A Dark-Horse NHL Future To Bet On Now

The Edmonton Oilers have overhauled their front office and coaching staff in a drastic effort to turn around a franchise stuck in a major funk, during which it’s reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs just … wait for it … once since it reached the Stanley Cup Final (and lost) in 2005-06.

Ken Holland is the new General Manager and Dave Tippett is the new Head Coach. Both are proven winners, and that, coupled with having Connor McDavid, a.k.a. the best hockey player in the world, atop the roster are reasons enough to drop some cash you won’t miss on the Oilers to win the Stanley Cup (+3500, DraftKings) or at the very least the Western Conference (+2000). 

“I believe we can compete for a playoff spot in 2019-20,” Holland said. “It was a tough year last year with a lot of instability. Some of our good, young players give us an incredible nucleus to work around, but they are 22 or 23 (years old) and their heads must be spinning with what's going on. So, we've got to calm the waters and bring in stability, make a stable environment. I'm hoping that's what I can bring.”  

Holland won the Stanley Cup three times as G.M. of the Detroit Red Wings. Tippett has coached his team to the Stanley Cup Playoffs eight times in 14 NHL seasons and reached the Western Conference Final twice – with Dallas in 2007-08 and with Phoenix in 2011-12. He won the Jack Adams Award in June of 2012.

McDavid will be back to center the top line after notching a career-best 116 points, including 41 goals, in 2018-19. He’s clearly the fastest player in the League and his speed can change the momentum of games in a heartbeat. His sidekick Leon Draisaitl also eclipsed the 100-point mark last season making the pair the first set of NHL teammates to reach 100 points or more in the same season since Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom did it for Washington 10 years ago. Playing together on the top line, they are a dynamic duo, for sure.

McDavid is an intense competitor who is more than eager to get the Oilers out of their rut. Rumors abound that he wants out of Edmonton, but if you take him at his word those rumors are false.

“I want to be here,” McDavid told reporters at the end of last season, before Holland and Tippett came aboard. “If I didn’t want to be here, I wouldn’t have signed an eight-year deal (in 2017). I love the guys and the city. There’s obviously going to be changes both on and off the ice and that’s just the facts of it. But I am here to be part of the solution.”  

The Oilers should get some help up front from off-season acquisitions James Neal, Markus Granlund and Tomas Jurco. Tippett loves Neal, whom he coached as a rookie with Dallas in 2008-09. He will be looking to rebound from a career-worst season in Calgary in 2018-19 when he notched just 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) in 63 games.

“He's enthused” Tippett told reporters. “He wants to have a rebound year, he self-admittedly struggled last year and really had an off-year. I've talked to him a couple different times and … he's excited to come to Edmonton and he's excited for the opportunity to put that last year behind him. That's a good first step. He wants to come in here, he wants to be part of the solution. We're going to play him with some good players and see where it all filters out in the end.”  

Defense has long been Edmonton’s Achilles’ heel, but Darnell Nurse is an emerging star coming off his best season in the NHL. Nurse, 24, played all 82 games in 2018-19 and chipped in 10 goals and 31 assists. Veteran Kris Russell is a fearless shot-blocking machine, and Evan Bouchard, whom the Oilers picked 10th overall in the 2018 NHL Draft, appears poised to make the roster as a 19-year-old defender. He averaged more than a point per game playing junior hockey for London last season.

Much like he favors Neal, Tippett also has a soft spot for goalie Mike Smith, who is expected to split the net with incumbent Mikko Koskinen. It could be a nice combination if the 37-year-old Smith, who’s known for staying in elite shape, has something left in the tank after 13 NHL seasons. Smith notched the best season of his NHL career under Tippett in 2011-12 when he arguably singled-handedly led Phoenix to the Western Conference Final.

Forward Tyler Benson caught Tippett’s eye as he monitored Edmonton’s American Hockey League affiliate in Bakersfield compete in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

“I watched a lot of Bakersfield and there are some good players down there,” Tippett told reporters. “Tyler is a great example. He could come in here and find a niche and push somebody out or push somebody down in the lineup. I'm hoping we have situations like that because that makes your team better.”   

All things considered the Oilers are definitely a dark horse with upside worth betting on as we wait for summer sweat to morph into winter ice.

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Note: All statistics above were found on Hockey-Reference.com. The advice above represents the writer's personal view and does not reflect or represent BetQL's stance or interest in any way.