Leon Draisaitl has experienced plenty of good moments with the Oilers.
The big centre selected No. 3 overall at the 2014 NHL draft owns a Hart Trophy as league MVP, has filled the net across his decade in the Alberta capital and enjoyed playoff success.
Draisaitl also remembers the bad times — disappointing finishes, missed opportunities, gut-wrenching losses.
Edmonton is back in the Stanley Cup final against the same opponent after losing to the Florida Panthers last spring. Attempting to ascend hockey’s summit a second straight year with a nucleus of teammates he’s grown up alongside is the only place he wants to be.
“They’re my best friends,” Draisaitl said in the lead-up to Wednesday’s Game 1.
“We’ve been through a lot of bad years, a lot of tough times here. And now a lot of good times, as well. Our dream, our goal, is to finish this off.”
The group enjoyed a breakthrough in 2022 when Edmonton made the Western Conference final for the first time since 2006.
The Oilers then secured a spot in last year’s title series, but a 3-0 hole was too deep to climb out of after forcing Game 7. More experienced, mature and well-balanced, the Oilers aim to pen a different ending.
“Hopefully we can do it, most importantly, for ourselves, but for the people of Edmonton, the fan base, the organization,” Draisaitl said. “They live with us.
“The passion … it feels different around here. We’re excited to get another crack at it.”
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Superstar captain Connor McDavid joined Draisaitl after going No. 1 at the 2015 draft, entering a locker room that also included forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and defenceman Darnell Nurse, who both remain stalwarts on a roster that’s undergone plenty of change.
“All the core guys have been at this together for a long time … I think it has to be that way,” McDavid said. “We’ve shown a great deal of commitment to each other, to the organization, to the city, and it’s brought us to this point again, just another kick at the can.
“It’s great to be doing that with your brothers.”
Nurse looked back on the “roller-coaster” the team has endured across his 10 years, from regular-season disappointment to playoff despair.
“We’ve seen both ends of the spectrum,” he said. “It’s exciting to have another opportunity. Going through the heartbreak of last year, just to have the opportunity to play another series of this magnitude. With what’s on the line, we’re all excited.”
Nugent-Hopkins, the longest-serving member of the current Oilers roster, was in Edmonton for some of the darkest days after getting selected No. 1 in 2011.
“Those were fun years for me as a young kid coming into the league, but could be frustrating at times when the team’s not having success,” he said. “You learn a lot as a young player about how hard it is to win in this league and how important the little things are. It’s been a ton of fun to see our team evolve and put together some runs.”
Draisaitl said hoisting hockey’s holy grail would be a fitting finish for the core group.
“It’s everything to us,” he said. “Especially the way we started … it wasn’t easy. There’s some tough years. To be able to start the Stanley Cup final on home ice, you can just feel a buzz in the city. These people deserve it.
“They’ve waited a long time for this. It’s all about finishing it.”
Forceful forecheck
Florida, which possesses one of the best forechecks in the league, has pounded opposing defences over the last three playoffs. Nurse said it’s important to make quick decisions when going back for pucks.
“They’re fast,” Nurse said. “They get on top of you. They’re physical.”
He added that assistant coach and Hall of Fame defenceman Paul Coffey has preached making decisions with confidence.
“First play you see is usually the best play,” Nurse said. “That really helps our group just go out there and play and not worry about things. With a team that comes as aggressive and fast as they do, the first play is probably the best play.”
Turning the page
Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner said it took him a while last summer to be hit with the disappointment of that Cup final defeat.
“I normally open up the wound pretty quickly, but it took me a little while,” he explained. “Who really helped me with that was my wife. I was like, ‘Oh, I’m totally fine.’ And she was like, ‘Uh, I don’t think you are.’ She really helped me in that moment. That’s what family is all about, right? Making sure that you’re OK and that you’re taken care of.
“That opened up the wound, and I was able to process it and take care of it. Now it’s in the past.”
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