Buy or Sell: Edmonton Oilers to Win the Western Conference

The Edmonton Oilers have two of the best players in the NHL and should still be considered a threat to win the Western Conference.

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are superstar talents that have played a large part in carrying the Oilers to their current standing. The Oilers appeared in the Western Finals last season but were swept by the eventual Stanley Cup winners, the Colorado Avalanche. 

Let’s dive into the Edmonton Oilers’ odds of winning the Western Conference on the FanDuel Sportsbook and if there’s value in them making their first Stanley Cup appearance in the McDavid era. 

The Oilers have to be Considered with McDavid and Draisaitl

As long as the Edmonton Oilers have a roster built around Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, it won’t be easy to discount them when looking toward teams to win the West. These are game-changing talents that no team in the league can match up with, and they’ve already demonstrated they have what it takes to find success in the playoffs. The questions for the Oilers have always been surrounding the supporting cast, those doubts are still there, but that doesn’t mean Edmonton can’t be considered a team with value. 

Goaltending has been a significant issue for the Oilers. The team signed goaltender Jack Campbell to a long-term contract in the offseason, which hasn’t worked out. Stuart Skinner has taken over the bulk of the starts, while Campbell has lacked consistency. Skinner has performed admirably for a goalie thrown into a challenging position, but he doesn’t have playoff experience and cannot be considered a sure thing in April and May. That doesn’t mean he won’t find success in those games, but when you look at some of the more proven commodities in the West, it makes it difficult to be comfortable with the Oilers’ goalie situation. 

It’s no secret that the Oilers are looking to add to the backend, attempting to mitigate some of the high-danger chances they’ve allowed. It’s unknown who some of those potential targets may be, but there’s little doubt that the Oilers’ brass is looking to upgrade the team.

The Oilers are priced at +750 to win the Western Conference, which has them in a tie for the fifth-shortest odds with the Minnesota Wild. If they can upgrade their defense and get more consistency in goal, there could be some value in the Oilers making another deep playoff run. If you want to bet on star power to win out, the Oilers are the team to back.

Buy or Sell: Don’t go crazy, but sprinkle some money on the Oilers to win the West at +750