The season for the Edmonton Oilers came to a close in disappointing fashion in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, failing to advance for the first time since 2021 when they were defeated by the Anaheim Ducks in six games of the Western Conference Quarterfinal.
It also marked the first time since 2022 that the Oilers didn’t have to face the Los Angeles Kings in the opening round, but instead, they were matched up against the other club from Southern California, who ultimately proved to be their undoing.
Edmonton’s dreams of a third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final were officially dashed, and now, Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who is about to enter a short two-year contract extension that could very well represent the window of his time left in northern Alberta, is getting honest about the state of increased competition for Edmonton in the Western Conference.
Connor McDavid Speaks Openly About Increased Competition For The Edmonton Oilers
McDavid, who is about as fierce a competitor as one can find in the NHL today, spoke openly about the increased levels of competition that he and the Oilers are facing in the Western Conference.
Not only are teams like the Ducks and the San Jose Sharks, led by McDavid’s Team Canada teammate Macklin Celebrini, on the rise, but it also won’t be long before clubs like the Chicago Blackhawks return to prominence.
“This year felt like there was a big turnover,” McDavid said. “Those young teams are not young, losing teams. They’re really good teams with great players. San Jose is the same way [as Anaheim], you know, how long before Chicago figures it out, Utah’s right there too. So it was a big kind of changeover year, and we gotta get going.”
This season, McDavid scored 48 goals with 90 assists in 82 games played.
Connor McDavid Said He Wants To Win In Edmonton
McDavid made it clear that his desire is to win the Stanley Cup with the Oilers, who selected him with the first overall pick 11 years ago in the 2015 NHL Draft.
“I want to win, and I want to win here in Edmonton,” he said. “That’s my focus.”
McDavid also expressed his agreement with teammate Leon Draisaitl that the organization had taken a step back in terms of their competitiveness during the season.
“I feel the same way. It’s only a couple days ago I made those comments (about the Oilers being average),” he said. “I feel the same way I did a couple days ago, and I agree with Leon that the organization as a whole has taken a step back, and that starts with me. It starts with Leon. We all can be better, and we all need to be better.”
“The regular season matters,” he continued. “It’s not easy to get in, as we showed this year, and you’re building your team for when it matters most, and we searched for consistency all year long, and searched for it in the playoffs, too,” said McDavid. “(We) never found that rhythm that we were looking for, and that starts in the regular season, that starts Day 1 of training camp.”
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