The first three rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs were proof that this Edmonton Oilers team isn’t the same as the previous ones that struggled in the playoffs. They could win with defence, great goaltending, and most importantly, depth. The Oilers weren’t just Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl leading the way and carrying dead weight.
Then the Oilers ran into the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final. The depth, which gave them an edge until now, has been nonexistent through five games. They still have the players in place to flip this series and both force a Game 7 and win it on their home ice, but the Panthers have done a great job exposing their shortcomings, notably on their bottom six lines.
McDavid, Draisaitl, and Corey Perry have eight goals and 11 assists in this series. The rest of the forward unit has four goals and eight assists. At times, the Oilers feel like a one-line team because, frankly, they are, and it’s allowed the Panthers to shut down McDavid and force the other skaters to beat them. Draisaitl has, with four goals, including both game winners in overtime, but the rest of the forwards haven’t.
Evander Kane was a key part of the offence in the first three rounds. He scored five goals and added six assists to become a pivotal top-six winger. He entered this series as an X-factor, one of the power forwards who could keep Matthew Tkachuk and the Panthers’ physicality in check. Kane only has one goal and has otherwise been a liability in this series. He’s just one of the many examples of role players who have disappeared so far.
The credit goes to the Panthers and their defence for eliminating the Oilers’ forward depth. Moreover, goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky is having a great series with a .912 save percentage (SV%) on 181 shots. That said, a goal or two from the bottom six on the Oilers changes the complexion of this series, and they haven’t gotten that.
The Oilers made it to the Final with a defence that played well, regardless of which pairing was on the ice, as all three stepped up. Better yet, they were playing well even with Mattias Ekholm out of the lineup with an injury. When Ekholm returned, the expectation was for the unit to only play better.
This was, after all, a group that shut down the Vegas Golden Knights and the Dallas Stars with Darnell Nurse playing his best hockey. John Klingberg and Brett Kulak turned back the clock and were playing their best defence. Jake Walman looked like a great trade deadline addition, a skater who rounded out the unit.
In this series, the Panthers came at the defence in waves, and the Oilers have had no answers. It’s why Brad Marchand has six goals in five games and notably put Walman in a blender with his second goal in Game 5. Marchand is playing at an elite level on the third line while Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart, who have eight goals, have worn down the Oilers from the top six.
The Oilers have also seen the defence do nothing offensively. Aside from Evan Bouchard and Ekholm, who have two goals and nine assists, the unit hasn’t made an impact on the offensive end, with only two goals and four assists from the other defencemen. With the Oilers facing elimination, it might be too late to lean on the depth, and Bouchard will see more ice time as he can add that scoring presence while helping out defensively.
An underlying question heading into the Final was how the Oilers would replace Zach Hyman. The winger scored five goals and added six assists in 15 playoff games, making him a key part of the top line. He suffered a season-ending injury in the Western Conference Final, and his absence has been noticeable in this series.
Losing Hyman affects the entire lineup. The Oilers are forced to move either Draisaitl or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to McDavid’s line to make it a potent one. It’s by default, hurt the second line, which needs a Draisaitl or Nugent-Hopkins replacement from the bottom six. All in all, it leaves the bottom six depleted and the Oilers with a top-heavy offence.
The Oilers head to Game 6 with the Stanley Cup in the building. They’ll need their best two performances of the season to win this series, and it starts with the star power leading the way. They’ll also need at least a goal or two from the bottom six. Trent Frederic was acquired at the trade deadline for the playoffs, and now is the time for him to deliver. Kasperi Kapanen has become a household name in the playoffs, and a goal from him can go a long way.
The other key is stopping Marchand and the Panthers’ third line. The Panthers have a great top six, and the Oilers are focused on limiting it, but the third line is where the open looks are, and it’s why Marchand has taken over this series. The on-ice factor, in particular for the Oilers, is to clean up the loose pucks near the net, which is where many of the goals are coming from.
This isn’t the first time the Oilers have had their backs to the wall. They came back from down 3-0 in the Final last year only to come up short in Game 7, and this season, they’ve battled back against the Kings and in both Game 1 and Game 4 to win in overtime. The question is if the Oilers have enough in the tank to seal the deal, something the Panthers clearly have, but it’s unclear if they do. If they are going to win this series, they’ll need their depth to play a role in it.
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Mason West is a talented prospect of the future for the Chicago Blackhawks, but it appears he may look to leave hockey for big opportunities in football. The Chicago Blackhawks landed Anton Frondell with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, but it was perhaps their second first-round pick that drew the most intrigue, as they drafted centre Mason West out of the USHL. That pick was intriguing for many reasons, with the 6-foot-6 centre having potential with his talent and his physicality, but now, the team may be in danger of losing the talented 17-year old. According to a report from The Athletic, the No. 29 overall pick has been drawing interest from several NCAA programs to join their team as a football player. Standing at 6-foot-6, the Minnesota native is a star in both hockey and football, tallying 49 points in 31 games at the high school level while also being a star Quarterback, and after putting up 9 points in 10 USHL games with the Fargo Force, the future is bright for him in both sports. Ultimately, at 17-years of age, the future is very bright whichever way West ends up going, but given that the Blackhawks used a first-round pick on him in this past seasons draft, they're clearly confident that they can not only keep him in hockey, but make a good NHLer out of him moving forward.
