Perhaps the best assessment of how the Edmonton Oilers have changed since last year came from Dallas Stars coach Peter DeBoer. “I can tell you, that Edmonton team is better than the team we played last year,” he said after the Dallas Stars were knocked out by Connor McDavid and co. It had taken the Oilers six games to oust the Stars in the Conference Finals last year. This time they did it in five. “Deeper, defends harder, harder to play against. That’s a lot better team than the team we played last year in the Conference Final.” Much like DeBoer, Evander Kane also thinks that his team’s depth this year is worth counting on, and that it will help them nullify the big injury hit they’ve taken as they attempt to redeem themselves against the mighty Panthers in this year’s finals.
The Oilers suffered a huge blow when Zach Hyman had to leave the ice at 9:17 of the first period of Game 4 of the Conference Finals thanks to a collision with Stars forward Mason Marchment. He has had surgery on the injury since then and has been ruled out of the finals. Hyman had racked up 11 points (5 goals and 6 assists) in 15 playoff games this season. But what had truly made Hyman a menace for opponents was his newfound physicality. A human wrecking ball, the winger had landed a whopping 111 hits in the playoffs this year with a rating of +10, no less. “We’re going to miss Zach, not only for his goal-scoring, but his physicality and his defensive play,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. But as heavy as the loss is, Evander Kane thinks the Oilers will find a way to persevere.
Editor-in-Chief of The Fourth Period, David Pagnotta, shared an update on X on June 2 with Evander Kane’s thoughts on Hyman’s loss and the way forward. The post read: “Kane on Hyman injury:“Zach’s a huge part of our team. He’s a great asset to any team. But we did a great job in Game 5 against Dallas (without him). We have a lot more depth throughout the entirety of our lineup. Unfortunately, we’re going to have to use that depth and get the job done without him.” Optimistic? Yes. Misguided? No.
The Oilers went on to win Game 4 pretty comfortably with a 1-4 margin, even after losing Hyman so early in the first period. What’s more? They ended the game with 50 hits as opposed to the Stars’ 24. Vasily Podkolzin led the team with eight, while Kasperi Kapanen chipped in with seven. “I thought we dealt with it good,” Draisaitl said. “The guys that were maybe a little further down the lineup, obviously got their minutes elevated a little bit.” One of the people ‘further down the lineup’ who got moved up because of Hyman’s absence was the 33-year-old Jeff Skinner. And guess what? He didn’t disappoint either.
Kane on Hyman injury: “Zach’s a huge part of our team. He’s a great asset to any team. But we did a great job in Game 5 against Dallas (without him). We have a lot more depth throughout the entirety of our lineup. Unfortunately, we’re going to have to use that depth and get the…
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) June 2, 2025
Skinner had spent five weeks in the press box before he was called up by Knoblauch for the all-important Game 5, and he made sure to mark it with his first playoff goal ever. With that, he also became the 19th skater to score a goal for the Edmonton Oilers this postseason, the same as the Florida Panthers. Last year, the number stood at 14. So yeah, the Oilers have more depth now. But that doesn’t mean they have stopped relying on their usual suspects.
Evander Kane can talk depth, but Connor McDavid has never been more important
The 2024 Conn Smythe Award Winner is the NHL elite that the Oilers hold as a trump card. With 6 goals and 20 assists in the 2025 playoffs, Connor McDavid has the most points this postseason. Needless to say, they want to protect him at all costs. But on June 1, a scoop on him had the Oilers nation panicking and reporters scurrying for answers.
Jason Gregor, co-host of the Daily Faceoff podcast, was among the ones who reported that McDavid had left practice early on Sunday. “McDavid was on the ice briefly today. After about 10 minutes he left after speaking with trainers. Rest of team skated another 30 minutes. Something to monitor for sure,” Gregor posted on X.
Image via Facebook/Edmonton Oilers
Thankfully, head coach Kris Knoblauch cleared things up for the better that the Oilers captain will be ready for Game 1 on June 4. “Yeah, he will be fine. No issues,” Knoblauch clarified. Even with Connor Brown making a return for Game 1, and veterans like Corey Perry and Mattias Janmark turning up big time, the importance of McDavid cannot be overstated. After all, he ranks third on the postseason points per game leaderboard (1.589 points) behind only Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. Leon Draisaitl, who ranks fifth on the same list, and just behind McDavid on this year’s postseason points leaderboard with 25 points, will also need to chip in with a few multi-point games if the Oilers are to lay their hands on the Stanley Cup this time.
Will Evander Kane and Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl get it done without Zach Hyman? What do you think?
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