The dream of the Edmonton Oilers’ first Stanley Cup triumph since 1990 was dashed early on; at the start of the playoffs, the team from Alberta lost to the Anaheim Ducks. Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid then had a bad impact on the Canadians’ playing time. So will the superstar duo possibly split up in the upcoming offseason?
It didn’t take long for the first rumors to start circulating that Connor McDavid could be looking to leave the Edmonton Oilers via trade. The captain only extended his working paper with the franchise early last October – but only for two more years until 2028. The shorter contract allows the offensive player to then become the highest-paid player in the league.
Renowned “Sportsnet” reporter Elliotte Friedman doesn’t believe that the first overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft will leave Edmonton before 2028. Despite the early playoff exit, the exceptional talent is probably not thinking about a trade. “I don’t think McDavid is asking for a trade. I don’t think that’s happening,” the insider said during a recent appearance on NHL Network.
Oilers will conduct “critical evaluations.”
There will certainly be changes at the Oilers, which general manager Stan Bowman recently announced in a press conference. “You can expect them to make some critical assessments about where they are, why this year went wrong and how they can add or reshape their roster,” Friedman continued.
“We actually need some new players,” Bowman confirmed at the final press conference at the weekend, but left it open whether there will be a change in Edmonton: “I can’t say yet whether we will change our squad dramatically. We probably don’t have to rewrite everything, but we definitely need a few adjustments.”
David recently described his Oilers as an “average team with high expectations.” Bowman agreed: “That was an apt description of our season. We just never really got going.” For the title contender, the NHL season was over after the first round of the playoffs after the 2-4 series defeat against the Anaheim Ducks.
Article provided by undrafted – new digital home of US sports, the new information platform for all fans of the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB. undrafted is available as an app for iOS and Android. More information at www.undrafted.ai.
