Is What The Oilers Done This Offseason Enough To Hoist The Stanley Cup?

There is no doubt that the work that Jeff Jackson and the Edmonton Oilers management team have done so far this offseason has been better than most fans, me included, ever could have thought. The real question though is are all the changes good enough. While logic would say that if the Oilers were one win away from hoisting the cup and they go better, it should be enough to win it this time around but is it though?

The Forward Group

Since the Edmonton Oilers drafted Connor McDavid, there has never been a real issue for the Oilers when it comes to offence. Last season it was no difference. While the Oilers and their offence had a slow start just like the rest of the team, eventually they figured it out and became one of the top goal producing teams in the NHL once again eventually finishing 4th in goals.

Looking at the additions and players being re-signed the Oilers offense only got better. The signing of Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson bolsters an already solid top nine, but the big question of Evander Kane's future puts a bit of a dent in the excitement. For Kane, I only want him in the lineup if he is 100% if he comes back the same as he was at the end of the season, he is only going to hurt the Edmonton Oilers this season.

The Oilers' forward group on paper might just be the best in the NHL, having both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are a massive part of that.

The Back End

Looking ahead at the 2024-25 season once again the Oilers blueline is their biggest questions mark. The Oilers did nothing to actually improve their blueline. While they let Vincent Desharnais walk in free agency they are hoping that Philip Broberg shows growth and can become a solid player for the Oilers.

The good news in the latter part of the playoffs Broberg looked to fit right in with the intensity of the NHL playoffs. While he made a couple of mistakes, you need to remember that Broberg has only played 81 regular season games and 20 post season games. If the glimpse he showed us this playoff run shows us anything it is that he can become a serviceable player for the Edmonton Oilers.

Aside from Broberg, I would expect the Oilers to look at bringing in a major piece at the deadline to help solidify their defensive group, No offence to Troy Stetcher, but bringing him in last deadline didn't really move the needle. This season Bowman will need to bring in an improvement not, an insurance policy.

Between The Pipes

This is the first season that we all know 100% that Stuart Skinner will be the starter. Last season we were pretty sure he was going to be, but there was that small glimmer of hope that Jack Campbell could bounce back. Obviously, that did not happen so the Oilers were forced to buy Campbell out. With the Campbell buyout, it opened the door for the Oilers to re-sign Calvin Pickard.

The combo of Pickard and Skinner is no doubt good enough to get the Edmonton Oilers back to the Cup Finals. Skinner while still a fairly young goalie now has a lot of playoff experience. He has suffered from some downs but also has thrived with some highs. If I was a team looking down the ice at Skinner, I am not feeling super confident, because of this I have no issue with goalie tandem this season.

While two of the three assets of the Edmonton Oilers were basically unchanged and the other one was improved on, I still don't know if the Oilers are finished making moves before this coming season playoffs. While I think their goaltending is good, there is still an issue on the Oilers' blueline, if they can add one major piece on the back end then I think the Oilers will be a heavy favorite to win the Stanley Cup.