Edmonton Oilers
I will not be diving into this as much cause since you are reading this on Oil On Whyte I am going to ask you to scroll around and read the other articles we have breaking down every little thing regarding the Oilers, but for the sake of it being a Pacific Division breakdown, I will quickly go over what to expect from the Edmonton Oilers this upcoming season.
After losing in game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals I am expecting this team to come back hungry. They learned a lot from last season and the mistakes they made last year, and I do not expect to see them again. The biggest mistake the Oilers made last season was having a terrible start to the season. Luckily, they were able to turn the season around, but they will not need to do that this season.
The Oilers are the oldest team in the NHL, while this might give off the initial read that they are going to be old a slow, I think this team is built for nothing but speed. Their top 6 is in my opinion one of, if not the best in the league. Their bottom six is also good. The bottom six is built of players who know their role and are good at playing it. No one in the bottom six is going to make any bad mistakes, they are smart NHLers. Mistakes are what can kill a team in any game and right now there are not many players in the forward group that are going to be making mistakes.
The issue for the Oilers is their blueline though and it is no secret. The good news is the Oilers should have the cap space to add a high-end defenseman at the deadline. Once that move is done the Oilers will secure their spot as Cup favorites.
Prediction
While this may come off as a bit of a homer take, I think the Oilers are the best team in the Pacific Division. I expect them to win the Division and honestly at this point for the franchise everything, but a Stanley Cup win will be a disappointment. The route to the Cup starts on October 9th and I think the Oilers are going to put the pedal to the metal and not look back this season.