Could the Edmonton Oilers win the Presidents’ Trophy?

The Edmonton Oilers have one of the best teams in hockey right now with a record of 7-1-0 through the team’s first eight games. While there is a lot of hockey left ahead, the question remains, could the Oilers be a favorite to win the Presidents’ Trophy?

The Edmonton Oilers lead the Pacific Division and are close to the top of the lead in points.

As of Tuesday night, the Oilers were third in the league in points. Behind only the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes who are both undefeated at this time. This might all be too early but one big factor is in the Oilers’ favor. Edmonton is arguably the best team in the weakest division at this time.

The Vegas Golden Knights seem to have fallen off a little bit, and most of the Pacific Division is going through a rebuild. So Edmonton is going to be a top contender for the playoffs. With more opportunities against weaker opponents compared to Carolina or Florida who will be playing tough games within the division every night, Edmonton definitely does have a bit of a leg up on their opponents.

The Oilers won the first two Presidents’ Trophy awards to be handed out in 1986 and 1987. That was when the trophy was first passed out to the best record of the regular season. They won the Stanley Cup during one of those Presidents’ Trophy seasons in 1987.

Winning the Presidents’ Trophy definitely is not something teams are thinking about right now, but being a part of the conversation after the first month definitely is not a bad thing for the Oilers, now if they can keep their great play up throughout November the odds of them having home ice will go up greatly.

Taking home another trophy is definitely not the goal for the season in Edmonton. After struggling in the playoffs last season, the goal for this team has to be a deep playoff run. One way to make that a reality would be guaranteed home ice throughout the tournament.