1984 to 1990, there was a bit more calmness, but from 1990 to last offseason there always seemed to be a sense of uneasiness. Not this offseason. When Oilers CEO of Hockey Operations Jeff Jackson took over the general manager duties from Ken Holland in late June, he did a masterful job of making the Oilers better on paper than they were in the 2023-24 season.
By signing Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner and bringing back Connor Brown, Mattias Janmark, Adam Henrique, and Corey Perry, he made a team that reached Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in 2024 that much better. With all of this heavy lifting in early July, Jackson helped take away a lot of the worries that often beseech Oilers fans throughout the offseason. The only blemish in an otherwise incredibly productive offseason might’ve been the hiring of Stan Bowman as the Oilers new GM. But that depends on who you talk to.
What Can a Productive Offseason Mean for the 2024-25 NHL Season?
I think it means the team will be even more focused on finishing what they started in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. If you’ve seen the recent video circulating of the Oilers dressing room after losing Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, you’ll see how much this team cares. How much it means to them, and to all the critics of Connor McDavid not skating back on the ice to receive the Conn Smythe Trophy and understanding why he couldn’t leave his teammates at that moment. It’s not as if other Conn Smythe Trophy winners such as Ron Hextall in 1987 skated back out on the ice to receive the trophy. It’s just jealous fans from other teams trying to criticize the best player in the game today.
Oilers Need to Come Out Swinging Hard in 2024-25
Having the best lineup since the Stanley Cup-winning years of the 80s and early 90s, this Oilers team cannot repeat how they started the previous season by falling so far behind the pace so early on. Last season it seemed they expended so much mental energy playing catch-up that they ran out of gas in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. If they want to have any hope of winning the Stanley Cup in the spring of 2025, the Oilers need to come out of the gate strong, and continue to build as the season progresses. I have confidence in Jeff Jackson that his hockey sense will continue to guide this team even with the addition of new GM Bowman.
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It’ll be interesting to see where the Oilers are at critical points in the season including U.S. Thanksgiving, Christmas, 2025 Trade Deadline and the beginning of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. How will they deal with potential injuries, player slumps and even the possibility of weakness in goal? There’s also the signing of Leon Draisaitl that needs to be addressed and hopefully won’t linger too long into the season.
“By Failing to Prepare, You’re Preparing to Fail” — Benjamin Franklin
No one has a crystal ball that can accurately predict the future. But if you take a close look at reality, the Oilers’ current roster is strong. And after being battle-tested in the Stanley Cup Final, they’ll be mentally ready with the experience needed to possibly make another legitimate run to the Stanley Cup. A lot of things can happen, and do happen during the season, that’s why they play the games. But as it sits right now, just weeks ahead of training camp for the 2024-25 season, all is calm in Oilerland. And that’s a good sign. They seem like the strong silent type, which is so much better than yapping about their greatness.
There’s an old saying from Ralph Waldo Emerson that seems applicable here, “The louder he talked of his honor, the faster we counted our spoons.” I don’t hear a lot of noise or boasting coming from the Oilers this summer, and that bodes well for the future. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for the Oilers to go about their business this season on the ice with the same sort of calmness that I’ve been feeling for them this offseason.
