These 5 Oilers should be ranked in TSN's top 50
It's almost that time of the year - TSN is set to do their annual top 50 NHL players, and these 5 Oilers should make the cut.
The Oilers have some very bullish predictions heading into this season. Not only are the Oilers the Stanley Cup favourites, they have also been predicted to be ranked 1st place in the NHL, taking home the coveted President's trophy.
With that being said, here are the 5 Oilers that should be the top 50 as per the Hockey Writers:
Zach Hyman:
Last season, Zach Hyman finished third in the NHL in goal scoring with 54. He also finished with the most goals in the playoffs out of anybody with 16. Based on his past performance he still continues to trend upwards, and I'm expecting another great season out of the likable forward.
Evan Bouchard:
Evan Bouchard is a stud, and given his performance in 2023-24 including leading all defencemen in scoring in the NHL playoffs, I think he's a shoo-in for making TSN's top 50 list for 2024-25.
Mattias Ekholm:
Ok, he's a bit of a dark horse but don't forget that the big Swedish defenceman was injured early in the 2023-24 season and still finished third in plus/minus in the NHL. He may be a year older, but he's also healthy coming into the 2024-25 season, and I don't expect his play to drop off anytime soon. Ekholm may not be flashy, like so many players in the top 50, but he's as solid as a rock and should be recognized for the fact that he's one of the top defencemen in the league.
Leon Draisaitl:
It's not a question of whether the league's highest-paid player will finish in the top 50, it's where he will land. With competition from Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon, Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews and last season's scoring title winner Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Lightning, it'll be interesting to see where the TSN panel places Draisaitl.
Connor McDavid:
I would bet the farm that McDavid is voted as the number one player for the eighth consecutive year in the TSN poll. He's coming into the 2024-25 season more determined than ever to finally sip from Lord Stanley's Cup. And I wouldn't bet against him doing that either.
source: The Hockey Writers
5 Oilers Who Deserve To Be On TSN's Top 50 List For 2024-25
| POLL | ||
Will these players make the top 50? | ||
| Yes | 34 | 87.2 % |
| No | 5 | 12.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
