Looking to become only the second team in the history of the Stanley Cup, which spans over a century of play, to come back from 3-0 down in the Finals to win the title, the Edmonton Oilers fell just short.
Achieving the feat only achieved in 1942 would have been an incredible way to bring the massive trophy back to Canada for the first time in 30 years.
However, the Florida Panthers had other ideas, taking Game 7 with a strong defensive display to win 2-1. Now, while many of the star players of the Panthers will be chilling out on Palm Beach, the Oilers are tasked with working out how they couldn’t quite vault that final hurdle.
Just 60 minutes of hockey split Edmonton from a long-awaited Canadian triumph. Almost as soon as the buzzer went, though, the NHL offseason began, with the free agency opening on July 1 after the June 28 draft. Naturally, we, too, turn to the Canadian teams that can finally crack the code in 2024/25.
Oilers Backed to Go All the Way Next Time
The Edmonton Oilers started the season on the back foot, going 3-9-1 under Jay Woodcroft and playing very poorly. In came Kris Knoblauch on November 12, finishing the regular season with an imperious 46-18-5 record.
Had the season begun as it played out for the majority of it, the Oilers likely would have finished above the 109-point Vancouver Canucks to win the Pacific Division and maybe even over the 113-point Dallas Stars.
After coming agonizingly close, and Connor McDavid becoming only the second MVP award winner to be a skater for the losing team in the Finals – the last being Reggie Leach in 1976 – it’s easy to see why this trip isn’t being seen as a one-off. It’s even been reported that McDavid, Evander Kane, and Leon Draisaitl were all injured in the last series.
This will be Knoblauch’s first offseason as the head coach, which will allow him and the front office to identify players who better suit his system and, potentially, improve further for the 2024/25 campaign.
This will be one of the factors as to why, as of June 27, the Oilers are the favorites in the NHL betting to take the crown next year at +700.
The reigning champions have drifted out to +900 after appearing in back-to-back Finals, while the Carolina Hurricanes and Dallas Stars are also in that second-favourites bracket at +900. For the Oilers, those still on the books provide a superb core from which to work.
Beyond the superstars, Kane and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – both British Columbia natives like star of the Alpinist documentary Marc-André Leclerc – will be big factors next season as well.
Those two, Zach Hyman, McDavid, Draisaitl, and Derek Ryan, are good to go next season, per Cap Friendly, while seven mostly veteran forwards became options for the Oilers to re-sign or let drift to the free agency.
It’d allow for the front office to tweak the surrounding cast, perhaps find some more grit for the bottom six, or take a punt on a prospect.
The Maple Leafs Just Need to Win a Series
The Toronto Maple Leafs have consistently ranked among the best teams in the heated Eastern Conference, making it to the postseason in each of the last eight campaigns.
However, it was only the 2022/23 trip that saw the Buds get past the first series. Gym work for the offseason started far earlier than they expected again this season.
Out of the picture on May 5 after the 2-1 overtime Game 7 loss to the Boston Bruins, questions were again raised as to whether the team should rip up its very talented core to find playoff-ready pieces to fill the gaps.
On the one hand, the Maple Leafs have long struggled to integrate prospects in a timely manner to build around the core. Last season did look to offer a bit of a different approach, with the likes of Matthew Knies and Nicholas Robertson getting invaluable experience on the NHL ice.
In fact, in the playoffs, the Buds put out four first-year forwards. In one way, this integration has come very late, assisting the downfall, while on the other, it’s a step in the right direction.
In the forward ranks to conclude the season, the Maple Leafs only had three players at or over 30 years old, with those being captain John Tavares, Calle Järnkrok, and Ryan Reaves.
The defensive lines were far more reliant on seasoned veterans, but ultimately, it was the lack of offensive bite that sunk the Maple Leafs in the First Round.
Just bringing in veteran forwards, as has been done a lot in the past, isn’t enough. The Buds will need to get those high-quality, very playoff-savvy pieces who can up the ante amidst the rigors of the playoffs. On top of this, there’s the goaltending question mark.
Joseph Woll, at 25 years old, is very inexperienced and would benefit – as would the team – from a proven, reliable netminder, which would also improve their +1500 odds of winning the Cup next season.
To get this, though, the Maple Leafs would certainly have to craft a trade, with the UFA market looking scant for goalies in 2024.
The Edmonton Oilers have a very good shot at returning to the Stanley Cup Finals next season to try to bring the Cup back to Canada. The next-closest Canadian contender, the Maple Leafs, have a fair bit of work to do to make gains on the club from Alberta.