TSN: Mike Johnson and Craig Button talk about whether or not the Edmonton Oilers have finished sufficient over the offseason to encompass Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to make it again to the Stanley Cup Ultimate once more.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Johnson: “It was an unimaginable season final 12 months for the Edmonton Oilers. So near profitable the Stanley Cup for the primary time in eternally, to recreation seven earlier than dropping it to the Florida Panthers. They made some modifications this summer time. The staff appears to be like a little bit bit totally different.
However the one massive query Craig is, have the Oilers surrounded McDavid and Draisaitl with sufficient this 12 months to win the cup.”
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Button: “Not but. So it’s not a definitive No. You take a look at dropping (Philip) Broberg and (Dylan) Holloway to the provide sheets. Now you’re taking a look at a staff that’s attempting to offer themselves cap flexibility, so as to add one thing actually important over the course of the season previous to the commerce deadline.
Mike, you realize that their high pair of (Mattias) Ekholm and (Evan) Bouchard is without doubt one of the finest duos within the Nationwide Hockey League, on the blue line. After that, if you wish to compete for the Stanley Cup, it turns into rather a lot tougher until you bolster that blue line.
And that’s the place they’re going to must look to do this work, as a result of as nice as McDavid and Draisaitl have been and are, they’ll’t win a Stanley Cup, in my opinion, with the blue line as presently constructed. It wants actually important enchancment.”
Johnson: “The excellent news is, Craig, you’re not telling the Edmonton Oilers something they don’t already know. They’ve made some strikes this summer time to maintain the pliability to reply the very query that you just simply addressed. That sure, we have now to get a little bit bit higher on protection. We all know that Darnell Nurse and (Ty) Emberson on the second pair won’t be fairly sufficient, however we have now cab area for the primary time in a very long time to deal with that very query.
I’ll say this, although, the forwards proper now are higher than the forwards they ended final season with. I feel Arvinson goes to be improbable there. I feel Jeff Skinner goes to slot in fairly properly, lastly make the playoffs and recover from that hump for himself. We all know the ability performs there. We all know what Hyman and Nuge and everybody else can do in that group. Adam Henrique, underrated returning participant.
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Their forwards are stacked and, oh, I would add, a return round playoff time, in all probability proper round recreation certainly one of playoff time of a wholesome, rejuvenated, and rested. Evander Kane, what can that do for a staff as effectively?
So I feel in internet, okay, Stuart Skinner. You want what you may have there. Up entrance, there aren’t any questions by any means. Solely query actually is for the Edmonton Oilers, and also you’ve nailed it, on protection. As a result of I feel they must go get a big participant, like they did once they received Mattias Ekholm. Take into consideration what a distinction he made for that staff from the day he arrived, partnered up with Bouchard, they’re among the best pairings within the league. They’ve Darnell Nurse, who will probably be wholesome in some unspecified time in the future on that second pair, very doubtless. They want any person to go with him, to maximise him, to make that pairing dependable and environment friendly.
And in the event that they get that Craig, then you definitely’d must say that the Edmonton Oilers, not solely are succesful when the Stanley Cup, they in all probability would be the favourite proper now to win the Stanley Cup. Not as they’re presently constructed, however what they’ll seem like when the commerce deadline lastly expires within the spring.”
Button: “And precisely, what they’ll seem like. I don’t suppose there’s any query that once they had been contemplating matching or not matching the provide sheets to Broberg and Holloway, sure, you bought younger gamers that get drafted within the first spherical that confirmed some actually good, optimistic indicators within the playoffs final season.
However it’s a lot larger now for the Edmonton Oilers. They’re searching for one thing larger than what Broberg and Holloway are able to delivering, in all probability at this cut-off date. And that’s the place the cap flexibility is available in. That’s the rationale for not matching these provide sheets.
And there’s going to be any variety of actually important defenders obtainable come commerce deadline, previous to the commerce deadline. And very like the Mattias Ekholm, commerce which not solely made the staff higher and stronger, it additionally allowed Evan Bouchard to raise his recreation.
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And I feel that the place they sit and the place they’ll be evaluating is actually amongst these defenders obtainable that may actually make a discernible distinction and root to competing for a Stanley Cup.”
Johnson: “Craig, the Oilers are in a great place, as a result of they’re setting themselves as much as maximize on the greatness of Connor McDavid. We all know he’s the most effective participant on the planet, among the best gamers of all-time. He’s setting data, breaking Gretzky’s help data within the playoffs. There is no such thing as a competitors that’s too nice for him to beat.
And I feel they perceive that. Draisaitl coming again is large for them, however actually maximizing on his greatness. Acquired a pair extra years underneath contract. He’s within the prime of his profession. He’s pretty much as good as he’s going to get. And I feel even with none additions, they’d be a Stanley Cup contender due to Conor McDavid, due to that Greg, Craig,
However once they simply add a little bit bit within the again finish, coupled with, a few the most effective forwards and the most effective a part of the world up entrance, then the Edmonton Oilers completely will you may have greater than sufficient to win a Stanley Cup for 2025.”
