Can Connor Brown play the whole season with Connor McDavid? The 2023-24 regular season is finally here, and the Edmonton Oilers have the sky-high expectations of winning a Stanley Cup. The Hockey News has a projection model (affectionately named Kevin) who generated some standings predictions for the entire league. This is how the Pacific Division shakes out according to Kevin. PROJECTED PACIFIC DIVISION FINISH 1. undefined 2. undefined 3. undefined 4. undefined 5. undefined 6. undefined 7. undefined 8. undefined EDMONTON OILERS Last year: 50-23-9, Second in Pacific (Lost to Vegas in Western Semi-Finals) 2023-24 Projection: First in Pacific KEYS TO THE SEASON 1. BOUNCE BACK SEASON FROM JACK CAMPBELL Jack Campbell would be the first person to tell you that he didn't have a great season last year. It was to the point where Stuart Skinner usurped him as the starter during the regular season. He career-worst numbers in goals against average (GAA) with 3.41 and save percentage (SV%) with 0.888. Before last year his worst was 2.80 GAA and a .904. The league average GAA and SV% last year were 2.97 and .904. Despite the poor statistics, the Oilers still posted a 21-9-4 record with Campbell. 2. A FULL HEALTHY SEASON OF MATTIAS EKHOLM Mattias Ekholm was the biggest acquisition that the Oilers made at the trade deadline last season. His 200 foot game is unmatched by anyone else on the Oilers blue line. He helped Evan Bouchard find his stride at the end of last season and into the playoffs. Philip Broberg is projected to be paired up with him this season and the Oilers are hopeful he will have a similar impact on the young defender. 3. NEW DEFENSIVE SYSTEM Finally, for the Oilers to succeed this year they will need to execute their new systems every single game. Their new neutral zone formation should force more dump-ins and lead to less odd-man rushes against - which will greatly benefit the Oilers defense. By slowing down the opposition as they enter the Oilers zone, they prevent more high danger chances against. That can only benefit a team that is not the strongest defensively. MOST-LIKELY SCENARIO For the Oilers, the most likely scenario to play out will be finishing first or second in the Pacific - while getting league average goaltending and defense. The power play continues to move at a torrid pace, with a few players setting career highs in points. They make the playoffs and go all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. WORST-CASE SCENARIO If one of Darnell Nurse, Connor McDavid, or Campbell get hurt for any prolonged length of time - that would be the worst case scenario for the Oilers. The Oilers' worst injury last season was the one Evander Kane sustained that kept him out of the lineup for half of the year. Something like that happening to one of the players above for half a season could be catastrophic. Related: Rugged Ex-Oiler Cut From New Team Related: Oilers Cut Sniper From Camp Roster Related: Newly Acquired Oiler Could Be the Final Piece Needed For a Stanley Cup Related: Oilers Best Goal Scorers Second to None Related: Oilers' Shouldn't Give Starters Role to Skinner
