What’s at stake for the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final?

The Stanley Cup Final has been such a rollercoaster of emotions for the Edmonton Oilers that there has been very little time to think about what will happen in the end.

Who is the next general manager? Will Leon Draisaitl sign this summer? How does the team handle the cap? Does anyone know if the club has any draft picks left?

The most sensational question of all: What if the Oilers win Game 7?

O Canada!

The last time a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup was in 1993. That means 30 years of misery for fans above the 49th parallel.

For years, Canadian NHL teams seemed to take turns losing in the Stanley Cup finals.

In this century, the Calgary Flames (2004), Oilers (2006), Ottawa Senators (2007), Vancouver Canucks (2011) and Montreal Canadiens (2021) have all had a chance to end the streak.

No team could get the job done.

If the Oilers win, expect a nationwide celebration. That was an unlikely scenario not too long ago, but this edition of the Oilers has captured the imagination of fans across the country. Highlights of an Edmonton win received rave reviews during a Toronto Blue Jays home game this week.

It’s been so long that the whole country is ready to celebrate.

The decade (plus) of darkness is over

If the Oilers win the Stanley Cup, the pressure of winning during the Connor McDavid era will disappear.

For every member of the team it will be the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.

For Oilers fans, who have supported a generation of teams with disappointing results, a Stanley Cup victory would be the ultimate reward for nearly two decades of hard times.

For owner Daryl Katz, winning would complete a 16-year odyssey from fan to owner to championship. His progression into the role mirrors Mike Ilitch of the Detroit Red Wings.

Similarities become clear when you read the book “The Road to Hockey Town” by Jim Devellano. Illitch purchased the Red Wings in 1982. The team won its first Stanley Cup under his ownership in 1997, 15 years after purchasing. Katz bought the Oilers in 2008. Winning the 2024 championship would mean a 16-year gap between buying the team and winning the Stanley Cup.

The similarities between Illitch’s maturity as an owner (as described in the book) and Katz’s are uncanny.

The journey to this moment had a lot to do with Katz’s growth in his role as owner.

The importance of youth development

It was never breaking news this spring, but the Oilers have been aggressively adding young players onto the depth chart.

Goaltender Stuart Skinner was an impact player in the finals, despite this being only his second full NHL season. His .909 save percentage in the finals is well above Florida starter Sergei Bobrovsky (.889), via Natural Stat Trick.

Defender Philip Broberg emerged as a difference maker in the final. In the first six games against the Panthers, his five-on-five minutes (84:21) ranked third among Edmonton blueliners. He also owns a 71 percent goal share in finals (5-2 goals), leading the team’s defenders.

Striker Dylan Holloway scored two goals in the final and played a prominent role. He played on the wing with Leon Draisaitl in the middle (Warren Foegele on the other wing) during the crucial Game 6. The line produced an expected goal share of 71 percent, scored a goal and Holloway drew a penalty.

The youth has been pushed into the battle for the Stanley Cup this spring. This will benefit all these young players and the Oilers for years to come.

Coach Kris Knoblauch is not a player, but he is a young and upcoming coach. He is also part of the new group of impact personnel helping this team.

Contract challenges

The Draisaitl negotiations will be a big story all summer long. It is unknown whether a Stanley Cup will increase the chances of his new contract. Logic dictates that negotiations to sign the big man after the summer of 2025 may be easier with the eventual success of a championship as a backdrop.

Evan Bouchard will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2025; Getting his name under a long-term deal would also help solidify the organization’s future.

The other side of these signings is the cap conundrum, and that could involve things like a Jack Campbell buyout.

One area that could become more attractive with a Stanley Cup win: More and better free agents could arrive this summer. Some of those free agents may be willing to sign a value contract in hopes of winning the Stanley Cup in 2025.

The legacy of the Netherlands

Oilers general manager Ken Holland will have presented the Stanley Cup during his five-year stint in charge of the Oilers roster.

All indicators point to him retiring or moving on to another NHL destination. Holland’s age (68) may mean an NHL organization passes on this opportunity, but his appeal would increase dramatically if another Stanley Cup championship becomes another item on his resume.

McDavid’s legacy

The captain would fulfill a dream and climb the only mountain left on the list of his breathtaking career achievements.

For those who question his greatness, it’s important to remember how many obstacles McDavid has had to overcome during his NHL career.

He was drafted by an organization that (despite dozens of draft picks from 2010 to 2014) had little actual NHL talent and then flushed away much of what was available in a frenzied series of trades that will live in infamy.

turning Jordan Eberle into Ryan Strome into Ryan Spooner; Trade Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson; Making two high picks in a brilliant draft for Griffin Reinhart were the first headliners, but there were others and those curious moves didn’t stop when Peter Chiarelli left town.

McDavid also had to deal with an expansionist NHL tendency to provide immediate and exceptional competition in the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken. There is no precedent in league history for stacking the Pacific Division with lofty expansion teams starting in 2017.

The captain also had to negotiate the age-old hockey mantra that generational talent would be “strong enough” to win. That brought injuries against the Philadelphia Flyers and Calgary Flames.

In short

No matter what happens against the Panthers on Monday night, this edition of the Oilers has proven to be special.

You doubt things will ever be the same in Edmonton.

These Oilers have climbed Everest and are one win away from perhaps the greatest comeback in NHL history.

Winning Stanley is always special. If you won it this way, it would be remembered forever.

No team, not even the Oilers of the 1980s, would have delivered such a great stretch of games on the road to Stanley.

(Photo of Stuart Skinner, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl: Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)