The Tennessee Titans have officially given up on one of their former first-round draft picks. Wide receiver Treylon Burks has been waived by the Titans, the team announced on Monday. The decision to cut Burks comes two days after the 25-year-old suffered a broken collarbone during training camp practice. Burks injured himself while making a fantastic one-handed catch on a deep ball from rookie quarterback Cam Ward. Early reports suggest Burks will be out for several weeks and miss the start of the 2025 season. The Titans drafted Burks with the No. 18 overall pick in 2022. They acquired the selection when they traded A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles, and they had hoped the former Arkansas star would eventually develop into their top wide receiver. Burks, a three-time All-SEC selection, battled injuries throughout his first three NFL seasons. He played in just five games last year and finished with four catches. Ward said last week that he believed Burks was going to be one of Tennessee’s “best targets” this season, so the timing of the injury was unfortunate.
One of the biggest stories surrounding the Green Bay Packers this offseason has been the position change, and following absences, of two-time Pro Bowl left guard Elgton Jenkins. Early in the spring, it was quite clear that Green Bay had no intention of bringing back 2021 second round pick Josh Myers, who had been the Packers’ starting center since he was drafted. He ended up signing a one-year prove-it deal with the New York Jets. With Myers no longer in the fold, many wondered who the Packers would have play center. Zach Tom has long mentioned as a potential option there, as has second-year lineman Jacob Monk. But, to the shock of many, Green Bay opted to move Jenkins, who (as mentioned) is a two-time Pro Bowl left guard, to the position. They also signed Aaron Banks to a four-year $77 million contract to fill the hole left at left guard with Jenkins moving to center. It Was Reported that Green Bay Packers Star Elgton Jenkins Was Holding Out for a Revised Contract After the Packers announced that Jenkins was going to be moving to center while Banks would be entrenched at left guard, there were a series of reports that came out the two-time Pro Bowler was not happy. It was not that he minded the position switch. After all, he played center in college and filled in at the position in 2021 when Myers was out with an injury. Instead, these reports stated that Jenkins was concerned that the position switch would affect his earning capabilities in the NFL after his contract in Green Bay comes to an end. Centers do not make as much money as guards, and it was believed that Jenkins wanted some extra guarantees from the Packers in exchange for making the switch. And when Jenkins did not report to Green Bay for OTA’s and mandatory mini camp, fans began to worry that they had a real contract holdout on their hands. This was assumed to be the case, too, when Jenkins started training camp on the non-football injury list. Green Bay Packers Center Elgton Jenkins Shoots Down Contract Rumors As it turns out, though, none of these reports and rumors were true. Jenkins returned to practice on Tuesday, participating in individual drills only as he ramps up his activity. He had injured his back lifting weights during the offseason, which is why he started camp on the NFI. As for OTA’s, well, he had some family matters to attend to: As Ryan Wood notes, Jenkins spoke the Packers twice this offseason. The first time when they asked him about switching positions, and the second when he told them he would. What is more, per Wood, Jenkins has been planning a move to center for some time now: This is great news for Green Bay, who will be relying on Jenkins as their longest-tenured lineman, again, to lead the group tasked with protecting Jordan Love and opening holes for the run game.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht recently suggested the club and Baker Mayfield will sign a contract extension "when the time is right" because Tampa Bay wants Mayfield "to be our quarterback for a long time." During a Monday appearance on CBS Sports HQ, Mayfield broke some news regarding the three-year, $100M deal he signed to stay with the Buccaneers back in March 2024. "You know, right now, I’m under contract through 2026," Mayfield told CBS Sports' Pete Prisco, as shared by the JoeBucsFan website. "So it was really just about getting guaranteed money for 2026, and they did that. And that’s all I can ask for. I signed the contract and knew what it was." JoeBucsFan noted that Mayfield's $40M salary for 2026 was not previously guaranteed. That's no longer an issue for the 30-year-old after he guided the Buccaneers to back-to-back division titles. While Mayfield is working with his third offensive coordinator (Josh Grizzard) in three seasons with Tampa Bay, he's also coming off the best campaign of his pro career. According to Pro Football Reference, Mayfield ended the 2024 regular season ranked fourth in the NFL among qualified players with a 106.8 passer rating, third with 4,500 passing yards and tied for second with 41 touchdowns through the air. In Tampa Bay, Mayfield found a franchise that has let him be his true self after he spent time with the Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams from January 2022 through January 2023. He's now the emotional leader of a Buccaneers offense that needed more than just solid play at the sport's most important position after living legend Tom Brady retired in February 2023. "Right now it’s winning," Mayfield said on Monday about his mindset for the upcoming season. "I know good things will happen after that. But I trust this place. I love being here. Obviously, [I’m] used to bouncing around. I’ve done that before, but I don’t want to leave." As of Monday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Buccaneers tied for seventh among the betting favorites at +1300 odds to win the NFC Championship Game held in January 2025. Even if Mayfield fails to lead Tampa Bay to Super Bowl LX, it sounds like he will remain with the Buccaneers through at least the start of the 2026 season.