OILERS HAVING FUN, STAYING LOOSE ON WAY TO STANLEY CUP FINAL
EDMONTON — The Edmonton Oilers took a businesslike approach getting back to the Stanley Cup Final, but it doesn’t mean they haven’t had fun along the way.
Forward Connor Brown popped out of a base cabinet in Edmonton’s dressing room prior to Game 4 of the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars on Tuesday to surprise his teammates and deliver the starting lineup.
Edmonton won the game 4-1 and clinched the best-of-7 series with a 6-3 win in Game 5 on Thursday to set up the Final rematch against the Florida Panthers, which will begin with Game 1 at Rogers Place on Wednesday (SN, CBC, TVAS, TNT, truTV, MAX).
“Our video guy [Erik Elenz] did that during the regular season. We had a little winning streak, and he was coming up with stuff, so I took that one out of his book and I thought I would get the boys going,” Brown said following practice Sunday. “I was in there for about 20-plus minutes. It’s a little roomier in there than I thought, and I had my phone and my cushion. I was texting Erik, he was giving me the lineup, so I had to memorize it. He was giving me a play-by-play of what was going on out there.”
Brown missed the final two games of the Western Conference Final with an upper-body injury he sustained after taking a hit from Stars defenseman Alexander Petrovic in Game 3. However, Brown was back on the ice Sunday and said he’ll be ready to play in Game 1 of the Final.
Edmonton is going into the best-of-7 series looking to avenge a 2-1 loss to Florida in Game 7 last season. The Oilers battled back to force a winner-take-all game after falling behind 3-0 in the series.
“I think last year when we punched our ticket, there were only a few guys that had been there before, and so when we went to the Stanley Cup Final, there was that big shock factor,” Brown said. “This year, we understood what it took given our experience last year. We kind of just followed the blueprint, respected the process and believed we were going to get the results we wanted, and we’re going to continue to do that. I think we’ll be ready to go right from the get-go this time around.”
Edmonton leaned on its playoff experience when things looked dire against the Los Angeles Kings, who won the first two games against them in the Western Conference First Round. Since then, the Oilers are 12-2 in the postseason, winning the final four games of the first round before defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in five games in the second round and the Stars in five games in the conference final.
“I think we’ve done a really good job of putting ourselves in those situations and not making it as stressful maybe as it has been in the past,” Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl said Sunday. “We’ll see how much it’s going to help us, but I think we have a lot of guys in here that have their legs and feel really good about themselves.”
The road to the Final has not been as taxing this season, which has allowed the Oilers to have lighthearted moments along the way.
A year ago, after getting past the Kings in the first round, the Oilers had to battle back to defeat the Vancouver Canucks in seven games in the second round before eliminating Dallas in six games in the conference final.
“Last year, the Vancouver series was really emotional for everyone, just with two Canadian teams, the media, there’s just a lot of components that went into that series,” Draisaitl said. “I think if you ask anyone that series felt like it took years off our lives. I think we’re just a little more mature now, know how to be in those situations and we can stay as even-keeled as everyone talks about. So far, it’s worked in our advantage.”
Although the pressure to win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1990 is still there for the Oilers, the experience of 12 playoff series in the past four seasons has made them a savvy group.
“When you’re playing in the Stanley Cup Final and you’re trying to break through, obviously the pressure is high and the moment’s big, but it’s important to have fun along the way, and I think that’s what this team does a really good job of,” Brown said. “We have fun with one another, we play for one another. It doesn’t mean we’re not playing as hard, it just kind of relaxes us. We learned a lot from last year. We understood what it took and it’s nice to have that blueprint.”
Losing in Game 7 last season wasn’t fun for the Oilers, and they are willing to do whatever it takes this time around to change the outcome. Sometimes that means bringing levity to a tense situation.
“Playing hockey when you’re successful, two of the most important things are, No. 1 you work hard, and No. 2 you’re enjoying what you’re doing,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “Whether it’s somebody jumping out of the cupboard or whatever we’re doing. Yes, we’re very businesslike, it’s important to be focused, but you can also have fun. I don’t think fun is going to distract anybody from what our goal is. I think during this playoff run, we obviously had a goal in mind, and I think everyone has been able to enjoy the ride.”
TKACHUK, PANTHERS BRACE FOR STANLEY CUP FINAL REMATCH AGAINST ‘VERY HUNGRY’ OILERS
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — As Matthew Tkachuk went down the handshake line at the end of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, a closely contested series between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers that went to Game 7, he had a message for his opponent.
