Edmonton Oilers: The contracts can wait for after the playoffs
The Edmonton Oilers are playoff-bound. The team finished up the regular season last night against the Vancouver Canucks. On Wednesday night, they will play their first game of the Stanley Cup playoffs since 2017. There is no guarantee with the postseason, so the Oilers have to do their best to focus on the next game at hand.
The future of the Edmonton Oilers is wide open with so many players on expiring contracts.
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The future roster could look a lot different next season. With Nugent-Hopkins, Chiasson, Khaira, Kahun, Larsson, Barrie, and a lot of other players all going to be without contracts, the Oilers roster could look a lot different next season.
Hockey fans see this all the time. Teams really do need to buy in on a single season and take the risk of losing some players in free agency. So rather than worrying about the unsigned guys right now, it is time to just buy in with this group.
Edmonton is not going to bring the same group of guys back next season. Even if everyone wants to stay around, teams change over the off-season. So nothing is set in stone, and it is time for this group to show what they are made of. We have seen in the past that a team like the Tampa Bay Lightning can have an unbelievable regular season and lose in four games in the playoffs.
While winning and scoring goals in the regular season is nice, the playoffs are when it matters most. Should the Oilers manage to make it out of the North Division, they will be the only Canadian hockey team left and will have a 25 percent chance at winning the cup at that time.
The Oilers are playing for a chance at winning the Stanley Cup. Sure some individual efforts might lead to a better contract, but it is the playoffs and Stanley Cup that matter most right now.