One unwanted NHL record the Oilers will hope to avoid in 2024-25

Nobody will deny the Edmonton Oilers are one of many highest groups within the NHL. Led by the perfect participant within the sport and one other within the high 5-10, the checklist of achievements is spectacular and continues to develop.

Assume again to the 2022-23 season, when the Oilers led the league in scoring and likewise set a brand new NHL file for energy play effectivity. Then this previous season, they went on a 16-game profitable streak which fell simply in need of the all-time file of 17 straight by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

This success extends to particular person achievements, with Connor McDavid after all main the way in which. In 2022-23 he had what was known as ‘the season of the century’, as he took house 4 trophies, and this previous season noticed he set a playoff file with 34 assists in a single postseason.

Sadly for McDavid, his success does embody one particular person accolade he would have moderately averted. This previous season noticed he turn out to be simply the second non-goaltender (and sixth participant total), to win the Conn Smythe Trophy whereas additionally dropping the Stanley Cup Closing.

The rationale we carry this up, is as a result of the Oilers as a complete will need to keep away from setting one piece of NHL historical past this coming season. Giving due credit score to Invoice Tran of The Oil Rig, it is a file which the groups and followers alike really need no a part of.

When the Oilers misplaced to the Florida Panthers in sport 7 of the Stanley Cup Closing final season, it marked three consecutive years they’d been knocked out by the eventual champions. They misplaced 4-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2022-23 and a yr earlier had been swept 4-0 by the Colorado Avalanche.

Luckily for the Oilers and their followers, as issues stand they are not alone. As per Tran, 5 different NHL groups have misplaced three consecutive years to the eventual Stanley Cup champions.

These 5 groups are the New York Rangers (1981-83), Boston Bruins (1990-92), St. Louis Blues (1997-99), Philadelphia Flyers (2009-11) and Vancouver Canucks (2010-12). The Blues and Bruins are particularly unfortunate, having misplaced 5 out of six seasons and 4 out of 5 seasons respectively, to the eventual champions.

Nonetheless, none have gone 4 consecutive seasons of dropping to the eventual Stanley Cup champions … but. That is the potential destiny awaiting the Oilers, if issues go terribly fallacious for them in 2024-25.

After all there may be one easy method for the Oilers to keep away from this undesirable piece of historical past – exit and win the entire rattling factor! Definitely it is greater than achievable, as confirmed by the Panthers themselves, who received all of it one yr after dropping 4-1 to the Golden Knights, albeit on the expense of the Oilers.

Nobody is saying it will be simple after all, however the Oilers have the expertise now mixed with the related expertise, to lastly carry the Stanley Cup again house. Not that it is wanted, however simply in case, they’ll all the time use the potential piece of undesirable historical past as additional motivation.