The Edmonton Oilers might have more questions than answers as they head into the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Have they lost too much youth and speed? Are they too old and banged up? How will they do without defenceman Mattias Ekholm in their first-round against the Los Angeles Kings? And similar to last season’s Stanley Cup run, fans are wondering how goaltenders Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard will perform. With so many questions surrounding the team for weeks before the playoffs, NHL prognosticators might be having a hard time picking the Oilers to win the Stanley Cup. I want to remain optimistic, there’s just too much talent on this team, that’s why I wanted to present the top five reasons the Oilers Can Win the Stanley Cup in 2025:
#1. Connor McDavid
He has that look. It’s the same hungry look all the great players such as Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Sidney Crosby have. The look and focus of a player whose time has come. When Connor McDavid returned from the injured reserve list against the St. Louis Blues on April 9, he’s played like a man possessed.
The time off he took in March to heal his wounds and rest from the 4 Nations Face-Off have breathed new life into the best player in the world. He’ll be heading into the postseason on a mission to win his first Stanley Cup, and based on how he’s looked in the final two weeks of the season, I wouldn’t bet against the man.
#2. Leon Draisaitl
The other half of the Oilers dynamic duo has been Edmonton’s best player throughout the regular season, and could possibly win the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player. When Leon Draisaitl went down to injury on March 18 against the Utah Hockey Club, and again on April 3 against the San Jose Sharks, Oilers fans were deeply worried. How severe is his injury? And can he perform at the highest level once the playoffs arrive? From all indications, Draisaitl will be ready to go for Game 1 against the Kings. And, like his friend McDavid, he’s the intangible that the Oilers have so sorely missed over the last three weeks of the season. He instantly elevates the Oilers from a good team to a great team–one that should be feared.
#3. Playoff Experience
The playoffs are the real hockey season in Edmonton. Nothing else matters. Having a battle-hardened group that went all the way to Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final is invaluable. Players like Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Corey Perry, Darnell Nurse, Connor Brown, Skinner, Pickard and Brett Kulak have been here before. They know what it takes to get through the grind of a seven game playoff series. Add veteran playoff performer Viktor Arvidsson to the mix, and Edmonton’s playoff depth is that much more impressive. An intangible will be the play of Jeff Skinner, who after more than 1,000-career regular-season games will finally be playing in his first playoff series. I expect Skinner to come out like a house on fire. And that could mean trouble for teams in the NHL’s Western Conference and beyond.
#4. Oilers Might Have a Better Defence Than Last Season
I think the Oilers have a deeper group of defenceman even without Ekholm in the lineup. The addition of Jake Walman by Oilers general manager Stan Bowman was a great move, and Walman will be a key man on the blue line for the Oilers. I expect Evan Bouchard to up his game in the postseason, and I believe Nurse and Kulak will carry their strong regular-season play into the playoffs. As of right now, the Oilers are waiting to find out if Nurse will be suspended for his cross-check on King’s forward Quinton Byfield. It’ll be interesting to see who the Oilers third pairing will be as they have Ty Emberson, Troy Stecher, and Cam Dineen to choose from. For those who don’t believe the Oilers can win the Stanley Cup without Ekholm, I often go way back to when the Philadelphia Flyers won their first Stanley Cup in 1974 after losing their best defenceman Barry Ashbee. The Oilers situation with Ekholm reminds me a lot of the same situation the Flyers found themselves in back in the day.
Related: Can the Oilers Make Stanley Cup Run if Ekholm Is Out for the Playoffs?
As for the goaltenders, this has been debated to death in Edmonton over the season, and if Skinner can find the playoff form he had against the Dallas Stars in the NHL Western Conference Final last season, the Oilers will be ok. If Skinner falters, Pickard can be trusted to shut down the opposition like he did so many times this season, and especially against the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the 2024 playoffs.
#5. Key Players Will Be Rested
The biggest news for Oilers fans is McDavid and Draisaitl will be rested and ready to go for Game 1 against the Kings. Whenever veteran Evander Kane and Trent Frederic are inserted into the lineup, the coaches will have some difficult decisions to make on who plays and who sits. If both Kane and Frederic are healthy and playing up to their potential, the Oilers are going to be a formidable force to reckon with. And, if Ekholm can return healthy at some point in the playoffs, the Oilers will not only be a rested team, they’ll be a deeper one.
Expect the Unexpected
The Oilers have the biggest question marks out of any NHL team heading into the playoffs. If injured players heal up and key players play to their potential, there’s no reason why the Oilers can’t win the Stanley Cup in 2025. I’m an optimist. I believe it’ll all come together and the sun will shine brightly on the Oilers this postseason. Let the games begin.
