Have the Edmonton Oilers Provided Enough Protection to Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl?

TSN: Mike Johnson and Craig Button discuss whether the Edmonton Oilers have done enough in this offseason to give Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl everything they need for another run at making it back to the Stanley Cup Final.
Johnson: “Last season was truly remarkable for Edmonton Oilers; so close to winning their first Stanley Cup since 1976 that game seven nearly came down to them before losing it against Florida Panthers. Since then they’ve made some changes this summer which may explain their change of fortune.”
However, Craig has one major question for McDavid and Draisaitl this season – have they provided enough talent around them for them to win the cup?”
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Button: “Not yet; so it isn’t an absolute no. Look at losing Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway to offer sheets – that means there may be efforts by a team looking for cap flexibility ahead of the trade deadline in order to add players that could potentially have significant contributions during this season’s playoff run.”
Mike, you must know that Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard form one of the premier pairings on defense in all of NHL. Without strengthening this blueline unit, winning a Stanley Cup becomes much more challenging.
And they should focus their work there; even though McDavid and Draisaitl have been tremendously effective, I don’t see how they could win a Stanley Cup under current conditions; there needs to be significant upgrades on their blue line.”
Johnson: “Luckily for Edmonton Oilers management, you aren’t telling them anything they don’t already know. In recent months they’ve made moves designed to create flexibility to answer this particular query: that yes, our defense needs improvement despite the presence of Darnell Nurse and Ty Emberson on our second pair – but now have enough cab space (for once!) in which they could do just that.”
However, I must acknowledge that their current forwards are more capable than last season’s end lineup. Arvinson should do well; Jeff Skinner could finally reach the playoffs after so much failure over recent seasons; we know their power plays; we know what Hyman, Nuge, Adam Henrique can bring to that group; not to mention Adam Henrique an underrated returning player!
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As for Edmonton Oilers: Stuart Skinner seems like the right guy for netminding duties; up front there should be no issues at all; only defense is where I think there may be room for improvement, with Darnell Nurse coming back into form eventually, I expect Darnell Nurse could complement him and maximize him to ensure reliable play from this pairing of defensemen.
Once they get Craig on board, then Edmonton Oilers would become not only capable of winning the Stanley Cup but perhaps the favorite going into next spring when their trade deadline finally passes.
Button: “Let me start off by explaining exactly how the teams will look like. No doubt when considering whether to match or not match offer sheets for Broberg and Holloway that young players drafted early were showing promising signs during last season’s playoff run – something which many teams failed to do.”
Edmonton Oilers management now recognize that their pursuit is much grander, seeking something beyond what Broberg and Holloway could deliver at this point in time. Cap flexibility provides justification for not matching offer sheets made to them by teams they target as free agents.
As is evident with Mattias Ekholm trade which not only made our team better and strengthened it; but allowed Evan Bouchard to up his game.
2024-25 NHL Divisional Rankings: Atlantic Division I believe they belong in this particular tier amongst defenders that could make an immediate difference and contribute to winning a Stanley Cup title.”
Johnson: “Craig, the Oilers are in an advantageous position, as they’re positioning themselves to capitalize on Connor McDavid’s greatness. McDavid is unquestionably one of the greatest players ever – one who breaks records like Gretzky did during playoff games – breaking assist records of every kind while setting more than 300 career assists at once – no competition seems too great for him to overcome.”
Draisaitl coming back is huge for them and taking full advantage of his greatness; with two more years on his contract and peak form at his fingertips. They would still be contenders based solely on Conor McDavid, Greg, Craig and company as it stands now.
With some additions on both ends of the ice and two of the best forwards from around the league up front, Edmonton Oilers could certainly possess enough talent for 2025 Stanley Cup glory.