For the second straight season, the Florida Panthers will play the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final. Both teams looked dominant in their runs through their respective conferences this season; Edmonton has lost just four games this postseason, while Florida has lost just five. What’s different this time around?
No Zach Hyman
Zach Hyman led the 2024 playoffs in goals last postseason with 16, five more than his nearest competitor. He has been a critical component of the Oilers’ core over the last several seasons with his physicality and goal-scoring ability. Unfortunately for the Oilers, they will be without Hyman for this year’s Stanley Cup Final run after it was announced that he had to undergo surgery following a hit by Mason Marchment in Game 4 of the Dallas Stars series in Round 3.
Although the Oilers looked unaffected by Hyman’s absence in their Game 5 victory in Dallas, the loss of Hyman is a big one for this matchup against Florida. In addition to Hyman’s goal-scoring ability, he leads Edmonton this postseason with 111 hits, and the Oilers will need all the physicality they can muster to counter Florida’s size and strength.
New Additions for Both Teams
While the cores of both teams are the same, there are some new players for each side that have made significant contributions. The two main new faces for Florida in this year’s Final will be Seth Jones and Brad Marchand. Jones, who had a tumultuous tenure with the Chicago Blackhawks, has been a steady, reliable presence in Florida. These playoffs, he has seven points, is plus-9, and has averaged 24:59 time on ice per game. Marchand has been exactly as advertised and has fit in perfectly on a line with Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen. He has been physical, scrappy, and productive in big games, highlighted by his massive performance in Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Round 2.
The Oilers made more moves than Florida, although for the most part, the moves have been less consequential. Trent Frederic, Jeff Skinner, Viktor Arvidsson, Jake Walman, and John Klingberg were all added at various points of the season to try and provide Edmonton more depth. Skinner and Arvidsson, the Oilers’ two most prominent offseason additions, have struggled to make the lineup this postseason after middling regular-season campaigns. Both will likely play this series, though, with the injuries to Hyman and Connor Brown.
While none of the Oilers’ new faces have made immense impacts, they were not expected to; the Oilers have elite offensive firepower at the top of their lineup and were simply searching for a bit more depth and grit. Frederic is a great example. He has emerged as a consistent, reliable fourth-line player who can kill penalties and play a physical style of game.
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Another important consideration is that this version of Evander Kane, though not a new addition in the traditional sense, will give the Oilers a critical middle-six winger with size and skill to counter Florida’s grueling style of play. Kane really struggled in last year’s playoffs after an injury-riddled season, but looks rejuvenated this time around.
Edmonton Looks More Dominant
After losing the first two games of their first-round series to the Los Angeles Kings, the Oilers have won 12 of their last 14 games in what has been an impressive run to the Final. They dismantled the Vegas Golden Knights and Stars in the last two rounds with little pushback, beating both in five games. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl look as dominant as ever, their forward depth has been solid, and though serious questions still remain around their goaltending (as they did in last year’s Final), the Oilers have the look of a team whose time to win is now.
Simply put, they look very much like the archetype of a championship team that sustained a heartbreaking loss the year before and came back next season more focused, professional and experienced. After losing in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last year, all season long, it has been very clear that the Oilers were determined to get back to the Final to finish the job.
What Can We Expect From the Series?
While there will be several different wrinkles to this matchup this year, as this article has articulated, the crux of the matchup will be the same. The Oilers are an offensive juggernaut led by two of the league’s most dynamic players, while the Panthers are an experienced, deep group built for playoff success. While it is always difficult to pick against the Panthers, it is hard to shake the feeling that it just may be Edmonton’s time this season. Regardless, we should be treated to a great series.
