Draisaitl laughs when asked if he believes Oilers could win a Stanley Cup

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Ryan Hall
June 3, 2024 (9:24 PM)

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During his postgame interview after winning the Western Conference final, Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl laughed after Sportsnet Kyle Bukauskas asked him if he felt the Oilers were going to win the Stanley Cup throughout the year.

»I mean, certainly not early on. But I think we always knew how good of a team we have, and what we have in here and how tight this group is. Like I said, can't stress it enough, really proud of the guys. Wasn't an easy beginning to the year, but we all dug in, and obviously pulled ourselves out.»

The question caught Draisaitl in a small laugh after he reminded viewers of the struggles the team faced as they were 31st overall near the end of November.

It was then when general manager Ken Holland had seen enough and made a change behind the bench by firing former head coach Jay Woodcroft along with former assistant Dave Manson and bringing in rookie head coach Kris Knoblauch and Oilers legendary defenseman Paul Coffey to try to stabilize the team and turn things around.

The team responded and from that point they never looked back and within a few months they were back in a playoff spot well on their way to securing it.

Now the Oilers face the ultimate test as they play against the Florida Panthers who have been dominant through these entire playoffs. Oilers fans around the country and in Alberta will have till Saturday to enjoy the hype and be ready for game one which will be held at 8:00 PM eastern.