The Edmonton Oilers have set the bar as high as it can go on the 2024-25 NHL season.
If you don’t know by now they fell one-goal-stopped and one-goal-scored from what would have been a date with destiny in last year’s Stanley Cup Final, then you simply weren’t paying attention.
But just because the Glory Days of the ’80s are well behind them doesn’t mean there isn’t room to make more current Cup memories.
Inside the dressing room, there are some pretty big legacies looking to get cemented by sealing the deal with a championship signet.
Status Today:
The phrase on everyone’s lips as training camp opens is unfinished business.
From the Decade of Darkness to the Stanley Cup spotlight, the Oilers have been on the precipice of contention for a few years now, and come into this season firmly focused on winning the city’s first Stanley Cup since 1990.
They aren’t the only ones who know it, either. Something is brewing here at the moment.
Edmonton has found itself a destination spot for both free agents looking to climb aboard the winning train, as well as their own players opting to stick around, even if it means for fewer dollars.
That wasn’t always the case, of course. But it can sure make a difference for a team that pays as heavily on its top end as the Oilers do.
Reason to Believe:
Two words: Connor McDavid.
When you have the greatest player in the world right now, anything can happen.
And it almost did.
Sure, that one big major be-all-end-all thing continues to elude the generational superstar, who turns 28 in January.
But the championship window in Edmonton is open wide for the captain and his supporting cast.
It will, of course, fall on Kris Knoblauch to help lead them through after taking over behind the bench and turning around a slow start into an appearance in the Stanley Cup Final.
Not bad for his first official kick at the can.
The thing is, while this team doesn’t have much more further up to travel, the flip side is there is almost nowhere to go but down if things don’t fall into place as planned. That kind of pressure can mess with even the best coaching minds, so it is crucial for the Oilers to have a solid start to the season.
Unlike a year ago.
But they seem to have learned their lesson.
Reason for Skepticism:
McDavid can’t do it all by himself.
McDavid and Leon Draisaitl can’t do it alone.
Heck, the entire contingent of forwards couldn’t outscore their way consistently enough to a Stanley Cup.
Not without a defence. And theirs took some tremendous strides last year, shutting the opposition down as often as the offence blew things up.
But that was then and this is now, and the Oilers look noticeably different on the blue line after losing Cody Ceci, Vincent Desharnais and Philip Broberg over the off-season.
Sure, it doesn’t have the same impact as would have been felt if top talent such as Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm and Darnell Nurse would have left, but having a trio of defencemen vacate the premises will mean voids must be filled and familiarity will have to be gained.
The defence seems to be the constant sticking point on an Oilers squad that has always been about scoring first, asking questions later.
If there is going to be a hiccup in the road along the way — guaranteed there will be — it’s going to involve the defence.
And there is no chance the unit will be able to remain as ridiculously healthy as it was last year.
Prospect Pipeline:
Saying the cupboards are bare would be wrong. But at the same time, the focus of the organization is definitely on the here and now.
Their American Hockey League affiliate in Bakersfield, Calif., has proven to be an environment where prospective players can develop. And you don’t have to look back very far for proof.
Both Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg were sent down last year, only to be brought back up for the playoff push were they more than held their own, turning heads and raising eyebrows to the point where they were plucked over the off-season by offer sheets from the St. Louis Blues that went unmatched.
Defenceman Beau Akey, with the Ontario Hockey Leauge’s Barrie Colts, may be the top prospect in the organization, while current first-round draft pick Sam O’Reilly of the London Knights, ensures fresh blood continues pumping into the organizational pipeline.
Salary Cap Situation:
What you see is what you get.
The Oilers don’t have a lot of wiggle room if more than one or two things don’t go according to plan.
Evander Kane going on the long-term injured list after a sports hernia surgery relieves some cap pressure, but it was already taken into account during free-agent moves in the summer.
At least the Oilers have become accustomed to working under a tight cap, year over year.
Postmedia Predicts:
This will be the year the Oilers win the Stanley Cup.
Postmedia Explains:
A return to playoffs is most assured, which is something that hasn’t always been said around Edmonton.
From there, they will still have to make it through three hard-fought playoff rounds before putting themselves back in position for a redo in the Stanley Cup Final.
The thing is, a much better start to the season (and that’s not hard to do) will put them in position to knock each successive item off their to-do list along the way.
Even if they’re not the team in the best position to make a championship run this year — and they very well may be — good luck finding a hungrier group than the one that came oh-so close to tasting utter victory three months ago.
One thing is certain, it’s going to be fun to watch.
E-mail: [email protected]
On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge
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