It was by almost every measure, an incredible season. And it’s over.
The 2016-2017 campaign for the Edmonton Oilers has seen a team fresh off the heels of a 29th placed performance climb to within a couple points of top spot in the Pacific Divison and into the playoffs. They proved that the old adage about teams needing to learn how to become a playoff team then needing to learn how to win a round was a load of crap. It’s a myth. In the NHL teams like the Oilers, who get gifted generational talent, can make waves in a hurry.
The playoff didn’t end the way I wanted them to. They didn’t end the way I thought they would after the Oilers went up 2-0 on the Ducks, stealing away home ice from Anaheim. Hell, the playoffs didn’t end the way I think the team deserved after referees blew 3 calls in the Ducks’ favor to rob them of at least one win for sure and likely a second.
That said, we have to acknowledge that most pundits didn’t pick the Oil to make the playoffs at all. But somehow McDavid was even better than imagined during the regular season. He’s going to win the Hart trophy and maybe even the Lindsay. Cam Talbot was more durable than we imagined, playing more games, minutes, and seeing more shots than anyone else in the NHL. And Oscar Klefbom, with a boot that had to be specially made so his foot would stop rotting, had a massive comeback year.
We can say pretty positively that Nurse made big strides in his 2nd full campaign. Benning was a total surprise and became more impactful than anyone ever imagined. Along with some very solid, meat and potatoes play from Gryba the 3rd pairing was manned by legitimate NHL players no matter the combination. Chiarelli’s additions, while we can argue about their exact value or cost or whatever, proved to all be NHL players.
With a defense rebuilt to feature actual NHL talent, a mega-star center, and a workhorse goaltender the Oilers dragged themselves out of the basement of the NHL. There are a hundred different ways we could break all of that down and an entire summer to do it in, but that’s the gist of it. The Oilers are no longer a joke of a franchise. Expectations have been completely revamped from what they were this time 12 months ago.
I’m terribly disappointed the Oilers didn’t find themselves in the Western Conference final. I’m mad at Ryan Kesler for being a thing. I’m still shaking my head that Ryan Getzlaf was allowed to interfere, delay, and obstruct Oiler players with diplomatic immunity. I’m plenty enraged that goaltender interference does not include running into the goaltender’s skate, blocker, or pulling apart his pads to expose the five-hole. However, I am fueled by the fact that I believe this team is going to be a contender for a long time.
This club will be back. There will be changes. The Oilers will be good again next year. Probably even better. Somehow, some way, this team will get better. The rest of the league knows it too. Edmonton’s coming out party is over. Four teams move on in these playoffs, but notice was served.
The 2016-2017 season is over, but so is the wait for this team to finally deliver on the rebuild promises it made eight years ago. It's over.
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