He said it to Connor McDavid, to Stuart Skinner, perhaps to others, when he congratulated them on a hard-fought best-of-7 series the Panthers once led 3-0 before the Oilers almost came all the way back.
“We’ll see you in the Finals next year, Stu,” Tkachuk said to Skinner. “You guys are too good.”
Just less than a year later, those two teams are back in the Stanley Cup Final, a rematch between the champion Panthers and the runner-up Oilers that begins with Game 1 at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, TNT, truTV, MAX).
It wasn’t just something Tkachuk said, not a platitude.
“I believed that it was going to be us two again,” Tkachuk said. “I think we’re the two best teams in the League. And if everything would go right, it would probably be us two again in the Finals. I have that confidence in our team and they were the best team that we played last year in the playoffs. I stand by that. I believed it at the time. And here we are again.”
It’s an experience the Panthers can use. The Oilers too.
“You think about it all summer,” Tkachuk said. “You think about this moment of getting back with a chance to compete for the Stanley Cup again. And we’re the two lucky teams that get to do it. I mean it’s so hard, too, and very few players are able to get a chance at one, even, so if you would have asked both of us in the middle of the summer if we have a chance to play for the Stanley Cup again, a rematch, we would both race to sign that paper.
“It’s here. They’re an unbelievable team. It’s going to be a great battle. They’re, I’m sure, champing at the bit to get another chance at it.”
Though there are a lot of similarities between the teams that faced off last season, it’s not entirely the same. And there’s no guarantee the outcome will be either.
“I think from a personnel standpoint, I think there are some new pieces and some key pieces on each team that weren’t there last year,” Tkachuk said. “… It is a rematch, and there’s a lot of similar faces, but there’s some fresh blood on both sides that are going to be very hungry and going to be difference-makers in this series.”
It was something Florida coach Paul Maurice noted, too, that both teams are better than they were last season, better in ways specific to what the teams needed to improve upon. And they have.
“I’m going to say that both teams are deeper this year,” Maurice said. “So, that’s a change for them, for us. I think they are further along in their defensive structure and we’re actually a little further along in our offensive structure. And when you look at the strengths clearly last year, you’d say their offensive game was elite. They put up eight on us one night, so they can score some goals, but our defensive structure’s pretty good too.
“Those were our strengths and then we just added to what might have been perceived as our weaknesses. We’ve gotten better at those, so both teams are better. Both teams are deeper. Both teams I think have made improvements on what would be their weaknesses, but they’ve maintained their core strength in doing so.”
Tkachuk will play his third straight Cup Final with the Panthers, having won one of the previous two. He has been an All-Star and helped bring Florida Panthers hockey to the top of the NHL. He has played international hockey and become a star.
He is still just 27 years old.
“I’m just super lucky, I think,” said Tkachuk, who has 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in 17 playoff games this season, including two goals and five assists in the five-game Eastern Conference Final win against the Carolina Hurricanes. “I feel like I’m not even halfway through my career and I’ve been fortunate enough with so many great things that have happened and been blessed.
“I think my life changed, obviously, when I got traded here and everything’s just been — it was incredible before when I was playing in Calgary, and it’s just been a whole different beast down here with things that have happened. Hoping to check another box here in a few weeks.”
Though the Panthers have been in Florida this week since securing their return to the Cup Final, they were able to do something that was especially meaningful to Tkachuk. The inaugural Gaudreau Family 5K Walk/Run and Family Day was at Washington Lake Park in Sewell, New Jersey, on Saturday, honoring the lives of Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Gaudreau, who died Aug. 29, 2024, when they were struck by an alleged drunk driver who was charged with two counts of death by auto, while riding bicycles near their home in Salem County.
Brady Tkachuk was able to be there in person, but Matthew, who was Johnny’s teammate with the Calgary Flames for six seasons, was not. Yet with the early end to the conference final, the Panthers gathered to walk a 5K from Florida, supporting the family from afar.
“This kind of just happened, really last second, because we were planning on potentially being in Carolina for a Game 7 today or whenever it was,” Tkachuk said. “I know that once we won the second round, the girls and the families were talking about potentially doing something on the day to raise money and honor the Gaudreau brothers. Once we won in five, we were able to partake.”
They all did.
“Everybody was out there, which I thought was amazing,” Tkachuk said. “I got to walk around Holiday Park [in Fort Lauderdale], got to raise some money for the foundation and just to honor them, I think is really special. And it means a lot to me and [Sam Bennett] and guys that played with him and knew him. Very special and I know they’re very appreciative. I was just very happy that we were able to do it.”
