‘I feel we’re getting forward of ourselves, we need to get off to a superb begin. That is our focus’
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Precisely the place the Edmonton Oilers will find yourself this 12 months is anyone’s guess.
And guessing they’re.
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Nowadays, all people and their canine appears to have an opinion and are letting or not it’s recognized with all kinds of predictions, presumptions and prognostications because the season is ready to open subsequent week. And a few of them — whether or not completely unfounded or not — even contemplate themselves consultants within the area.
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Is that this the 12 months they go all the best way? Or will or not it’s a 3rd straight season of underperforming in playoffs in opposition to the staff that goes on to win all of it? Do accidents imply they fall properly in need of expectations?
However inside the house dressing room at Rogers Place, the main focus of the pre-season has been on the right here and now because the preliminary steps set the muse for the lengthy journey to return. No matter the place the consultants suppose they may find yourself.
“I feel we’re getting forward of ourselves, we need to get off to a superb begin,” mentioned Connor McDavid, whose squad will wrap up the pre-season at dwelling in opposition to the Seattle Kraken on Friday (7 p.m.). “That’s our focus.”
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That doesn’t imply the Oilers are with out lofty objectives for themselves. Nevertheless it’s first issues first each step of the best way.
“By way of how essential it’s, each staff needs to set themselves up as greatest as doable heading into the playoffs and that features dwelling ice,” McDavid mentioned. “Clearly, in the event you win your division otherwise you win your convention, you get dwelling ice all through the playoffs and that all the time helps.
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“However our focus is the subsequent sport right here and getting ourselves prepared for an essential begin to our season.”
Even when all eyes proper now are targeted on the way it will finish.
“I’ve mentioned all of it all through camp, it’s an extended, good distance away even being in a playoff collection,” McDavid mentioned. “So, there are such a lot of issues that should occur. No season seems to be the identical, no staff is identical from 12 months to 12 months. We’ve obtained to proceed to construct our identification as a gaggle and our sport as an entire.
“And that’s our focus. That’s it. That’s not for us to resolve, what you consultants — such as you mentioned — like to select.”
With that in thoughts, let’s have a look as a few of the bolder predictions surrounding the Oilers for the 2023-24 season:
• ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski has picked Edmonton to win the Stanley Cup. Once more. Similar to he did a 12 months in the past. This time, it’s over none apart from the Toronto Maple Leafs within the last. Although, admittedly, his predictions have was extra of a curse.
• DraftKings Sportsbook lists Edmonton’s odds at hoisting the Stanley Cup in a futures guess at +432, second solely to the Colorado Avalanche at +383. The San Jose Sharks are available in final at +9967.
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• The Athletic has the Oilers amongst its prime 5, at 9.7 per cent of the vote for favourites to win the Stanley Cup, which places them fourth. The checklist was headed up by the Carolina Hurricanes (45.2 per cent), the Colorado Avalanche (16.1 per cent) and the Dallas Stars (12.9 per cent), with the reigning champion Vegas Golden Knights in a tie with the New Jersey Devils for fifth (6.5 per cent).
• Bovada additionally has the Oilers of their prime 5 to win all of it, caught in a four-way tie with the Hurricanes, Avalanche and Devils at +900, adopted by the Leafs at +1,000.
“If the Oilers maintain up defensively, they’re a transparent contender to seem of their first Stanley Cup Remaining since 2006. That features their questionable goaltending state of affairs with Stuart Skinner and Jack Campbell,” wrote thesportsgeek.com.
Out and in: On Thursday, the Oilers signed F Brady Stonehouse to a three-year entry stage contract. The five-foot-10, 192-pound Ontario native was with the staff within the early phases of coaching camp after main the Ottawa 67s with 37 objectives and 66 penalty minutes and turning into one in all 16 Ontario Hockey League gamers tagged by Hockey Canada for the 2024 Worldwide Ice Hockey Federation world junior championship.
E-mail: [email protected]
On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge
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