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Oilers Top Six Is Stanley Cup-Ready

The Edmonton Oilers have long relied on Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, but make no mistake, this team is no longer just a two-man job.

Tyler Major-Mcnicol

May 29, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Edmonton Oilers defenseman Jake Walman (96) deflects the puck against the Dallas Stars during the third period in game five of the Western Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
May 29, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Edmonton Oilers defenseman Jake Walman (96) deflects the puck against the Dallas Stars during the third period in game five of the Western Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
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The Edmonton Oilers are no joke, if you hadn't heard. This team is intimidating in that they are cerebral, uber-talented and driven by their 2024 Stanley Cup finals loss to the Florida Panthers, who they will face again in this year's finals.

It feels different this time, the Oilers feel hardened, and Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, although able to carry their teams' offence, don't have to, quite as heavily, thanks to a balanced top-six that is made to compete in the playoffs, because they wear teams down.

Edmonton closes hard on every check, across all three zones, and while they often play right along the line of good and evil, they will never be mistaken for a team that doesn't dig in. Having players like Corey Perry, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Vasily Podkolzin, and Evander Kane to stick with the two best players in the world is so important.

The proof is in the fact that the team is one win away from reaching the Stanley Cup finals for the second consecutive season. Edmonton learned plenty from last year's battle for the mug, and this year, a shift can be felt in the Oilers, who are laser-focused and have a one-track mind.

Florida has flexed on all of their Stanley Cup playoff opponents for the second consecutive year, and they are ready for another battle, thanks to a roster that was expertly constructed by general manager Bill Zito. Edmonton immersed itself in plenty of painful memories from its loss last season, and this feels like the ultimate feel-good story in the making.

The Oilers play a heavy, in-the-trenches sort of game, and that matches perfectly with the Panthers, who will look to assert themselves early and bully around whoever matches up against them.

Fortunately for Edmonton, they are constructed in a way, thanks to many general managers. Currently, Stan Bowman, former general manager and jack-of-all-trades for the Chicago Blackhawks from 2005-2006 until 2021-2022 when he resigned from his role of general manager and president of hockey operations.

Zito and Bowman have constructed two very adept combatants, and for the second season, both of their masterpieces might just battle for Lord Stanley once again. Edmonton is hoping that their experience and depth will pay off in their quest to slay the Cats and bring the cup back to Oil Country, in good old Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

1993 is so long ago, McDavid (b. 1997) and Draisaitl (b. 1995) weren't even born yet. The only player in the Oilers' top six alive when the Montreal Canadiens hoisted the last Stanley Cup to remain on Canadian soil is Perry, who was born in 1985.

Perry and the Oilers' formidable top six have looked brilliant, but the bottom six, and the three defense pairings, as well as Stuart Skinner, all deserve their recognition as well. When Connor Brown and Zach Hyman went down with injuries, the Oilers' depth came through.

It hasn't changed either, as Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch rolled his lines for much of game five, and this came through in some line combinations as well. In the end, it all paid off, and McDavid and the Oilers are headed back to Sunrise, Florida, with the Stanley Cup just four wins away.

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Tyler Major-Mcnicol
TYLER MAJOR-MCNICOL

Tyler is a former Algonquin College journalism graduate, and passionate hockey fan. His love for the Montreal Canadiens comes second to his love of hockey. With two daughter’s under four years old, hockey is always a topic of conversation. Nothing gets me quite excited like an empty canvas waiting to have a story written on it, and the smell of fresh ice in the air.

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