Playoffs A Pipe Dream For Edmonton Oilers Despite Their Additions

For the first time in a long time, the Edmonton Oilers have something to be excited about. They have top young talents like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle. They have some players with a ton of untapped upside like Nail Yakupov and Justin Schultz. Plus, they added Connor McDavid, Cam Talbot and Andrej Sekera in the offseason through different mediums.

With that much going for them, one could see why their fans are excited. The problem is you hear a lot of fans, and even analysts, saying they could make the playoffs. While we have seen crazy things happen when it comes to bad teams making a run to the postseason, the Oilers just aren’t in the right division to do that.

Right now, they play in the same division as the Anaheim Ducks, who could be the best team in hockey, the Los Angeles Kings, who got rest last postseason and will still be a favorite to win it all, the Calgary Flames, who turned in their surprising run into an offseason where they got a lot better, the Vancouver Canucks, who made the playoffs last season, and the San Jose Sharks, who will turn last year’s disappointment into motivation to make a run this season. The only easy team in the division is the Arizona Coyotes.

The Oilers have made strides to make the future bright. They could have the foundation for a dynasty on their hands. That isn’t going to start this year, however. Talbot is going into his first season as the No. 1 guy, and we don’t know how he is going to react to that. McDavid may feel the pressure that comes with being called the next Wayne Gretzky. The defense is still something that could cause issues. Todd McLellan might take a year to truly get his system working.

There are too many questions surrounding this Oilers team to call them a playoff team. That doesn’t mean fans shouldn’t be excited, though. The future is bright, but the present is just a little bit dim.