A Guide to Survive the Off-Season for Oilers Fans

Maria Bouabdo

Jul 14, 2023, 13:30

Maria Bouabdo

Jul 14, 2023, 13:30

Here are six things to do to keep busy before October

1. Play armchair GM

After the entry draft and the first day of free agency, there is very little hockey-related action happening, so a good way to still feel involved in Oilers hockey is to spend way too much time looking at the team’s salary cap and play armchair GM.

2- Try to guess what the lineup will look like

Similarly to playing armchair GM, this can be a fun way to simply take a look at the players currently signed in Edmonton and play around with the lines and pairings.

3- Follow players’ off-ice adventures on social media

With no on-ice action, there is plenty going on off-ice: players getting married, travelling, proposing... If you're a curious person who likes to know what is happening in your favourite players' lives, keeping up with them on social media can be entertaining.

4- Buy merch

The offseason can be a good time to stock up on merch, or finally buy something that you've always wanted. Let's be honest, who hasn't found themselves scrolling through the NHL shop website way too often?

5- Talk your friends and family’s ears off about the offseason

Though talking non-stop about hockey with your family and friends may also be a regular-season activity, it is a bit different — and maybe more annoying, depending on how they see it — when there is no actual hockey happening and all you’re talking about are speculations.

6- Complain about how long the offseason is

Are you even a hockey fan if you’re not constantly complaining that a life (or months) without hockey feels like an eternity?

It gets boring, and you can easily run out of things to do, but Oct. 11 will come quickly and you'll finally see the Oilers step on the ice again to face the Vancouver Canucks.

Related: Oilers 2023 Off-Season Guide