3 Moves the Oilers Need to Make to Win the 2024 Stanley Cup

For the second time in the NHL in as many years, the Edmonton Oilers were knocked out of the playoffs by the eventual Stanley Cup winners. Although it’s tempting to blame it on bad luck, the Oilers’ early postseason departures also reflect their roster deficiencies. 

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The Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl era hasn’t been as successful as the Oilers hoped. Edmonton hasn’t won a game past the second round since its Stanley Cup run in 2006. Further, they are only guaranteed two more years with Draisaitl and three more with McDavid before both former MVPs could potentially move on. 

That makes the next few seasons critical for the Oilers as they try to build their latest dynasty and compete for next year’s Stanley Cup.

Move on From Darnell Nurse

At several points in Darnell Nurse’s development, he appeared as the Oilers’ pre-eminent blueliner. The former seventh-overall selection was the lone bright spot on an otherwise disappointing Edmonton defense for many years. Even though he set a career-high in points and shots this past season, he’s not worth the $9.25 million he’s getting paid over the next seven years. 

Nurse’s redundancy is amplified by the emergence of Evan Bouchard and the acquisition of Mattias Ekholm. This year, Bouchard led all defensemen in playoff scoring, totaling 17 points across 12 outings. The next closest rearguards were Shea Theodore and Brandon Montour, who needed 21 games to accumulate 13 points. Edmonton insulated Bouchard through the first few seasons of his career, and the move appears to have paid off with a top-caliber d-man. Likewise, Ekholm stepped into the locker room partway through the season, immediately paying dividends. 

Moreover, Vincent Desharnais is roughly a Nurse-equivalent at less than a tenth of the cost. Granted, Desharnais played less than a third of Nurse’s minutes at five-on-five, yet he still had superior metrics. Desharnais accumulated a 53.6% expected goals-for rating while starting just 44.4% of his shifts in the attacking zone. That’s above Nurse’s respective ratings of 52.5% and 41.5%. Desharnais fills Nurse’s skates at a fraction of the cost.

Before this season, Nurse almost single-handedly kept the Oilers’ defensive zone in order. But with a diminished role and lackluster metrics, it’s tough to rationalize spending 11.1% of the cap on a second-pairing defenseman. Finding a trade partner affords the Oilers some much-needed cap flexibility without costing them defensive depth.

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Add Scoring Depth

Edmonton has surrounded its dynamic duo with competent wingers but still lacks the well-rounded scoring that Stanley Cup winners consistently deploy. 

Four of their top six forwards were virtually point-per-game players this season. McDavid and Draisail’s resumes speak for themselves, but Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman also had banner years. Injuries impacted Evander Kane’s production, but the fifth-highest-scoring forward for the Oilers this year was Nick Bjugstad. Only six of his 29 points came in 19 games with the Oil. 

Rounding out the forwards’ corps is essential to building a contender. Whether it comes via trade, free agency, or development, the Oilers need a more balanced attack.

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Draft Better

The Oilers have been gifted some of the best players in the league. Edmonton hasn’t done an exceptional job of drafting difference-makers outside of those lay-up picks. 

Kailer Yamamoto and Jesse Puljujarvi were highly-rated players that didn’t pan out. Yamamoto disappeared this season, and Puljujarvi’s NHL career is effectively over. Similarly, Dylan Holloway was selected in the first round of the 2020 draft; although he’s been given a lot of fanfare early on in his career, he’s only recorded three goals and nine points through his first 51 games in the Chell.

Altogether, Edmonton’s brass has done a lousy job identifying skilled forwards. 

With three picks in the upcoming NHL Draft, only one of which comes before the sixth round, it’s imperative the Oilers select a forward who will be part of the next wave of impact NHLers.

Otherwise, they risk wasting McDavid and Draisaitl’s glory years with nothing to show for their efforts.