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Dare to dream? That challenge is taking on in a big way with the Edmonton Oilers.
His fans are among the most optimistic in the entire NHL.
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In a Twitter poll, 41.6 percent of those polled said the Oilers will win the Stanley Cup this year.
That’s right, 41.6 percent, and not only do they make it out of the conference, but they also win the NHL’s biggest trophy.
At Athletic, where fans were surveyed on hope and optimism for the season, Edmonton fans were ranked as the seventh most optimistic fanbase in the entire NHL. By comparison, Calgary fans were the 31st most optimistic fanbase, so it’s not just something on the water in Alberta.
Of course, there has been unbridled optimism from the Oilers before.
After Connor McDavid was drafted in 2015, Ron MacLean from Hockey Night in Canada predicted playoffs and more, much more, for the young Oilers. “I think the playoffs for sure. I tell you that this year Jordan Eberle and Taylor Hall are going to be without lights… You see Eberle take off. He’s already been great at international hockey, but I think this will be his year, Taylor Hall’s year … And Connor McDavid and Darnell Nurse will fit in. Give me a glass of wine or a beer, and I think in two years they will win the cup. I may be a little anxious, but I don’t think there will be more than four. “
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Hall was traded after that season, Eberle after the following season. McDavid is entering his seventh year and has led the team to just one playoff series victory to date.
In September 2017, after Edmonton’s great 2017 playoff streak, numerous experts believed the Oilers were real and many predicted success in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
TO USA Today, two of his six experts made the sweetest predictions for greasers. Upon Sportsnet, two of the sixteen NHL experts chose the Oilers to win the Cup, while seven more of the sixteen predicted that the Oilers would be in the Cup final.
The most optimistic of all back then was TSN reporter Frank Seravalli, who called Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Patrick Maroon the No. 1 line in all of NH and chose the Oilers to win the Cup.
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“Lord Stanley is coming home” he said. “The Oilers will end Canada’s Stanley Cup drought after 25 long years. Connor McDavid matched Sidney Crosby by winning Hart and Art Ross in his second season. Along with Leon Draisaitl, his version of Evgeni Malkin, McDavid will surpass Crosby by capturing the Cup in his third season, after Crosby fell short in Game 6 against the Red Wings. “
the TSN The panel at the time, made up of 25 hockey experts, chose Edmonton and Tampa in the final, with Tampa winning.
Of course, what the pundits didn’t realize was just how big the injury loss was in the playoffs of No. 1 d-man Andrej Sekera, who would never again be the same wonderfully efficient two-way player, and Oscar. Klefbom, whose punch would first weaken his excellent game and then completely shut down his career. Edmonton essentially lost its two best d-men and couldn’t recover until Darnell Nurse and Adam Larsson stepped up these last two seasons.
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Now Larsson is gone, a potentially severe blow to the greasers.
But am I still sharing optimism about the team? Yes, of course. Why shouldn’t I? It’s part of the fun of being a fan of the Oilers.
To sum up why I have high hopes for Oilers 2021-22, here are my top 10 reasons Oilers can win the Cup:
- Connor McDavid is the best player in the game and it looks like he’s ready to own the NHL, to dominate the two-way game.
- Leon Draisaitl is the second or third best player in the game and can be a two-way monster in the playoffs.
- Mike Smith had a great year in 2020-21. Mikko Koskinen had a good year in 2019-20. Between them, one of them is likely to step up and provide solid attention to the goal.
- Darnell Nurse has become a true number one d-man in the NHL, taking over where Sekera and Klefbom left off.
- Edmonton will miss Larsson’s tight defense, but they have the best group of puck drivers on the team since 2005-06, with Tyson Barrie, Evan Bouchard and Duncan Keith all strong passers, Nurse a strong puck transporter and Cody Ceci and Slater Koekkoek capable of making a decent pass.
- The team has some experienced veteran leaders in Keith, Smith, Kris Russell, Derek Ryan, plus a great group of capable and excellent veterans in the prime of their careers, McDavid, Draisaitl, Nurse, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent- Hopkins, Jesse Puljujarvi, Warren Foegele, Kailer Yamamoto, Ceci, Koekkoek.
- The team should have a strong secondary score from players like Hyman, Nugent-Hopkins, Barrie, Bouchard, Puljujarvi, Foegele and Yamamoto.
- The best Edmonton players are not only excellent, they are big, fast and tough, starting with McDavid, Draisaitl and Nurse.
- If Edmonton needs reinforcement this year, there are a few prospects who could step up and provide a boost by the end of the year, including Dylan Holloway, Raphael Lavoie, Philip Broberg, Stuart Skinner, Ilya Konovalov and Filip Berglund.
- The Edmonton coaching staff of Dave Tippett, Jim Playfair and Glen Gulutzan is sharp and experienced. They don’t do everything right, but they do a lot of things right.
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Reference-edmontonjournal.com