The 2023-24 Edmonton Oilers have a team with gifted players. We see a leader in Connor McDavid who knows how to be that motivator in the locker room. Teammates, who will without a doubt rely on him to guide them when in tough times on the ice.
Then you have the second-best scorer in the league, Leon Draisaitl, who complements the captain and his gameplay so well.
What Makes The Oilers Special
We usually see a dynamic combination of goal-scoring and playmaking. This makes this Oilers team incredibly well-positioned to close out games and maintain a dominating record.
In addition, this roster has all twenty-two players returning from last season. Their goal is to feel comfortable with each other’s game and get reacquainted to secure a balanced chemistry within in the team.
The other two are players the club signed during the free agency and made a trade with the Detroit Red Wings. Who, is fitting in fine from what has been reported?
The Edmonton Oilers Limited Financial Ability is Challenging
The most interesting scenario going into the season is the cap space for the Edmonton Oilers. Management has their work cut out for them because of a tiny window of cap space available to them. This means that they may need to make more moves to improve the team a bit for depth purposes.
That would be the added insurance to compete even harder for the club. Which will be to offload contracts that may be hampering the team’s ability to sign quality players as insurance for depth purposes.
The main observance of this roster will come at the start of the pre-season to determine, how far the depth and chemistry have gone into place.
Most importantly this team will perform as a combined unit during that time too. Not saying, that this club will not live up to expectations.
Patience is Key for the Oilers
However, to be dominant towards other teams is a goal that the GM and coaching staff are betting on. Where the weaknesses will appear amongst this squad is ideally what management and the coaching staff will be looking for.
For the most part, this team is heading into a season, where they see it as make or break in the playoffs.
From the press news, the players are already motivated to compete and produce at an elite level and give the fans something to cheer about come post-season.
But, as the season begins, it will be all eyes on key players and how far they can take the roster. They’ll look to finish better than second in the Pacific division.
All players on the roster are ready to play hard this year, including getting to the post-season and making a deep run at the cup. This will be their test when it comes to performing at an elite level.
Will the Edmonton Oilers Go Depp in the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs?
Their main goal here is to be patient and have that skating ability to match up with Western Conference teams. Not to mention that they will have to prepare for the speedy Eastern Conference team, if the time comes to light.
Also, McDavid and his teammates look to play out the year with more of an aggressive style of gameplay. Which will be more physical and grittier.
This is a team that is able to play and it will be fun watching them play the game of hockey.
Main Photo: Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports
