NHL insider completely shuts down Oilers hope at a Stanley Cup

NHL insider Craig Button doesn't believe the Oilers have what it takes to make a run at another Stanley Cup, as he believes they lack major defensive depth.

The Edmonton Oilers come into the new season expecting big things, especially after they came close to winning the Stanley Cup last year. In fact, many analysts in the NHL say this could be their year to go all the way. It is offense-minded and powered by generational-level talents in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, which has driven the success of this team. Yet others believe that with such high aspirations for a championship run, a weak defense simply can't support those aspirations. Perhaps the biggest critic, Craig Button, has been vocal that he sees Edmonton with no chance of winning it all due to this issue.

The top pairing of Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard is very good, but beyond that, Button does make some very well-taken points. Poor Darnell Nurse, a fan favorite, had a rough go of it last year in the playoffs, ending up with the worst plus/minus in playoff history. While young Ty Emberson does show promise, he has only 30 NHL games under his belt. Players like Troy Stecher and Brett Kulak are serviceable but aren't really the type of defender you see on a Cup winner.

But the real point here, of course, as Button also mentions, is the fact that Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway got offer-sheeted away, a major blow to any depth that the Oilers had, which was hard for GM Stan Bowman to fill in. As Button says, no matter how good McDavid and Draisaitl are, they can't carry the team by themselves to a championship. His argument emphasizes that hockey is a team game, and although one end of having the best players in the league helps, the rest of the roster must step up too.

While the criticism from Button might be overly harsh, it would be remiss not to note that he is a long-standing rival of Edmonton and has been in the role of Calgary's GM. He does have a tendency to say controversial things, but sometimes he hits on some uncomfortable truths. His comments about the Oilers' D did raise some important questions, though his outright dismissing their chances seems blown out of proportion.

But despite what Button said, the Oilers have routinely proved their doubters wrong. It has the real feel of overreaction when people say that it will all go off the rails because they've lost a Broberg or a Holloway. The Oilers could quite conceivably find themselves right back in the Stanley Cup conversation come next spring, with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl leading the charge and possible roster upgrades at the trade deadline.

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