The Edmonton Oilers were just two goals shy of winning the Stanley Cup Final this past season, and have somehow made their roster even better this offseason. They were able to do so by signing two top-six forwards in Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner, while also replacing defenceman Vincent Desharnais with Josh Brown.
As if that weren’t enough, the Oilers also re-signed several of their pending free agents including Adam Henrique, Connor Brown, Mattias Janmark, and defenceman Troy Stecher. It was a masterclass from Jeff Jackson, who was serving as the interim general manager following the departure of Ken Holland.
With the improvements, the Oilers are now seen as the run-away favourites to win it all this coming season in the eyes of many. While there is still plenty of work to be done, this team should, at the very least, be one of the best in the NHL throughout the 2024-25 season, including within their division. Here is a look at how they stack up against all seven of their Pacific Division opponents.
Anaheim Ducks
It’s been a long rebuilding process for the Anaheim Ducks, and while they are starting to see light at the end of the tunnel thanks to some young talent in Mason McTavish, Leo Carlsson, and Cutter Gauthier, they still have a ways to go before becoming a contender.
The Ducks are simply nowhere close to being on the same playing field as the Oilers, and figure to finish near the bottom of the standings once again in 2024-25. It’s a feeling Oilers fans can relate with, as they were forced to watch their team be a bottom-feeder for nearly an entire decade before finding success in recent years.
Calgary Flames
Like the Ducks, the Calgary Flames are also in a rebuild, though it has only begun taking place over the last year. They also appear to already be ahead of the Ducks in several areas, as they have accumulated some very intriguing prospects who should help them get back to being a competitive team in the next few years.
Unfortunately for Flames fans, they aren’t a competitive team just yet. The 2024-25 season could prove to be a difficult one, as their forward group is very average at best, while their blue line is among the worst in the league. Goaltending is also a question mark, as presumed starter Dustin Wolf has just 18 games of NHL experience.
Los Angeles Kings
The LA Kings are the first team on this list where some may argue these results. While the Oilers have a clear-cut advantage in terms of forwards, the Kings’ blue line is a solid one, and is only going to get better given how promising of a talent Brandt Clarke is.
What ultimately puts the Oilers ahead is the fact that their top-pairing of Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard is better than the Kings, which features Mikey Anderson and Drew Doughty. That said, the Kings have been a solid team the past few seasons, and figure to be again in 2024-25. They’ll be praying this time around that they can avoid the Oilers in the playoffs, as they have eliminated them in three straight years.
San Jose Sharks
Much like the Ducks, San Jose Sharks fans have been forced to endure some very tough years as of late. The future does look bright, however, thanks to some great young forward talent, most notably Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith. While they aren’t anywhere close to the Oilers in terms of competitiveness up front, they should be dominant in that regard in a few years.
The Sharks will struggle once again in 2024-25, however, in large part due to the fact that their blue line, at least on paper, is the worst of all 32 NHL teams. Not helping the matter is that behind them are two underwhelming goaltenders in MacKenzie Blackwood and Vitek Vanecek.
Seattle Kraken
The Seattle Kraken regressed in 2023-24 after an exceptional 2022-23 campaign. That is mainly due to their forward group, as they have a number of solid players, but none that are high-end producers. Matty Beniers figures to become one, but is still developing at just 21 years old.
The strongest part of the Kraken is their blue line. Their top-four is very competent with Vince Dunn, Adam Larsson, Jamie Oleksiak, and recent signing Brandon Montour. The argument can be made that it is as competitive as the Oilers, though their third pairing of Will Borgen and Ryker Evans remains a question mark. In between the pipes, Joey Daccord took over as the number-one option last season, and looked very competent doing so, posting a 2.46 goals-against average (GAA) along with a .916 save percentage (SV%), both of which were better than Stuart Skinner’s.
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks, who were a much-improved team in 2023-24, figure to be the Oilers’ biggest competition in the Pacific Division this season. While their forward group isn’t quite as strong, they have some great talent, led by J.T. Miller. They were able to add to that group as well with the signing of Jake DeBrusk.
On the back end, the Canucks have one of the few defencemen who is more offensively gifted than Bouchard in Quinn Hughes. He has a solid partner in Filip Hronek, though Hronek isn’t the same calibre of player as Ekholm. The second and third pairings are quite even, though the one area the Canucks are the clear-cut winner is in between the pipes. Thatcher Demko is one of the best goalies in the NHL, and had he been healthy in the playoffs, the Canucks may very well have eliminated the Oilers in the second round.
Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights have been a very strong team since entering the league in 2017-18, though they figure to regress following a tough offseason. Their forward group certainly has some talent in the likes of Jack Eichel and Mark Stone, but is nowhere near as lethal as the Oilers. The back end, however, is a different story.
The Golden Knights were able to acquire Noah Hanifin at the trade deadline, and signed him to a long-term extension shortly after. He, along with Alex Pietrangelo and Shea Theodore, are all defencemen capable of playing top-pairing minutes. The rest of their blue line is also quite solid with Brayden McNabb, Nic Hague, and Zach Whitecloud.
Oilers Should Win Pacific Division
Based on the outcomes listed above, the Oilers should win a division title this season. That said, season outcomes are often hard to predict. If you recall, it looked like the Oilers were going to miss the playoffs entirely in 2023-24 after starting the year out 5-12-1. Assuming they avoid such a horrid start this time around, however, their shot at a division title appears to be very strong.
