Hang In There

At the start of every season, I expect good things out of the Oilers. No not a cup, and many times, not even the playoffs. Just an okay season. But I don’t go into a season thinking, “the Oilers are going to be one of the bottom five teams.”

Maybe it’s because I’m usually very optimistic and tend to ignore reality, instead choosing to hope for the best case scenarios.

I have a friend who lost interest in hockey sometime around the time when the Oilers decided to play JF Jacques on the top line. For the last four years, before the start of each season, he has asked me how the Oilers are going to be. Each year he wants to know if it will be worth it to watch the season. And each year, I tell him that they will be okay. Some exciting games. Some exciting players. But also some holes in the line-up. Like 2014-15, when the Oilers went into the season with Nuge, Mark Arcobello, and Draisaitl as the top three centres.

But each time I say that it will be okay, I don’t ever imagine that the Oilers will finish bottom five in the league.

And then it somehow happens again. And again. And then again. Leading to my friend asking the same question each year.

It has almost been four months since the Oilers season ended in April. I was quite frustrated at season’s end and I wasn’t looking forward to the draft or free agency. Another season at the bottom had me worried about whether I would be excited for the next season.

But just like the Oilers seem to pull out an effortless season in the basement, around this time, when I’ve been away from hockey for four months, it takes very little for me to get excited for the upcoming season.

And why shouldn’t I be excited. There are some really amazing things to look forward to (that’s my optimism talking). Edmonton will be a competitive team this season.

If you think about last season, it wasn’t even that bad. The Oilers were playing .500 hockey in December. When was the last time that happened?? And that was mostly without Connor McDavid.

Let me justify it to you this way. Connor McDavid and Oscar Klefbom played a total of twelve and a half games together. Had they played 60 games, or 70 games together, I think we would be talking about the Oilers missing the playoffs by fewer than 10 points.

So hang in there. You may be done with the Oilers. Especially after they traded away Taylor Hall. But just know that good things are coming.

This season’s Oilers will not be without fight if Oscar Klefbom gets injured again. The defense is deeper with the addition of Adam Larsson. Nuge is wiser, healthier, and has less of a burden. And who knows, maybe Leon can replicate his first half magic with someone else. But most importantly Connor McDavid will play a full season.

The pacific division will be a dogfight. Anaheim and San Jose will be at the top of the division. LA will probably not be too far behind. Edmonton has to fight off Calgary, Arizona, the Sedin twins, and a couple of teams from the central division. So there is uncertainty around making the playoffs, but there is no question that the Oilers can challenge some good teams. There will be no more blowouts against the Blackhawks. There will not be any flat-footed efforts against the Ducks. If all things go right, my optimistic side tells me that there will be a lot of close games. And the Oilers will finish .500 or better. That would be a huge improvement from last year.

So hang in there, good things are coming. I have to tell my friend to start watching hockey again.