In an Edmonton Oilers news and rumors update, Connor McDavid has two more games to cement his place as the clear Hart Trophy Winner this season. Who else is in contention and it is already a runaway victory for the Oilers’ captain? Meanwhile, a player the Oilers were rumored to have serious interest in seems the most likely to win the Norris Trophy. Does that change the team’s interest in him this summer? Did the Oilers miss out on a solid prospect? Finally, will it be weird not having a chance to see a repeat of the Battle of Alberta in the playoffs?
McDavid a Slam Dunk for MVP?
There are other contenders this season for the Hart Trophy, but let’s be realistic, none of Mikko Rantanen (Colorado), David Pastrnak (Boston), and Jack Hughes (New Jersey) hold a candle to what Connor McDavid has done this season for the Edmonton Oilers. The last player to score 150 points in a season was Mario Lemieux and before that Wayne Gretzky. How does McDavid produce a season similar to those two players and not win unanimously?
McDavid has 151 points and 64 goals this season. Don’t think for a second that he doesn’t see Pastrnak behind him with 60 and decide to score four or five goals in the next two games just to seal the deal. McDavid has 11 goals and 29 career points against the Colorado Avalanche and 16 goals and 38 points in 26 games against the San Jose Sharks. These are two teams he traditionally plays well against.
Does Karlsson’s Norris Trophy-Like Season Interest the Oilers?
While Adam Fox (N.Y. Rangers), Josh Morrissey (Winnipeg), Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo), and Miro Heiskanen (Dallas) will all warrant consideration for the Norris Trophy this season, it’s hard to imagine Erik Karlsson not winning based on his 100-point season. The defenseman just reached that mark this week and the Oilers will see him in their final game of the season.
Speculation lasted for months that the Oilers were interested in Karlsson before trading for Mattias Ekholm at the NHL Trade Deadline and should Karlsson win the Norris, logic would suggest that Edmonton would be even more interested if the two sides could work out a deal. That said, a lot has changed since the deadline. While Karlsson has continued to have an incredible season, the Oilers are the hottest team in the NHL, Ekholm has been a wonderful addition and Evan Bouchard has elevated his game in a major way. The asking price for Karlsson isn’t likely coming down if he wins the award for the best defenseman of the year and it needs to for the Oilers to stay interested, assuming they even are any longer.
Did the Oilers Miss Out on Skyler Brind’Amour?
Apparently, prospect Skyler Brind’Amour will not be signing with the Edmonton Oilers despite being drafted by the team in 2017. He’s informed Edmonton that he’s not sure he has a strong chance of cracking their deep lineup and will test his changes on the unrestricted free-agency market in August.
Related: McDavid Needs a Stanley Cup Before Being Mentioned With Gretzky & Orr
It’s never great to lose a high-end prospect for nothing, but with the Oilers as deep as they are at forward — they have Dylan Holloway, Noah Philp, James Hamblin, and Carl Berglund as budding center prospects — Brind’Amour was going to be in tough to make the team. Where he excelled was on the power play tipping pucks in front of the net, but the Oilers have Zach Hyman and Evander Kane taking that role now. Brind’Amour was never going to get a chance to do that in Edmonton.
No Flames vs. Oilers In This Season’s Playoffs
Finally, with the Calgary Flames now out of the running for this season’s playoffs, there will be no repeat matchup of the Battle of Alberta. That’s a bit of a shame, but it’s fair to argue that the rivalry wouldn’t have had the same tone to it. Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau were both gone from last year’s team and the Flames and Oilers didn’t play each other all that often this season.
It will be interesting to see what changes are made to the Flames in terms of personnel, coaching, and management. This was a devastating season for them and it feels like moves are coming.