We are approaching the end of the regular season and it's been one of the more tumultuous seasons for Oilers fans in recent memory. Edmonton started the year on a 5 game winning streak, winning 6 of 7 games in the month of October. That was followed by a solid November, going 9-4-0. From there, we saw the Oilers plummet in the standings in December and January, resulting in Ken Holland bringing in disgruntled UFA Evander Kane and the firing of Dave Tippett. Since Tippett was fired and Woodcroft was brought in, Edmonton once again surged, improving their 5 on 5 play more than we have seen in decades. The goaltending situation continued to be volatile with Koskinen looking like the starter before a recent great run by Smith has shifted things back towards the 40 year old netminder.
Barring a complete collapse, it looks like Edmonton not only will make the playoffs, but will finish second in the Pacific Division and with the recent collapse of Vegas, the Kings will almost surely be the Oilers first round opponent. What is there left to play for in the final six games?
For starters, finishing strong. Edmonton hasn't secured a playoff spot just yet nor home ice advantage. Winning against opponents like the Stars who are also fighting for their playoff lives will go a long way in that endeavor.
What else should fans be watching over the last six games?
- Connor McDavid and the race for the Art Ross: McDavid currently finds himself one point below Huberdeau in the scoring race. McDavid doesn't vocally care about these awards but he is still one of the most competitive guys in the league and you can bet he will want to put on a show over these last six games and go supernova. - Draisaitl and the Rocket: This one is a long shot as Draisaitl is still four goals back of Matthews but the Toronto forward has missed the last couple of games with an injury. If Leon suddenly pots a couple in the game tonight we have a race once more. - Staying Healthy: Yamamoto went down hard after a Bouchard bomb but it looks like he will be okay. Draisaitl took a bad hit against the Ducks but managed to finish that game before being scratched the following game just to be safe: Once Edmonton has secured their spot in the show, who will we see get sat, finding out just how hurt some of these players are. - Yamamoto and Puljujarvi Contracts: Both young right wingers will be RFA's at the end of this season. Their playoff success will likely effect their next contracts but how they finish the regular season should come into effect as well. Yamamoto is two goals away from reaching 20 for the first time in his career. Jesse Puljujarvi is 6 points away from reaching 40 points for the first time in his career.
What will you be watching for most in these last games?
Tonight the Stars will come to visit after losing 6-2 against the Canucks on Monday. Tomorrow night they will finish their Canadian swing against the Calgary Flames. Canucks fans will feel uneasy about cheering for an Oilers win but with their own playoff hopes on the line that is exactly what they will be doing. The Stars have had issues scoring as of late, being unable to score more than 2 goals in their last four.
One player to watch on the Stars is Jason Robertson who is quickly cementing himself as the Stars best player. After a great rookie season, going 17-28-45 in 51GP, Robertson has continued to elevate going 36-34-70 in 68GP. If the Stars do make the playoffs, Robertson should get some love for the Hart. I'm not saying he should win the award by any means but at least get some votes. Without him the Stars are not even in the conversation for a playoff spot.
Hintz, Robertson, Heiskanen, Oettinger... these represent the future of the Dallas Stars organization. These guys will deserve to get paid as top line level players and I wonder what the future holds for the 9.85 million dollar Seguin and the 9.5 million dollar Benn. Seguin has gone 23-23-46 in 75 games this season while Benn has gone 18-28-46 in 76GP. Benn is signed until the end of the 24/25 season while Seguin is signed until the end of the 26/27 season.
On a somewhat related note, I wonder how the Calgary Flames will deal with some of their players next contracts. Gaudreau should 100% finish in the top 3 in voting for the Hart Trophy and honestly might be the most deserving to win the whole thing. He is arguably the best 5 on 5 producer in the NHL this season with 108 points in 77 games. Gaudreau is 28 years old and set to be a UFA. He will not be making any less than 9 million next season.
The same goes for pending RFA Matt Tkachuk with 99 points in 77 games. Tkachuk is 24 and his current contract pays 7 million a season, he could easily argue himself into a contract starting with the number 10.
On a lesser degree is Andrew Mangiapane, 26 years old, pending RFA with 34 goals in 77 games. He is also shooting closer to 20% on the season and probably shouldn't be expected to hit this level again.
These are career years coming at both the best and worst time for the Flames. It's helped to propel them to be one of the best teams in the West this season but there are going to need to be some tough decisions made this off-season. Can the Flames keep the band together or will this be the last hurrah for this group.