Why the Edmonton Oilers will win the Stanley Cup in 2024
Noah Wilson, Staff Writer |
The Edmonton Oilers began their 2023-24 campaign with an abysmal 2-9 record sitting dead last in the league with many people in the hockey world questioning whether this team had any hope of making the playoffs.
During October, McDavid was not producing to his standards and the team’s performance faltered alongside him.
Through the first 10 games of the season, the Oilers captain only had 11 points. For anyone else in the league that’s a productive first 10 games…for McDavid however? That is far below the superhuman expectations he has had placed upon him.
By November, his injuries began to fade and once fully healed McDavid immediately rounded back into form. The winning results for his team shortly followed.
Since the beginning of the new year, the Edmonton Oilers have been the best team of 2024 going on a massive 16-game winning streak, one game shy of the NHL record.
The scary part? They are showing no signs of slowing down.
The most obvious factor in the Oiler’s rise to dominance is none other than Connor McDavid. Like his team, McDavid has been on a tear riding a 13-game point streak producing an astonishing 27 assists and 29 points in that span.
When analyzing McDavid’s play this year, you see a player who is in the prime of his career.
You see a player where every facet of his game is elite and levels above everybody else.
McDavid is a different player this season, a more complete one. He isn’t cheating on defence anymore like we might have seen him do in years past. He has shown full commitment to playing a 200-foot game which has made him a dangerous all-around threat that can take over a hockey game every single night.
The trio of Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman, and Ryan Nugent Hopkins have been hands down the best and most dominant line in hockey on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ice. Zach Hyman is well on his way to smashing 50 goals, while the Nuge has been an anchor on that line with his extraordinary two-way game.
It seems like McDavid comes out of the gates each year with a mission to accomplish. Last year it was cracking 150 points and securing the Rocket Richard, the year before that it was getting to the conference finals and dominating the playoffs, the year before that 100 points in 56 games.
This year there’s a great possibility he can take home a Selke trophy, the league’s top defensive player, and hopefully the biggest prize: Lord Stanley.
The Oilers increased their odds of winning Lord Stanley by adding 2 key pieces at the NHL Trade Deadline.
The Oilers were able to snag veteran centre Adam Henrique, along with depth defenseman Troy Stecher, bolstering the lineup and setting the team up for a deep playoff run.
Unfortunately for Edmonton, they have a very competitive Western Conference to get through. Teams like the Knights, Canucks, Avalanche, and Stars will all be standing in their path.
Like the Oilers, these teams also made it a priority to load up on depth and star power at the deadline.
Something the Oilers possess that no other team in the league can match however is the best one-two punch in hockey in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. These two have proven they have what it takes to take the team deep into the playoffs.
With both of these studs at the peak of their careers, there is no question that this is one of the best opportunities for the Edmonton Oilers to win a Stanley Cup Championship.
Edmonton has gone through four straight years of triumph, upsets, adversity, loss, and of course winning in the playoffs. This team will want to take all of that experience and use it to navigate themselves to a Stanley Cup victory.
Connor McDavid’s legacy rests on a Stanley Cup. He has won at every level, along with every major award a hockey player could win. The only accomplishment left to seal his legacy is a Cup. The question is if he and the Edmonton Oilers can deliver that come playoff time.
In my opinion, I believe they have the best chance to do it this year. We will have to wait and see if I stand correct. See you in June.
