Video has come out showing the misery of defeat after Edmonton’s Game 7 loss to the Florida Panthers. There is silence in the dressing room until Edmonton Oilers team leader Zach Hyman says a few words, including: “I hope everybody comes back. This team is f*ckin’ special.”
My take
1. Well said Zach Hyman.
2. Old sayings are old sayings because there is truth to them, and one of the oldest sayings in the NHL is, “There are only two things in hockey: winning and misery.” We see that here.
3. In the video, Hyman assured his teammates that the team will be back to another Stanley Cup Final. That possibility is certainly strong for the coming season, 2024-25, as the entire core group is back and it’s been bolstered by Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson, two strong additions at forward, with Ryan McLeod and Warren Foegele moving out.
4. After this season, things get more iffy, as major new contracts have to be agreed between the Oilers and Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard for 2025-26, and with Connor McDavid for 2026-27.
One major reason that the Oilers were so competitive last season and will be this season is that the star players, McDavid and Draisaitl, are paid a reasonable amount relative to the cap. All kinds of players, such as the entire third line of Adam Henrique, Connor Brown and Mattias Janmark, also took Stanley Cup discounts to stay in Edmonton and try to win the Cup in the next few seasons. If that trend continues, if players like Draisaitl, McDavid and Bouchard, are also winning to take Stanley Cup discounts, this team can indeed stay together and compete for the Cup for many years to come. We shall see.
5. The great Oilers of the 1980s were pulled apart due to the financial issues of owner Peter Pocklington, who decided to sell Wayne Gretzky rather than risk losing him or having to pay him more.
Will the NHL’s salary be the end of this Oilers team? Will it rip it apart? Or will each player coming up for a new contract be willing to take less in order to stay here and have a chance at Stanley Cup glory in Edmonton? That is the key issue for the Edmonton Oilers in the next few years.
Staples on politic
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At the Cult of Hockey
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