2016-17 Bold Predictions

We’re three games into the 2016-17 season and despite Sunday’s ugly loss, things are still looking good. After winning the draft lottery (still can’t believe that happened, btw) last summer, OilersNation was filled with excitement, hope, and positivity. This summer, however, had its ups and downs and left people more curious about the upcoming season than anything else. Well, I’m here to answer your questions and theories about how our season will turn out. It’s never too late for a bold prediction thread.

This is probably my least bold prediction because it’s the most likely to happen. Looks like most writers have Connor finishing the season between 80-90 points. Pshh, that’s child’s play. Connor put up those kind of numbers as a 16-year-old in the OHL., he’s moved on to bigger and better things now. If we think Connor scoring 42 goals and 67 assists this season is impressive, this is only the beginning. We can safely say that this would be the first step of Connor taking over the world and becoming Prime-Minister. This season he’s already a 2 point-per-game player so what’s stopping him from getting 164 points this season? Certainly not math. 

Due to Connor’s heroics in earning us a playoff spot, he will also go on to win the Hart Trophy, and obviously the Ted Lindsay Award. The Oilers are so happy with Connor that they sign him to his max, $14 million contract for nine years immediately after the season, and they build a statue of him right beside Gretzky on 104th ave. Oh, and he makes the All-Star team too. 

Call me stupid, call me bold, but I think that by the end of this year, Milan Lucic will be skating alongside McDavid up and down the ice problem free! In Lucic’s play thus far, including the preseason, he either showed everybody how slow he is, or how fast McDavid is… it’s a little too early to tell. Either way, he’s had a very tough time catching Connor’s beautiful, back-door passes.

Whether he has to cherry pick at the blue line for his whole shift, or get on the ice 15 seconds before Connor does every time to get ahead of him, I don’t care. McLellan and Lucic will do what needs to be done to get them to mesh. Last time I checked, there wasn’t any rule in the CBA about rocket skates either.. there’s a first time for everything!

I think Peter Chiarelli is doing a better than average job thus far as the Oilers GM. And by that I mean if he was doing an average job, he wouldn’t be doing anything at all. Whether you like his moves or not, the Oilers are better on paper this year, than last. Chi made a couple huge moves this summer, trading away two of the Oilers four recent, first overall picks. You can call the trades an even tie, you can say Chia got fleeced on them, or you can say he did what was best for the team. Either way, both trades stirred the pot, and he created a lot of enemies for himself.

But THIS trade deadline, things will be different. Chia will have the upper-hand somehow this time, and he’ll be controlling ALL the bargaining. He’s going to bring back a stud at the deadline, and all of Edmonton will be happy. I’m not sure how, but he will. Maybe he acquires Hampus Lindholm, maybe he trades for Brent Burns? Maybe Chia brings Smytty out of retirement and he’ll lead us to a Stanley Cup! Either way, something big will happen, and Chia will earn back all the lost trust from Oil fans. 

They tried to get rid of him once this year, and I’m sure they’ve tried to move him numerous other times. But Anton Lander will surprise everyone this go-around, I guarantee it. Peter Chiarelli will realize his mistake of trying to remove Lander from the team after he puts up 3 goals and goes 65% in the faceoff circle through 15 games. Yeah, I know he’s already a little behind on this prediction, but things will turn around. Lander will continue to play on the wing beside Mark Letestu, and draw in as centre for important faceoffs and the penalty kill. 

Lander will earn back the trust of Oil Country with his career year but, unfortunately, it will not be enough for him, as the Oilers cut him after the season ends. Anton will drop to free agency, and spend the next few years going from team to team as a utility player. He will later move back home in 2020 to finish his career in Sweden.

Have some bold predictions of your own? Think I’m a dummy? Let me know in the comments!