Edmonton Oilers have lost to the Stanley Cup Champions for the second year in a row.

The 2023 Stanley Cup Champions are the Vegas Golden Knights. It only took 22 games for the Golden Knights to reach this milestone. They defeated the Florida Panthers in five games. They only lost more than one game in two series the entire playoffs. Against the Dallas Stars and the Edmonton Oilers.

Related: Who's the Oilers' Version of the Maple Leafs "Core 4"?

The Oilers were eliminated by the Stanley Cup Champions for the second straight season. While this is frustrating for fans, it's also a sign of great things to come. The Oilers time will come, and it may be sooner than you think.

Swept By the Colorado Avalanche

Last year's playoffs were filled with three memorable series'. Defeated the Los Angeles Kings in seven games. The first Battle of Alberta against Calgary in 31 years ended after five games. And then the Oilers were swept by the eventual Stanley Cup Champions, the Colorado Avalanche. 

The Avalanche were a heck of a team. Nazem Kadri was the 2nd line center who helped bring balance to the team's lineup. Cale Makar went on an offensive tear over the course of the post season. Despite being swept, the Oilers were in every game. They just got beat by a better team every night.

Almost Forced Game 7 vs Vegas Golden Knights

The Oilers were the only team to considerably challenge the Golden Knights this post season. The Golden Knights had to come from behind in every single one of the six games in the series. The Oilers scored 19 goals against the Golden Knights. The Winnipeg Jets managed 14 goals against them while both the Stars and Panthers only mustered up 12 in their series'.

The better team still won, but by a much lesser margin than against the Avalanche. The Oilers kept scoring on the power play but their even strength scoring would be the Achilles heel that caused them to stumble.

Oilers Gave Vegas Their Toughest Challenge 

The Stars were the only other team to take the Golden Knights to six games, while scoring seven less goals in the process. The Panthers had zero goals on 14 power play opportunities. Regardless of the power plays afforded them, it's up to the players to execute and score on those chances. No other team did that against the Golden Knights more than the Oilers. 

Related: 4 Items On The Oilers' 2023 Off Season To-Do List 

As the summer begins in earnest now for the entire league, this off season is even more important than most to Connor McDavid and company. The Oilers time to be the next Stanley Cup Champion, is now.