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MCDAVID ‘EVERYTHING TO THIS ORGANIZATION,’ OILERS CEO JACKSON TELLS NHL.COM
EDMONTON — The top two items of focus for the Edmonton Oilers these days are clearly defined, according to CEO of Hockey Operations Jeff Jackson.
First, hopefully watch captain Connor McDavid and his teammates win the sixth Stanley Cup in franchise history, a feat they are four victories away from accomplishing.
Second, lock up McDavid long term so he and teammate Leon Draisaitl can lead the Oilers to many more deep Stanley Cup Playoff runs for years to come.
“Look, Connor knows what he means to this organization and the city of Edmonton,” Jackson said. “And this organization and the city certainly know what Connor means to them. We’re very cognizant of that.”
Right now, what McDavid means to the Alberta capital and its beloved NHL hockey team is being the catalyst for a second consecutive berth in the Cup Final. Fueled by McDavid’s spectacular breakaway goal that proved to be the series winner, the Oilers defeated the Dallas Stars 6-3 in Game 5 of their best-of-7 Western Conference Final at American Airlines Center Thursday and now get the chance to seek revenge on the Florida Panthers, who beat them in seven games for the title last year.
Game 1 is at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; TNT, truTV, MAX, SN, CBC, TVAS).
The 28-year-old certainly has done his part to get the Oilers this far, leading the postseason in scoring with 26 points (six goals, 20 assists) in 16 games, one ahead of Draisaitl. He had nine points (three goals, six assists) in the series against the Stars including four multipoint performances in the five games.
Looking ahead, 2025-26 will be the final season of the eight-year, $100 million contract ($12.5 million average annual value) McDavid signed July 5, 2017. A player is eligible to re-sign with their current team for up to eight years starting July 1 when they have one year left on their deal.
Draisaitl was in a similar situation last offseason when he signed an eight-year, $112 million contract ($14 million AAV) with the Oilers on Sept. 3, 2024. At the time, he was entering the final season of an eight-year, $68 million contract he signed on Aug. 16, 2017, and could have become a free agent this summer.
Will McDavid follow in the path of his teammate and close friend?
Would winning a Cup fuel a desire to stay?
Can Jackson, his former agent, and the Oilers convince him Edmonton gives him the best chance of consistently winning?
Or will they have to play the waiting game and see if the sport’s most electrifying player opts to test the free agent market next summer?
Either way, he stands to become the highest-paid player in the game.
In a 1-on-1 sitdown with NHL.com, Jackson took time to do a wide-ranging deep dive on all things McDavid and the Oilers, including the decision to bring in Stan Bowman as general manager and his influence on the team.
First off, you mentioned Connor’s relationship with the Oilers and the city of Edmonton, and how it’s reciprocated. Can you expand on that?
“He’s everything to this organization, and he’s everything to the fan base here. He’s beloved, and he gives back a lot. He loves playing here. I know that it’s a very comfortable place for him to play. He’s treated very well by ownership, the staff, everyone. And he loves the staff, right through from the athletic trainers to equipment guys to everybody in between. And you know Connor, he appreciates all of them. And they appreciate him because he treats everyone with respect. He’s humble, and he brings that leadership element every single day. And you can’t replace that.”
Given his contract situation, this is stating the obvious, but is getting him locked up long term come July 1 the top priority for the organization?
“We’re not into it yet, but I think once the season’s over, if it goes any way, the way it did last year, now they we were fortunate to make it to the Final, then all of a sudden you’re into the end of June, you’re into the draft, you’re into free agency. But yes, priority No. 1 would be to talk to Connor and his agents. And ya, it’s on everybody’s radar for sure. But we’re just leaving it for the time being as long as we’re still playing. After that, ya.”
You began serving as Connor’s representative when he was 15 years old and served as his agent until you were hired by the Oilers on Aug. 3, 2023. You’ve obviously heard some of the outside speculation that one of the end games of hiring you was your relationship with him and his family, and that it might help in keeping him in Edmonton for the majority, if not all, of his career. Do you think that will play a significant role in his ultimate decision to stay or leave?
“I don’t think so. I mean, of course, we have a long relationship, and I have obviously a relationship with his agent, Judd (Moldaver). But this is bigger than that relationship. This is about Connor coming back to an organization that he’s been with his whole career, where he’s been close to winning a Cup and where we have an opportunity to compete for the Cup not just this year but for years moving forward. I know it’s hard to win but we have a team that can compete for it. We had it last year. We’ve got it this year. I think we’ll have it next year as well, where we can put a team on the ice that’s going to compete and be here playing in the middle of May, end of May. So I think for him, that’s what he’s after. He’s after the opportunity to try to win the ultimate prize. And you have to have a deep and solid team to do that.”
