Something happening once is not worth much more than a passing mention or the punchline of a couple jokes. But when it has happened twice? Maybe now it is time to take notice.
The two biggest western Canadian rivals of the Edmonton Oilers, the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks, have both gone through internal turmoil and have seemingly imploded in on themselves just a few years removed from each other. What is the common theme, you might ask? For both teams, it has happened shortly after a loss to Connor McDavid‘s Oilers in the playoffs.
Which leads us to conclude that losing to the Oilers in the playoffs has caused both of these teams to blow up their rosters and have to rebuild and retool immediately after. The Oilers are taking matters into their own hands and contributing to the downfall of their biggest rivals with playoff victories.
The recent downfall of the Calgary Flames
The Battle of Alberta reached a new peak in the late 2010s and early 2020s. The Battle between Zack Kassian and Matthew Tkachuk sparked new life to the longstanding rivalry.
It reached new levels in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs as the Oilers and Flames faced each other in the postseason for the first time since 1990–91.
The Oilers were led by largely the same core as they have now, albeit with a different goalie.
And for the Flames? They were led by Matthew Tkachuk, Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm and supported by Tyler Toffoli, Andrew Mangiapane up front with Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev on defence and Jacob Markstrom in net.
The common theme for those players is that none of them are with the Flames just two seasons removed from that series. In fact, the only remaining players from the Flames’ roster in that series are Mikael Backlund, Rasmus Andersson, Blake Coleman, and Dan Vladar.
Edmonton won this series decidedly in five games. And the fire sale in Calgary started shortly after with a blockbuster trade to send Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers.
In the time since, countless players have been shipped off or let go in free agency after expressing their wishes to play elsewhere.
And all of this started right after Connor McDavid scored an incredibly dramatic overtime winner in game five to eliminate the Flames.
The Vancouver Canucks at the beginning of their retool
It is nothing new for the Canucks to be facing internal roster struggles. They went through plenty in the 1990s during the Mark Messier era. And it seemed to restart a few seasons ago when rumours suggested a rift between J.T. Miller and Bo Horvat. The latter was traded, however, and all seemed fine.
Until this season.
Hockey media has latched on to Canucks locker room drama this season to talk about the rift between Miller and, this time Elias Pettersson. After trying to quiet it for weeks, Jim Rutherford made a baffling decision to go public with the rumours, confirming the rift as well as implying that they might trade both players.
Friday evening, the team finally broke down and traded Miller to the New York Rangers. Signalling the start of a major organizational shake-up involving at least one key member of the team’s core.
What remains to be seen is if this one trade will be enough. Will they still lean towards trading Pettersson and further blow the team up?
There are additional unconfirmed rumblings about Thatcher Demko‘s willingness to stay in Vancouver and that the organization is leaning towards trading Brock Boeser at the deadline. Along with Jim Rutherford‘s comments that Quinn Hughes, the team’s captain, is unlikely to stay through a rebuild.
If we quickly go back to revisit the events of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, you may recall a second round series featuring these Canucks taking on the Oilers. A series that Edmonton won.
And in a similar fashion to the Flames, the Canucks have seemingly imploded internally as their roster is apparently set to be blown up in the near future.
Once again, that common link being a playoff loss to the Edmonton Oilers. It appears Connor McDavid and his Oilers are running for Western Canadian hockey supremacy by causing the downfall of their biggest geographic rivals by defeating them in the playoffs.
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Another big headed Oilers fan! Oilers are the best ever!! Or the biggest chokes in the last 30 years!!
Connor McDavid has won and lead teams to how many meaningful championships in his day????? Pee Wee doesn’t count. Watch team Canada now out of the 4 Nations as well. Time to blow it up Oilers??
The fact that you are so incensed, says it all, bud. Crosby and Malkin only managed it three times in a twenty year run. McDavid and Draisaitl will have theirs, in due time. And while we are waiting on Lord Stanley, they will continue to provide the best entertainment value in the league, bar none.
Well I got sucked in by the title of the article, but I really doubt that a playoff loss to the Oilers has placed both teams in turmoil.
Laughable really. Twisting of themes but no substance or reality.