WHO IS THE PROBLEM ON THE EDMONTON OILERS? #nhl #oilers #oilersnation #mcdavid #draisaitl #nhl24

WHO IS THE PROBLEM ON THE EDMONTON OILERS? #nhl #oilers #oilersnation #mcdavid #draisaitl #nhl24

The 2023–24 Edmonton Oilers season was the 45th season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that was established on June 22, 1979, and 52nd season for the organization overall, including their play in the World Hockey Association (WHA).

During the offseason, the Oilers acquired forward Connor Brown and defenceman Ben Gleason via free agency.[1][2] They also re-signed forward Mattias Janmark.[3] The team started the season poorly, going 3–9–1 before firing head coach Jay Woodcroft and replacing him with Kris Knoblauch. The team’s fortunes soon experienced an eventual rejuvenation in their performance, leading to a significant rebound and ultimately achieving a record of 46 wins, 18 losses, and 5 overtime losses under the leadership of Knoblauch.[4][5] Edmonton then signed free agent Corey Perry during the season, after Perry’s existing contract with the Chicago Blackhawks was terminated for misconduct.[6][7] Nearing the trade deadline, the team acquired centres Sam Carrick and Adam Henrique via a three-way trade;[8] they also acquired defenceman Troy Stecher.[9]

Throughout the duration of the regular season, the Oilers only managed to tally an abysmal 2–9–1 record in their opening games, resulting in them being in joint last place in the league standings alongside the San Jose Sharks. Consequently, the decision was made to terminate the contract of head coach Jay Woodcroft. Nevertheless, their lackluster beginning was soon eclipsed by the Oilers’ remarkable achievement of a 16-game winning streak, setting a new Canadian and franchise record, which started on December 21, 2023, and ended on February 6, 2024.[10] The Oilers eventually finished the regular season with 104 points via a 49–27–6 record, which gave them second place in the Pacific Division. Moreover, team captain Connor McDavid led the team in scoring with 132 points.[11] 100 of those points were assists, making him the first NHL player in over three decades and the fourth player (alongside Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr) in NHL history to record at least 100 assists in a single NHL season, with the most recent being Wayne Gretzky dating back to the 1990–91 NHL season.[12][13] Fellow Oilers teammate Zach Hyman would net a personal-best of 54 goals and 77 points for the first time in his career.[14]

On April 5, the Oilers clinched their fifth consecutive playoff spot after a 6–2 win over the Colorado Avalanche.[15] In the first round, they eliminated the Los Angeles Kings for the third consecutive season, this time in five games.[16] In the second round, they dispatched the Vancouver Canucks in seven games.[17] In the Western Conference finals, they ousted the Dallas Stars in six games, advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 2006, where they faced the Florida Panthers.[18] During the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals, the Oilers found themselves trailing 3-0 in the series before staging an unforeseen comeback by winning the following three games to push the series to force a seventh game. This dramatic turn of events could have potentially marked the first reverse sweep in recent memory, a feat not witnessed in the NHL since the 1942 Stanley Cup Finals. However, despite the team’s valiant efforts, the Oilers were unable to sustain their momentum and ultimately succumbed to the Panthers in the crucial final game seven of the series.[19]

Although the Oilers fell short in the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals, they did not come away empty-handed; for his outstanding performance throughout the entire playoff and Finals run, team captain Connor McDavid was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player (MVP) of the playoffs. McDavid became the first player since Jean-Sebastien Giguere in 2003 and the sixth overall in NHL history to be bestowed with the Conn Smythe as a member of the losing team