To that end, it’s a lot easier to sell that future-winning-culture idea with his pal Leon in the fold long term. How much satisfaction was there in getting that deal done pretty much seamlessly last summer?
“Look, Leon has played his whole career here. He knows that we have a good, deep team. He wants to win as badly as Connor does, and I think that he sees the opportunity to do that here. Again, he’s the same way, he loves the city, the city loves him, and so getting him done once Stan got on board was really super important. It was Priority 1. I guess we got sort of sidetracked by a couple things in July, but we got it back on track, and we were really happy and grateful to get it done before we got back to camp.”
You mentioned Stan Bowman. We’re all aware of his circumstances. He won three Stanley Cups as GM of the Chicago Blackhawks, in 2010, 2013, 2015, before resigning on Oct. 27, 2021. He was ineligible to work in the NHL since that time for what the League said was “as a result of their inadequate response upon being informed in 2010 of allegations that Chicago Blackhawks player Kyle Beach had been assaulted by the team’s video coach.” Bowman was reinstated by the NHL on July 1, 2024, and you hired him on July 24, 2024. How much due diligence did you have to do on his situation, and how has he helped in the success of the team this season?
“I’ve known Stan Bowman for many years. When we were both assistant general managers, me with the Maple Leafs from 2006-10, we got to know each other, and I had dealings with him when I was an agent. I had stayed in touch with him prior to me taking this job when he was off from his time in Chicago, so I thought that he would be a great candidate to be our general manager if he was reinstated. And he was. I interviewed some other candidates, but he was the guy that I really wanted. He’s got so much experience. He’s obviously won three Cups. He knows how to put a roster together. And what I like about him, just our personalities are very similar. We’re sort of calm and don’t get too wrought up about stuff. Sometimes you’ve got to take things in stride and just work through them. And that’s the way he operates. And I find it very calming, as I think so does the coaching staff as well.”
It’s been less than two years since you assumed this role. How have you grown into this job in that time?
“It’s been very rewarding. And I think to answer the question about growing into the job, it’s like I sort of pulled a lot of things from some experiences I had back when I worked with the Leafs early on. When I got this job, just the way the organization is set up, your scouting staff, the way it’s sort of the cadence of the team. I knew all about that, so that was familiar. But having the chance to work with a Hall of Fame general manager like Kenny Holland for a year (in 2023-24), I learned a lot from him. My approach is just to try to empower everybody and have everybody know that they’re important and do their job. I’m not heavy handed. I don’t bark at people. I don’t need to bark at people. We have a super competent staff across the board. And for me, the reward is just sort of seeing everybody do their job well every day. And I try to encourage them. I think that’s part of leadership.”
In the time you’ve been here, what have you learned about the relationship between the Oilers and this city?
“I spent a lot of time coming here to watch Connor as an agent and spent time here over, what, I want to say, eight or nine or 10 years. But when you’re here and you’re sort of embedded in it, you see the absolute love and passion from the fan base and the city. And getting to know Daryl (Katz) as the owner of this team, and what he’s been willing to do for the players, and these facilities, which are top notch. Look at Rogers Place. It’s 10 years old, and it looks like it’s brand new. That’s because it was done right the first time. And so, ya, all those things are things that I sort of knew about, but I didn’t really know until I got here. And all of it’s super positive, and it’s been a great experience.”
Finally, you made a number of changes to the team and the organization in the past year, including changing GMs, despite coming just one goal short against the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. Take us through that thought process. And how satisfying is it to rebound from that heartbreak with trip to the Final?
“If you look at all good teams, they don’t run the same team back. And we made some changes in the offseason, just like Florida, who made a bunch of changes. The bottom line is, we’ve got a super solid core led by Connor and Leon. We got Mattias Ekholm and Darnell Nurse and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, this group of players who bring it every day and are such good leaders. So making the changes like we did, we thought we could integrate whoever we needed to integrate, and our goal was to add layers of depth to the team so that we weren’t getting into situations where we were relying on Connor and Leon all the time. Unfortunately, the way the season went with injuries and stuff, we weren’t able to really see what we had until our first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings. So, you know, we’ve got that depth now, and we’re going to need it, because you get banged up in the playoffs. There’s guys go down with injuries. But we’ve got a deep roster now, which is what you need to have success deep into the playoffs.”
GREER QUESTIONABLE FOR PANTHERS IN GAME 1 OF STANLEY CUP FINAL AGAINST OILERS
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A.J. Greer is the only player who is questionable for the Florida Panthers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, TNT, truTV, MAX).
