A Pair of Burning Questions as Oilers Clinch Playoff Spot

On Friday, April 22, the Edmonton Oilers joined the playoff party with their 6-3 victory over the Colorado Avalanche. This is their third straight playoff appearance, and their fourth with their young star, Connor McDavid. The Oilers are one of four teams to crossover from the World Hockey Association in 1979, and they are the most successful of the four, having won five Stanley Cups in a seven-season span from 1984 to 1990. They have not won since then, and they haven't been to the Stanley Cup Final since 2006. In fact, after falling one win short of the Cup in 2006 (losing to fellow WHA crossovers, the Carolina Hurricanes--formerly the Hartford Whalers), they went 11 years without a postseason.

And then they hit the jackpot...twice. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl became part of the club and served as a very dynamic duo on the team. However, that hasn't resulted in any significant success for the Oilers, and because of that, they face a lot of questions entering this year. I myself have just two of my own as the Oilers return to the postseason.

The End for McDavid and Draisaitl?

McDavid and Draisaitl's first taste of the Stanley Cup Playoffs came in 2017, which saw them come within one win of reaching the Conference Finals. That is where the positives end. After back-to-back years of missing the playoffs, the Oilers participated in the 24-team bubble playoffs, with their home ice being used as the Western bubble. The Oilers were the 5th seed in the Western Conference, but they were defeated in the Qualifying Round by the lowly 12th-seeded Chicago Blackhawks. The following year saw the Oilers finish in 2nd place in the localized North Division, but that was an even bigger disappointment, as they were swept in the opening round by the Winnipeg Jets.

I've been saying for a while that McDavid and Draisaitl need to get out of Edmonton. They aren't surrounded by much good support on that team, and it has forced them to literally do everything to make sure they hang on. McDavid and Draisaitl are amazing players, often getting 100 points a season...each. However, they've only won one playoff series and have had too many failures. If 2022 ends with another early exit, I would think that McDavid and Draisaitl will want out. Badly.

Will We Get the Battle of Alberta in This Year's Playoffs?

With the Oilers clinching a spot, both Alberta teams are in the playoffs for the 2nd time in three years. I'm already loving the fact that both Alberta teams and the Los Angeles Kings are serving as the Pacific Division's top 3, mainly because it's similar to how the Smythe Division looked in the latter half of the 1980s and the early 1990s. Due to both teams losing their prestige after that era, the Oilers and Flames sharing the playoff spotlight together has been rare. However, now that they are doing so this year, the question has to be asked: Can we please have the Battle of Alberta in the playoffs?

The Oilers and Flames have co-existed together since 1980, when the Flames moved from Atlanta to Calgary. They served as the Smythe Division's two top teams for years, and regarding their playoff history, they faced each other five times: 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, and 1991. Four of their five meetings were in the Smythe Division Finals, and overall, the Oilers won four of the five playoff meetings, with the Flames' only win coming in 1986, which saw them reach the Stanley Cup Final. The 1991 Smythe Division Semifinals marked the last time, to date, that the provincial rivals faced each other in the playoffs; a series that was won by the Oilers. With the rivals locked into the division's top 3, both teams will have to win their respective series to set up their first playoff meeting in 31 years.

The Edmonton Oilers face a lot of pressure entering this year's playoffs. They've only won one series with the two generational talents they have. This is Year Seven with McDavid and Draisaitl, and it will be another long one full of questions if they come up short yet again.

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