Edmonton is now the place to be for NHL players

Even the people of Edmonton will surely admit that their city hasn't exactly been an ideal destination in the past, when it comes to wooing NHL players. However, this all began to change after Daryl Katz officially took over as team owner for the Oilers in July 2008.

Yes, Katz came in and oversaw a two-year playoff drought which extended to 10 years. However, he got to work behind the scenes to make Edmonton and the Oilers a more appealing place for NHL players to come to.

The crown jewel was undoubtedly getting Rogers Place arena built. This helped revitalise the downtown Edmonton core, with him also improving the conditions for players to train, rehab and relax in, i.e. make them want to spend more time with their teammates and coaches in the facilities, thus improving the camaraderie within the Oilers organisation.

You can't beat a generous owner

Katz is renowned as one of the best owners in the NHL and arguably in all of North American professional sports. He spares no cost, extending to aspects such as the food available to the players and staff, as well as where they stay when they are playing on the road.

Of course, no matter how fantastic all of this is -- and it really is -- a player still also wants to go somewhere that gives them a strong chance of winning. Following the conclusion of the 10-year playoff drought, this is no longer an issue in Edmonton.

The Oilers have qualified the posteseason in six of the eight years since, including the past five. Four times they've won at least one playoff round, twice gone to the Western Conference Final, and of course just last season went all the way to game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

A stacked roster with special talent

It helps when you have the best player in the game in Connor McDavid, but the supporting cast around him is also phenomenal. We're talking about the likes of Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm.

As a result of everything we've mentioned, Edmonton has become the place to be in the NHL. However, don't just take our word for it.

Giving due credit to Cam Lewis of Oilers Nation, Elliotte Friedman talked on Friday about how players now perceive the Oilers, on his extremely popular 32 Thoughts podcast. He said: "I’ll tell you what else has happened this year. I’ve heard from some agents, there were players who took Edmonton off their no-trade list. They had Edmonton there the year before but they said ‘You can take Edmonton off.’"

Friedman expanded on the reasoning behind this. He said: "That’s a sign. You can talk about the weather, you can talk about the taxes, you can talk about the attention, but the number one thing is still — where do I think I can win? Any player you want, that’s the number one thing. Players right now, they think they can win in Edmonton."

Oilers still have room to improve

The Oilers are still somewhat reeling from the double whammy of Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway leaving. Yes, they could have matched the offer sheets, but it would have financially hamstrung them, particularly Broberg's deal of just over $4.58 million x two years.

Instead, the front office decided to hold onto some precious cap space. As a result it can help them come the trade deadline, if they want to look for short-term additions to help improve the team.

Combine this with players willingly taking the Oilers off their no-trade list, and it puts the organisation in a better position overall. While this doesn't guarantee they will win the Stanley Cup in 2024-25, it is still an intangible which could help push them over the finishing line.

Overall, more than ever you can now understand why the Oilers are compared favourably to the Green Bay Packers, as a small market team steeped in tradition, which succeeds both on and off the ice. And thanks to the combination of Katz and McDavid, Edmonton is now one of the most -- if not the most -- desirable destinations in the NHL.

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