The forward was labeled as day to day by Panthers coach Paul Maurice on Saturday after he missed Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes because of an undisclosed injury, then returned but played 4:22 in Game 5 on May 28.
It is unclear if Greer is dealing with the same injury or if he sustained a secondary one in Game 5.
“There will be a question mark on A.J. Greer,” Maurice said on Sunday. “Other than that, everybody is ready to go now. … There’s only one that we’ll watch.”
Greer has three points (two goals, one assist) in 12 Stanley Cup Playoff games after he had 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in 81 regular-season games.
Eetu Luostarinen, who left Game 5 after the first period, practiced with the team Sunday after skating on a separate sheet of ice Saturday. The forward was cross-checked by Hurricanes forward William Carrier in the first period of Game 5, then missed a hit on forward Mark Jankowski and went hard into the boards and stumbled getting up. He played only 3:37.
“He’s out there today, he’s ready to go,” Maurice said.
Luostarinen has 13 points (four goals, nine assists) and is plus-11 in 17 games this postseason.
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BROWN TO RETURN FOR OILERS IN GAME 1 OF STANLEY CUP FINAL AGAINST PANTHERS
EDMONTON — Connor Brown returned to practice for the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday and will be available for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers at Rogers Place on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, TNT, truTV, MAX).
The Oilers forward sustained an undisclosed injury and missed the final two games of the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars after taking a hit along the boards from defenseman Alexander Petrovic in the second period of Game 3 on May 25.
Brown has eight points (five goals, three assists) in 14 games this postseason.
Edmonton went on to eliminate Dallas with a 6-3 win in Game 5 on Thursday to reach the Cup Final for the second straight year against the Panthers, who defeated the Oilers in seven games last season.
Players were off Saturday before Brown resumed practicing with the team Sunday.
“I feel good,” Brown said. “Nice to get a practice in with the team. Obviously, I haven’t been practicing much. It’s nice to get it going. I’m excited.”
In Brown’s absence, Viktor Arvidsson played in his spot at right wing on the third line with center Adam Henrique and left wing Evander Kane.
Whether Brown will end up slotting back in there or somewhere else in the lineup remains to be seen, considering how much coach Kris Knoblauch has adjusted his lines throughout the postseason.
With forward Zach Hyman out for the rest of the playoffs after undergoing surgery on an upper-body injury he sustained in Game 4 against the Stars, it is likely Brown will get elevated to a top-six role.
“I’ve got no idea what the line combinations are,” said Brown, who was wearing a grey practice jersey denoting the fifth line Sunday. “Obviously, I’m not trying to put my coaching hat on or anything like that. It’s just my job to be ready to go.
“The beauty about this team is I think we’re so deep. Any type of combination that you find yourself on, it can be productive. So, I’m just worrying about myself, making sure I’m at my best.”
It’s already much better than two years ago, when he signed with the Oilers as a free agent following a shortened 2022-23 season with the Washington Capitals, which lasted four games before surgery was needed to repair a torn ACL.
He had 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in 71 games during his first season with the Oilers before starting to come into his own in last year’s playoffs. He caught traction playing with Henrique and Mattias Janmark, and the three came up with crucial goals in the Final against Florida.
Janmark and Brown each scored short-handed, and Henrique had two goals to help spark the comeback from a 3-0 series deficit to force Game 7, where Janmark came up with Edmonton’s lone goal in the 2-1 loss.
In total, Brown had six points (two goals, four assists) in 19 playoff games last season. He followed that up by getting 30 points (13 goals, 17 assists) in 82 regular-season games this year.
“I guess maybe a little more confidence having a longer runway,” Brown said of the difference from last year. “Obviously, I felt like there were only a few months of kind of getting back to my game before getting to the finals last year. So, I feel good.
“Last year when we punched our ticket, there were only a few guys who had been there before, so it felt like when we were going to the Stanley Cup Final there was that big shock factor. And this year, we understood what it took given our experience last year. So, we kind of just followed the blueprint, stuck to the process and believed that we were going to get the results we wanted and we’re going to continue to do that.”
Not that it was a foregone conclusion they’d make it back to the Cup Final again this year, especially after losing the opening two games of the first round against the Los Angeles Kings.
But they have since come together and turned things around, winning 12 of their past 14 to return to hockey’s grandest stage for the second year in a row.
And Brown will be ready to go once it all gets underway.
“I think he will be fine,” Knoblauch said. “Obviously, you saw him on the ice and double shifting, and I’m pretty sure and confident that he will be fine for Game 1.”
