TSN: Mike Johnson and Craig Button focus on 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 Last once more.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Johnson: “It was an unbelievable season final yr for the Edmonton Oilers. So near successful the Stanley Cup for the primary time in endlessly, to recreation seven earlier than dropping it to the Florida Panthers. They made some modifications this summer season. The crew appears to be like a bit of bit totally different.
However the one massive query Craig is, have the Oilers surrounded McDavid and Draisaitl with sufficient this yr 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 crew that’s making an attempt to offer themselves cap flexibility, so as to add one thing actually vital over the course of the season previous to the commerce deadline.
Mike, you recognize that their prime pair of (Mattias) Ekholm and (Evan) Bouchard is without doubt one of the greatest duos within the Nationwide Hockey League, on the blue line. After that, if you wish to compete for the Stanley Cup, it turns into quite a bit tougher except you bolster that blue line.
And that’s the place they’re going to should look to try this work, as a result of as nice as McDavid and Draisaitl have been and are, they’ll’t win a Stanley Cup, for my part, with the blue line as at the moment constructed. It wants actually vital 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 season to maintain the pliability to reply the very query that you simply simply addressed. That sure, we have now to get a bit of bit higher on protection. We all know that Darnell Nurse and (Ty) Emberson on the second pair may not be fairly sufficient, however we have now cab area for the primary time in a very long time to handle 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 incredible 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’d add, a return round playoff time, most likely proper round recreation certainly one of playoff time of a wholesome, rejuvenated, and rested. Evander Kane, what can that do for a crew as nicely?
So I feel in web, okay, Stuart Skinner. You want what you will have there. Up entrance, there aren’t any questions in anyway. Solely query actually is for the Edmonton Oilers, and also you’ve nailed it, on protection. As a result of I feel they should go get a major participant, like they did after they bought Mattias Ekholm. Take into consideration what a distinction he made for that crew from the day he arrived, partnered up with Bouchard, they’re probably the greatest pairings within the league. They’ve Darnell Nurse, who can be wholesome sooner or later on that second pair, very probably. They want any individual 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 definately’d should say that the Edmonton Oilers, not solely are succesful when the Stanley Cup, they most likely would be the favourite proper now to win the Stanley Cup. Not as they’re at the moment constructed, however what they are going to appear to be when the commerce deadline lastly expires within the spring.”
Button: “And precisely, what they are going to appear to be. I don’t assume there’s any query that after 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, constructive indicators within the playoffs final season.
Nevertheless it’s a lot larger now for the Edmonton Oilers. They’re in search of one thing larger than what Broberg and Holloway are able to delivering, most likely 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 vital defenders accessible come commerce deadline, previous to the commerce deadline. And very similar to the Mattias Ekholm, commerce which not solely made the crew 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 accessible that may actually make a discernible distinction and root to competing for a Stanley Cup.”
Johnson: “Craig, the Oilers are in a great spot, as a result of they’re setting themselves as much as maximize on the greatness of Connor McDavid. We all know he’s the perfect participant on this planet, probably the greatest gamers of all-time. He’s setting information, breaking Gretzky’s help information within the playoffs. There isn’t 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. Bought a pair extra years below 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 might be a Stanley Cup contender due to Conor McDavid, due to that Greg, Craig,
However after they simply add a bit of bit within the again finish, coupled with, a few the perfect forwards and the perfect a part of the world up entrance, then the Edmonton Oilers completely will you will have greater than sufficient to win a Stanley Cup for 2025.”
