The Edmonton Oilers cancel their preseason captain skate

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Finnegan Frost
September 8, 2024 (5:18 PM)

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After reaching game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, the Oilers energy levels are surely depleted.

Although reaching the Stanley Cup final is every players dream, there is a downfall to the situation. The Oilers have the shortest offseason out of any team in the National Hockey League (except for the Panthers) and have had little time to let the dust settle. With that being said, the team's energy levels must be conserved heading into the 2024-25 regular season.

According to Edmonton Journal's Kurt Leavins, the Oilers will not be holding their annual preseason captain's skate.

"No official Captain's Skates for Edmonton this year. You know, losing teaches one lessons only learned by enduring that pain. One thing the Oilers may have learned is that it is way more of a marathon than they ever imagined."
- Kurt Leavins

In a recent interview with Mark Spector, Connor McDavid admitted to overdoing it last year during the NHL offseason. This resulted in a sluggish start for the captain, and the team is clearly learning from their past mistakes.

«I was just very tired and fatigued from a long summer of training, and was not feeling very good on the ice. And it translated.»

The annual captain's skate is known to be quite intensive, and the Oilers are trying to minimize general wear and tear heading into the regular season.

According to Liam McCormick from Oilers Daily, Corey Perry also said in a recent interview that the Oilers know they can't win the Stanley Cup in October. The Oilers are clearly taking a more relaxed approach to this preseason, knowing the long journey of the regular season is ahead of them before they can compete in the playoffs again.

source: Oilers Daily
Edmonton Oilers cancel captains skates this season