We're off to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the first event is Duck Hunting. The Edmonton Oilers earned home ice advantage with their late season surge, along with a bit of choking by the young Anaheim Ducks. So, with the series set to begin on Monday (7pm Mountain time), Oiler fans are about to get a new group of opposing players to hate.
Let's look at the top 3.
A rookie quacks the lineup
Beckett Sennecke may have taken a year longer to make his pro debut than 2024 first overall pick Macklin Celebrini, but his performance this year strongly suggests the Ducks made the right selection. With 23 goals and 37 assists, his 60 points were good enough for second amongst all National Hockey League rookies.
The needle is certainly pointed up when it comes to Sennecke's future, and Anaheim's coaching staff seems to understand his skillset. His zone starts were 64% in the offensive end of the ice. He's not being asked to play a 200 foot game yet, only to contribute scoring without hurting the team. His minus 12 rating suggests that hasn't worked perfectly, although with the team's overall goal differential in the negatives, he's likely not to blame for all of it.
Big, scary monster
Radko Gudas has had quite the effect on the hockey world this season. His Olympic tournament hit on Sidney Crosby, injuring the Team Canada captain, took him out for the rest of the Olympics, and that played a role in the United States' eventual gold medal victory. Flash forward to March 12th, and Gudas similarly ended the Toronto Maple Leafs chances at going anywhere this season (slim though they might have been at that point), when he injured Leafs captain Auston Matthews.
Gudas is a six foot, 208 pound brute, and he will be looking to make an impact in Round 1. Oiler players need to keep their heads up when he's on the ice, and the Darnell Nurses and Trent Frederics of the world will have respond firmly if Gudas attempts to play physical with Edmonton's stars. Giving Gudas a black eye isn't likely to intimidate him, but reciprocity against Ducks offensive talent might make him think twice.
Elite Scorer
Cutter Gauthier wasn't a well known name in NHL circles prior to this season. Twenty goals last year was a nice finish, but few predicted he'd double that output in 2025-26. Perhaps more impressive is that 30 of Gauthier's 41 goals came during 5-on-5 play. He's a truly elite finisher, and he takes the chances he gets, finishing sixth in total shots in the league with 285.
Volume and accuracy are a deadly combination that Gauthier certainly seems to possess. The Oilers will need to limit his chances, because the math tells us he'll end up scoring before too long. Gauthier also managed seven game winners this season. So not only can he score, he can score when it matters.
Anaheim has more young rising stars than grizzled veterans in their lineup. That mix, and this being the team's first postseason trip in a while, means Connor McDavid's Oilers should be the ones who know what's at stake, and the importance of putting away your Round 1 opponent quickly. If the series goes long, Anaheim's chances at an upset are only going to rise. The Oilers themselves have a number of players who can breakout this series.
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