Some fans will he unhappy with how the team is run and some players performance
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Edmonton Oilers fans make predictions ahead of the 2023-24 season
Photo credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 19, 2023, 16:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 19, 2023, 15:04 EDT
We had the excitement of Ryan McLeod signing a new deal and Jeff Jackson becoming the new CEO of Hockey Operations. But, since that news broke, the dog days of summer have returned as we all wait for the start of hockey season.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve enjoyed some time off vacationing in England and France. I figured the best way to get back into the swing of things was to hear from all of you and what your predictions are for the 2023/24 season.
The standards were simple: it didn’t matter if you had the simplest take or the boldest, I wanted to get an idea of what fans were thinking as the season slowly approached.
Simple and Most Likely
Sometimes, the simplest thoughts are the most accurate ones. Dangersuede and Surveyor Brett take the crown for that because what they had to say feels extremely accurate.
I predict it will be… Epic
The Soup Revenge Tour
It was tough to watch Jack Campbell some nights last season. He struggled the majority of the way but managed to put in killer performances in the postseason. While he never started in the playoffs, that relief appearance in game four versus the Los Angeles Kings arguably saved the Oilers’ season. The fan base believes that Campbell can bounce back from his tough first season with the Copper and Blue.
-Jack Campbell rebound season -Minimum conference final appearance -Klim Kostin scores a hat trick vs Oilers
Jack Campbell finishes top 8 in save %.
It’s fair to say we are all rooting for Campbell to perform this season. If he and Stuart Skinner both play around league average at minimum, the Oilers won’t have a problem between the pipes.
One Goal
The last couple of seasons have been tons of fun. Watching Connor McDavid dominate in the 2021 playoffs with a massive performance in game seven against the LA Kings and then go on to eliminate the Calgary Flames en route to a Western Conference Finals appearance was an incredible ride. Whilst last season didn’t go as planned, the ride was still an enjoyable one. With that said, expectations are higher than they have been in a very long time in Edmonton and for many fans, the 2024 season feels like cup or bust.
Stanley or bust.
Lord Stanley is coming back home in the arms of McDavid. No one will celebrate harder than the 80’s Oilers.
President's Trophy,Stanley Cup winners Connor wins Ross,Hart,Richard ,Linsey. Bouch. wins Norris. Drai wins Smythe. I'm a bit of an Oiler fan👍😀😀
Win the cup dropping 8 playoff games
Bold Prediction: Oilers win the cup but neither 97 or 29 win the Con smythe trophy
Sam Gagner scores the Cup winning goal, officially ending the Decade of Darkness curse and opening the McDavid Dynasty era. At the exact moment Gagner scores - Chris Pronger stubs his toe.
The Haters
Of course, not every response was a positive one. A few people wanted to put negative vibes into the Oilers atmosphere. If anything like this happens, you guys know who to blame.
Injury riddled season. They miss the playoffs
connor or leon get hurt and oilers struggle all season yikes
Player Predictions
Outside of the Campbell predictions, fans had thoughts on other players for the 2024 season. Elvis really went all out with his predictions suggesting that Evan Bouchard hits 100 points, while other predictions included Dylan Holloway, Raphael Lavoie and Connor Brown. Hopefully, Bouchard will resign before the season starts.
Lavoie will have a top 6 spot by the end of the season
Connor brown plays great on Mcdavids line therefore, drai can centre the second line and we’ll have an amazing 1-2 punch
Mcd and Drai score 300 points between them.
McLeod scores 20 goals
My Predictions
Since you all gave your predictions, it’s only fair that I put mine out into Oil Country.
My player prediction is that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will hit the 100-point mark again. Last season, the Nuge had an unbelievable season, and many think he won’t hit those highs again. However, getting the chance to play with either Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl every night gives him every opportunity to do it and Nugent-Hopkins will play a big part in what will be another strong powerplay.
As for my team predictions, the Edmonton Oilers are going to the Cup final. Will they win? I hope so, but I am not ready to put my chips all in just yet. There are still question marks with them, but the reaction to getting eliminated last season makes me believe this team isn’t ready to go home early.
Breaking News
- Ask Dubey: Did the Oilers need to name Connor Ingram the starting goaltender?
- Sunday Scramble: Connor McDavid’s frustration, the ‘pillow fight’ Pacific Division, and the NHL’s playoff format delusion
- Losing Trent Frederic for any period of time is a bigger problem for the Oilers than meets the eye
- The Day After 71.0: Nikita Kucherov makes Hart Trophy case in commanding win over Oilers
- Oilers lose on special teams, Josh Samanski’s first NHL goal, and Ty Emberson’s return to the lineup