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Oilers' Leon Draisaitl Issues Warning to Panthers Before Stanley Cup Final

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Jun 2, 2025 8:12 AM ET

The Edmonton Oilers are back in the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight year after falling to the Florida Panthers in a seven-game series last June.

The rematch begins Wednesday at Rogers Place, with Edmonton hosting the first two games after not having home-ice advantage in last year's finals.

In the 2024 playoffs, Florida let a 3-0 series lead slip away before closing the finals out in Game 7.

Edmonton, however, enters this year's series with strong goaltending from Stuart Skinner and arguably the most motivated core in hockey, if only because of their talent and the lack of a title to prove it.

"That's the goal to get to this point & give yourself a chance to be one of the last two teams. We've done that job but there's one more hill to climb & it's gonna be the hardest one."

Leon Draisaitl on the #Oilers returning to the Cup Final.@Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/GIj2QbGieI
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) June 1, 2025

For Leon Draisaitl, there’s no mystery about the opponent they will face during the next few days. The Oilers forward said after Sunday's practice that he's been keeping a close eye on Florida’s run, sending the Panthers a warning before their rematch.

"Yeah, I like watching hockey at home," Draisaitl said. "So obviously I’ve been paying attention to their series, and you know, the way they play, it’s not like anything new to us."

The Oilers lost both regular-season meetings against Florida this season but enter the finals with momentum, having eliminated Dallas in five games and putting together a 12-2 record in their last 14 outings.

Draisaitl acknowledged that the Panthers’ style won’t catch them off guard this time.

"They look to, you know, be in your face," Draisaitl said. "And, yeah, I mean again, nothing that we haven’t faced already or nothing that we’re not aware of."

The forward closed his remarks by hinting at unfinished business.

"We know what they're about," Draisaitl said. "It's nice to get a shot at getting some revenge, but we're a long ways from that."

Game 1 is scheduled for Wednesday in Edmonton, with puck drop set at 8 p.m. ET and the Oilers having home-ice advantage entering the finals.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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