3 Kings-Oilers bold predictions for 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The narrative around this Kings-Oilers playoff rivalry has been linear over the past three years. It was hard to bet against McDavid, Draisaitl, and the Oilers lineup. Los Angeles had enough to give them trouble, but Edmonton always seemed to have the series in control. However, the masses’ opinions can turn quickly, and the Oilers aren’t everyone’s vote to win the fourth edition of this rivalry.

It isn’t a massive surprise that plenty are picking the Kings this year. In a league with so much parity, beating a team in four consecutive first-round playoff series seems impossible. You would think the Kings would finally get a couple of bounces to go their way and finally persevere. However, the Kings have only been getting farther away from their goal. They took Edmonton to seven games in the first series, six games in the second series, and fell in five last year.

The bold prediction isn’t that the Kings will continue that trend and get swept this year. These teams are too evenly matched for Los Angeles to let that happen. The Oilers might be the popular pick to fall to the Kings this year, but if healthy, Edmonton’s roster seems like it could be the toughest test yet for Los Angeles. Look no further than the Oilers’ forward depth.

Edmonton hopes to have all hands on deck for Game 1. That means Trent Frederic and Evander Kane will be ready, which makes Kris Knoblauch’s decision difficult. It’s hard to find one forward worthy of coming out of the lineup, much less two to get Frederic and Kane in. No one should get ahead of themselves about the Kings, as the Oilers are still the better team over a seven-game series.

Connor McDavid regains control of the team

It’s a nice luxury to have for the Oilers. They have the world’s best player and someone who could end his career as one of the best ever. It’s rare for a team to have a generational player as good as McDavid come into their lives, but it’s even rarer to have a player behind him who can record 106 points when he has an off year. It wasn’t the best season for McDavid, but Draisaitl carried the weight and got them into a spot, winning the Rocket Richard Trophy in the process. With McDavid rested and healthy, it could be bad news for the Kings.

It isn’t the boldest prediction, as McDavid just recorded 10 assists in four games since returning from his injury. He had already taken back control of the team, but not as many people had noticed since the games didn’t matter. No one should be surprised if the Oilers win this series and McDavid averages a couple of points per game. He had one goal and 11 assists in the five games against the Kings in last year’s first round.

Darcy Kuemper becomes the issue in net

For good reason, Stuart Skinner is a massive question mark for Edmonton this season. He hasn’t been having his best year, and the armchair general managers think the Oilers should have acquired a starting goaltender at the trade deadline. However, the front office seems to believe in Skinner, and he did lead them to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last season.

Darcy Kuemper has been good this season, but he has battled bouts of inconsistency. Kuemper could be a Vezina Trophy finalist this year, but better goalies have fallen in the postseason before. People point to Kuemper’s previous Stanley Cup victory as a reason why the Kings will finally break the drought this season. Still, they forget he didn’t have the most stellar playoffs when he won with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022.

Kuemper finished those playoffs with a .902 save percentage and a 2.54 goals-against average. The numbers were good enough to get the job done with the Avalanche, but the Kings might need a bit better goaltending to win this series. Kuemper has the potential to do that, but it won’t be easy against the Oilers’ offense.

The Oilers and Kings are set for one of the most intriguing series’ of Round 1. When the puck drops for Game 1 on Monday evening in California, we’ll find out if the Oilers still have the Kings’ number in 2025.