Bold prediction from NHL insider: “Edmonton Oilers are going to shock everybody and win the Stanely Cup”

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This in from NHL insider Brian Lawton, talking to Bob Stauffer of Oilers Now, saying his bold prediction of the year is that the Edmonton Oilers will win the Stanley Cup, even as Lawton has the team ranked somewhere between the sixth and ninth best team in the league. “My bold prediction was — and I did this partly because (fellow NHL network analyst) Mike Johnston told me that Edmonton is not that good, they’re not going to do that well, they don’t have the overall depth, the goaltending they need — so my bold prediction against Johnny and say, The Edmonton Oilers are going to shock everybody and win the Stanely Cup this year. That was my one bold prediction.

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Lawton continued: “And to be honest with you, we are stretching. Do I think that? Do I think they are the odds-on favourite? No, of course I don’t. But I do think it’s possible. And I do think they have that kind of team. I do think that Connor is the best player in the world…I do think they have the coaching. They have the management. They have improved their depth. There’s a lot of things I love about the Edmonton Oilers. But I don’t want to mislead Edmonton fans. I’m not saying if I had to pick them or Tampa or some of the other quality teams that I have ranked ahead of them, I would. I’m just saying that was my one bold prediction.”

Speaking of the gambling odds, Edmonton is ranked as the seventh most likely team to win the Stanley Cup, by Sports Interaction.

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Another long-time NHL write Lyle Richardson of Bleacher Report is much less bullish about the Oilers chances, writing: “McDavid won’t get a Cup in Edmonton if the Oilers fail to address their significant weaknesses over the remaining five years of his contract. Stanley Cup champions tend to have a dependable starting goaltender, a strong No. 1 defenseman and scoring depth at right wing. The Oilers lack all three… The Oilers have used mostly Band-Aid solutions to address these needs. Until they find better solutions, McDavid won’t win a Stanley Cup in Edmonton.”

Oilers vs Canucks line-up

Draisaitl-McDavid-Puljujarvi
Hyman-RNH-Turris
Foegele-Ryan-Kassian
Benson-McLeod-Sceviour

Nurse-Barrie
Keith-Ceci
Russell-Bouchard

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Smith
Skinner

Interesting to see Turris get the boost to a top line, as opposed to Tyler Benson or even Brendan Perlini, who is sitting this one out. Turris has demonstrated more jump in his game this pre-season that he did all of last year. I’m still skeptical that his defensive game is strong enough to merit major playing time this year in the NHL, but there’s no denying his improved effort.

Kris Russell gets a game ahead of Slater Koekkoek, who has been Edmonton’s most reliable d-man in the pre-season. It could be Russell is an excellent fit with Evan Bouchard, as Russell defends the defensive slot exceptionally well and loves to move the puck to his defensive partner. It’s almost always a good idea to move the puck to Bouchard, a brilliant passer.

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