"Cup Or Bust" is their motto this year, and who could blame them?
There are reasons to believe that the team can still win a Stanley Cup and make it happen.
One of the reasons why the team is successful is the presence of Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, both dynamic players. Aside from McDavid's unmatched skills to skate and cut through defenses like butter to create scoring chances, he is the best player in the NHL at the moment.
Draisaitl makes the team into a tank that can roll right through its opponents. There are two elite forwards on the Oilers, and that doesn't count Nugent-Hopkins.
The second reason is that the team's blueline has been strengthened by the acquisition of Mattias Ekholm. With his experience, he has stabilized not only Evan Bouchard but also the team. For long playoff runs, it is essential to have a strong defense.
Thirdly, despite losing Nick Bjugstad, Klim Kostin, and other forwards, the team has a deeper forward group overall. Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Ryan McLeod provide scoring depth if needed.
In addition, the Oilers play in one of the weaker divisions in the NHL, the Pacific, which works to their advantage. The team's ability to dominate is greatly influenced by this factor.
Finally, the team has already experienced playoff success in the NHL and will have to learn from its failures in order to achieve success in the future. Once again, the team will be a force to be reckoned with.
This is an exceptionally deep team and built for the post-season!
As Seen On: nhltradetalk.com
POLL | ||
Do you think the Oilers can pull of a Western Division win? | ||
Yes | 51 | 76.1 % |
No | 16 | 23.9 % |
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