The regular season can be long and tedious. Take Connor McDavid’s word for it.

On the eve of the Edmonton Oilers series opener against the Anaheim Ducks, the team practiced on Sunday morning and met with the media afterwards. McDavid was asked about the vibe of the team now compared to five or six weeks ago, when the Oilers’ place in the playoffs wasn’t so certain.

The Art Ross Trophy winner may have said the quiet part out loud when he admitted that the regular season can get a “little monotonous” for a team that has the Stanley Cup on its mind.

McDavid has been more candid than usual the last couple of months. He infamously labelled the Pacific Division a “pillow fight” in the same post-game scrum as talking glowingly about the Tampa Bay Lightning and their structure.

Before the Olympics, he penned a Player’s Tribune article where he openly talked about his legacy, and how much he wants to not only win the Stanley Cup, but do it in Edmonton.

After a 41-30-11 regular season, the Oilers’ lowest win total since the 56-game campaign in 2020-21, the Oilers can now embark on trying to reach the Stanley Cup Final for a third straight time, and this time close the deal.

McDavid said he likes his group, as they can lean on experience.

“Knowing what to expect, knowing what it’s going to feel like, the environment, the game, the pressures, the momentum swings. Playoffs is really a different game. It really is, and you have to understand all of that. And this group understands that,” he said.

More of that experience could be re-injected back into the lineup Monday night. Jason Dickinson skated on a regular line, and Leon Draisaitl continued to progress. Both need to be cleared by the team’s medical staff before they can return, confirmed coach Kris Knoblauch.

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