Insider claims the Oilers "can't win the cup"
TSN insider Craig Button has recently ruffled some feathers in Oil Country, claiming the Oilers "can't win a cup" with their current defensive core.
The Edmonton Oilers top 6 forward group has recognized as being the most elite group of players in the NHL. But when it comes to the teams defence, there have been some major concerns raised regarding their depth and skill. According to TSN insider Craig Button, the Oilers can't win the Stanley Cup with their current blue-liners.
Craig Button admits that the top pairing of Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm are elite, but besides the two, the Oilers don't have that much to offer. Button goes on to explain that losing Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg to the St. Louis Blues has been a devastating blow to the team, and GM Stan Bowman is scrambling to pick up the broken pieces. Furthermore, Button makes a bold claim that McDavid and Draisaitl won't be enough to get the Oilers to Stanley Cup glory.
As much as I can't stand Craig Button's pompous take, he does make some valid points. Besides Bouchard and Ekholm, the Oilers D-core is undeniably weak. Darnell Nurse makes over $9 MM AAV per season, but hasn't shown he's deserving of that monstrous contract so far.
The Oilers did make a few splashes over the NHL offseason, acquiring Josh brown and Ty Emberson, but let's get real here. Josh Brown has just been placed on waivers, whereas Ty Emberson doesn't even have 30 regular season games under his belt.
As much as I want to disagree with Craig Button, he does make a valid point. With Evander Kane's pending LTIR status, the Oilers will need to bring in an elite defender, specifically a right shot who can push the team to Stanley Cup glory.
