The Edmonton Oilers might have been technically knocked out from the playoffs a few days ago, but they have had some opportunities along the way. This wasn’t the way this season was supposed to play out at all. After that hot start in October, the Oilers slowly crumbled each month with head coaching turmoil and management disarray.
It’s been quite depressing on covering this team with the talent they boast like Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Leon Draisaitl. But the fact of the matter is that this franchise is stuck in the middle in a league that has two directions in a course for a season: tank for the draft or get in the playoffs.