Every year prior to the start of the season I make ten bold predictions for the Edmonton Oilers on the upcoming season and after the season finishes I look back at them and see how close I was. Some times I'm bang on, sometimes I miss the mark by a hair, and other times I'm just flat out wrong. Let's see how I did.

1) McDavid Has His Lowest PPG Pace in the Last 3 Years
Wasn't exactly right here but I also wasn't wrong. McDavid put up 132 points in 76 games this season, including a 100 assist season. That being said his goal scoring was below his career averages and the Oilers early season struggles and his own injuries had him well below many others through October and November. But you can never bet against Connor and from December through to the end of the season, the captain produced at a torrid pace.

2) Evan Bouchard Puts Up 70 Points
After going 12-31-43 in his first full season and 8-32-40 in his second season, I felt that Bouchard was primed to break out offensively in a big way. Not only was this prediction true, he blew it out of the water with a point-per-game 18-64-82 in 81GP. In addition to his production, Bouchard took big steps forward defensively and continued to show not only that he is a offensive juggernaut, but also a legit top pairing player. Finishing 5th in Norris voting was another indication of how the NHL as a whole views Bouchard.

3) Raphael Lavoie Puts Up 15 Goals
Swing and a miss here. I thought that Lavoie would make the team out of training camp and his offensive instinct would give the Oilers a top nine scoring threat. While I still believe he should have been on the team out of training camp, the coaching staff instead favored players like Adam Erne and a lack of injuries through the season prevented Lavoie from getting a real chance.

4) Oilers Win The Western Conference

A historically bad start to the season washed away any chance of this happening but their run from December onward helped get them back into the conversation. The Oilers would finish 2nd in their own division and 5th in the Western Conference. Though Edmonton would go on to beat the Canucks would finished first in their division and the Stars who finished first in the Conference.

5) Ryan McLeod Gets A Selke Vote
No dice here. McLeod would continue to be a strong defensive option for the Edmonton Oilers with his line regularly outscoring the opposition but his individual lack of offense continued to be a point of contention and likely became part of the reason the organization decided to move on from him. I still think at some point in his career he will get at least a Selke vote.

6) Edmonton Has The Best Home Record In The NHL
I came surprisingly close on this one. The Edmonton Oilers finished the season with 28 home wins, which sat third behind the Rangers (30) and the Avalanche (31). The impossibly bad start really hurt my predictions here.

7) Edmonton Plays Seattle In the First Round
Seattle took a step back this season and once again we were treated to a trap game Kings vs Oilers first round where Edmonton handily won in 5 games.

8) Oilers Trade Cody Ceci At the Deadline
Got close on this one. We know that the Oilers looked at trading Ceci and a pick to the Flames for Tanev but ultimately the south rival chose to trade him to Dallas instead and not take on the extra cap. As of today, Cody Ceci remains an Edmonton Oiler.

9) Jack Campbell Has A Big Bounceback - Has a 0.910SV%
Sigh, saved my best two for last. Jack Campbell in fact did not bounce back and continued to struggle and flounder until he was sent down to the AHL, never to play another game in an Oilers jersey being bought out in the off-season.

10) Connor Brown Puts Up 30 Goals and 70 Points
What a difference a year makes. Today, people are happy at Brown signing a 1 year 1 million dollar deal to be a solid fourth liner and PK option for the Edmonton Oilers. People forget that when Connor Brown signed, the expectations were that he was going to be an upgrade on Kailer Yamamoto and be a solid contributor in the top six. Instead, Connor Brown went months without scoring a goal, finishing the season going 4-8-12 in 71 games, being healthy scratched on many occasions.

Thanks for reading!

Join the Discussion: » 5 Comments » Post New Comment

» Looking at Bowman's Awful Track Record As GM

» More Thoughts On The Oilers New GM + A Correction

» Oilers Hire Stan Bowman As GM - Proving The NHL Remains Garbage

» How To Get The Oilers Cap Compliant

» Weak Pacific May Be Opportunity For Kraken