Oilers crack top five in NHL power rankings

The Edmonton Oilers cracked the top five in NHL.com’s latest power rankings. The club landed in the fourth spot amid uncertainty regarding the apparent holes in their lineup.

The Florida Panthers, unsurprisingly, topped the list, with the Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars taking up the second and third spots, respectively.

Despite the Oilers seeming weaknesses, the fact that the team boasts Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid makes it a legit Stanley Cup contender.

The biggest cloud hovering over the Oilers is not the goaltending situation. It’s Connor McDavid’s contract extension. McDavid is heading into the final year of his current contract. While team GM Stan Bowman all but assured a contract extension would get done soon earlier this week, the angst won’t go away until a deal gets done.

That situation could factor into the Oilers’ performance this upcoming season. But McDavid, as the NHL’s best player, won’t likely let it get to him or his team.

Beyond McDavid’s contract extension, the Oilers face a somewhat revamped lineup that promises to improve on weaknesses from last season.

The addition of Andrew Mangiapane and a full season of Trent Frederic could remedy the misses that were Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner. The departures of Evander Kane, Connor Brown, and Corey Perry could hold the club back somewhat.

But then again, it’s useless to count out a team featuring McDavid and Draisaitl at the top.

Ultimately, the Oilers look to take a page out of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s book. The goal is to make the playoffs any way they can. Once in, the goal is to become the postseason’s most dangerous team. The Oilers have shown that McDavid and Draisaitl are enough to will them into the Stanley Cup Final.

McDavid and Oilers potentially close on new contract

Stan Bowman breathed fresh air into Oilers Nation by declaring that the club could get a contract extension for Connor McDavid “wrapped up” soon.

The declaration made on Oilers Now with notable insider Bob Stauffer kicked the rumor mill into overdrive. Some estimates have suggested that the Oilers could sign McDavid for as much as $16 million AAV on a short-term deal.

Knowing McDavid, and knowing the complexities of the salary cap era, it’s unlikely that McDavid would purposely gut the team’s cap situation. Even with the cap ceiling going up, and even with the team’s willingness to sign him to a massive extension, McDavid knows that it’s important to have enough cap space to ice a competitive team.

While Bowman was clear that he could not offer a timeline, the expectation is that a deal could be completed before training camp opens. Otherwise, the club could face a needless distraction the longer it takes for the club to ink their captain to a brand-new extension.