The Edmonton Oilers are coming off a disappointing loss to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final. Over three months have gone by since and the Oilers are ready to turn the page and focus on the NHL season at hand. The franchise’s cornerstone Connor McDavid made something clear about last season’s heartbreaking finale.
The Oilers are widely considered the top contenders to hoist the Stanley Cup in the 2024-25 season. After their heartbreaking Game 7 loss to the Panthers in the Final, the Oilers are looking to take a page out of Florida’s book by winning the Cup after falling just short the previous year.
Edmonton faced a tough pill to swallow after losing in the champioship Game 7. The final game of the season was do or die, and the Oilers fell 2-1 after coming back from an 0-3 series deficit. To be so close yet so far away. The Oilers captain made something clear on last season’s tough ending.
“Enough about last year,“ McDavid said, per The Hockey News. “Enough about last year. It’s about this year. We’ve talked a lot about last year. A lot of different questions about it, a lot of different things about last year. I’ve answered all of them. But we are moving on.“
Oilers will miss key forward for considerable time
Connor McDavid will be without Evander Kane for the start of the season and some further indefinite time. However, Edmonton will rely on its other superstars on the roster. Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Evan Bouchard will need to be at their best and provide during Kane’s absence.
Kane had surgery to repair both abductors, two hernias and two abdominal tears. Talk about hockey strong. On the other hand, Hyman is coming off a career year in which he finished third for goals with a total tally of 54. The Oilers hope for similar production from their key players as they begin their journey to redemption.
McDavid has some big shoes to fill in Alberta, and the comparisons to Wayne Gretzky won’t quiet down anytime soon. Time is ticking for Connor and his team to win a Stanley Cup. It seems more like an issue of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’, but as the years go by, the glory has yet to return to Edmonton.