Now that the Stanley Cup has been awarded, the scheming and dreaming of the offseason can officially begin. With the 2023 NHL Draft and the beginning of free agency mere weeks away, the future approaches quickly. Of course the Edmonton Oilers themselves, as well as their hardcore fans, have already begun plotting and theorising for the future.
As much as it is important for eyes to be fixed on the season ahead, understanding the past can help inform the course to be plotted. The understanding of our history contextualises how we view and weigh the options to come.
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How it feels losing the the eventual victors
With the ink dry on the results of the 2022–23, we now know that the Oilers once again fell to the eventual Stanley Cup champions—last season to the Colorado Avalanche, this season to the Vegas Golden Knights. As we close the book on 2022–23 we asked you: With Vegas winning the Stanley Cup, does this change how you feel about the Oilers elimination?
Better: 17%
Finishing in third place of the 3 options, the smallest group of voters felt some solace in the Golden Knights’ success. A deep team that is full value as a champion, the Knights dismantled all that they faced, making quick work of the Winnipeg Jets in five games, the Oilers in six, the Dallas Stars in six, and the Florida Panthers in five. One could argue that the Oilers were the stiffest challenger, as the Stars fell down three games to none before making it interesting.
Regardless, in a series defined by lopsided individual games in either team’s favour, the Oilers loss to the Knights spurred numerous questions. A new question arises when the Golden Knights stand triumphant.
Perhaps the Oilers’ goaltending was not good enough. Some might’ve taken issue with Stuart Skinner’s performance, but the Knights managed to make elite goalies look average throughout their run. Connor Hellebuyck had a Vezina-worthy season, but couldn’t manage anything close to his regular dominance. Jake Oettinger might not have been having his best playoff performance, but the Golden Knights only made his performance look worse. Sergei Bobrovsky—a two-time Vezina winner and someone in the conversation for the Conn Smythe—was playing the finest stretch of his career and was still unable to become a factor against the Knights.
We should remember this when we assess the Oilers performance in the series. Since being eliminated questions surrounding team defence and even strength offence have come under questioning. Clearly, the Oilers weren’t good enough, and improvements must be made, but we should also remember that the Oilers fared much better against this season’s champions than they did against last season’s as well. Despite being eliminated a round earlier, this season’s Oilers were better than last season’s, and in some sense this is reflected in their playoff performances as well.
Worse: 32%
In second place in our poll, a healthy percentage of Oilers fans feel worse because of the Golden Knights’ win. Perhaps there is some bitterness towards their vanquishers, but this might be more indicative of a feeling that the Oilers were so close to their ultimate goal.
Of all the teams the Knights faced, the Oilers might well have put up the best fight. Had the Oilers found a way to defeat the Knights they might well have defeated the Stars and Panthers themselves.
Perhaps a group of these voters might be perturbed. With the Oilers so close a move or two made, or not made, might make all the difference.
For whatever reason, the Knights successes have continued to irk a significant portion of Oil Country. There’s a good chance that at least as many within the organisation feel the same way. Either way, the Oilers would do well to take the advice of their coach Jay Woodcroft and use the bitter taste of disappointment as motivational fuel in the summer ahead.
Unchanged: 51%
Leading our poll with over half the available votes, most felt unchanged by the Cup winner’s success. This group likely represents a thinking that the Oilers have shortcoming on their roster that must be addressed regardless of who defeated them. While the questions that surround the Oilers this offseason are ongoing, they are not recontextualized by the result of the season.
As much as it can be an interesting thought exercise to think “what if the Oilers had beat the Golden Knights,” or “were the Oilers the second best team this season,” the answers to each don’t mean much. The silver skin of the Stanley Cup remembers only the victors, as much as the Oilers path to answers, and to glory, lies within as opposed to beyond any opposing franchise. After all, the Oilers fell short of their ultimate goal this season, their fate cut and dried.
Heading toward the future
No matter how they assess themselves, the Oilers have thin margins to improve upon, and perhaps thinner margins still when it comes to affording it. One way or another the Oilers will attempt to adjust in the months ahead.
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