Connor McDavid’s future in Edmonton is uncertain amid his contract extension situation, but the Oilers captain continues to proudly represent his team on and off the ice. Any contract discussions between McDavid’s party and the Edmonton front office seem to have little bearing on the standout center’s impression of the team.
Yes, a player like McDavid deserves to win the Stanley Cup. But after two straight defeats with the Oilers, he has confronted complicated feelings about the team. He continues to speak highly of the men in blue and orange, acknowledging the team’s immense improvement that propelled them to the finals twice in a row in the first place.
What Does Connor McDavid Think About the Edmonton Oilers’ Consecutive Stanley Cup Losses?
Not long ago, Darnell Nurse stated that drastic roster alterations may not be ideal for the Oilers, especially since the team has made the finals twice in a row. Surely, a win down the line could be waiting for Edmonton. Nurse further highlighted that the Oilers have showcased drastic improvement recently.
McDavid holds similar beliefs that he publicly expressed in his recent 1-1 with teammate Zach Hyman. The informal exchange ended with the former being asked a pertinent question: Two Stanley Cup heartbreaks later, have the Oilers learned a lesson they could find valuable heading into the next season?
Like a true captain, McDavid stated that losses do not automatically translate into grand heartbreaks.
“I think you know, just because you lose in the final, doesn’t mean that there are no wins, you know, for sure. I think everybody thinks about the Oilers as this heartbroken team, but that’s not true at all,” he observed.
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The locker room exchanges might be completely different from what fans imagine them. Maybe the Oilers are not a disappointed and demotivated bunch; instead, they could be a team that is cognizant of their remarkable success in the past few years.
As Nurse had stated, there was a point in time when consecutive Western Conference Finals could have supplied him with enough motivation for an entire season. There is no reason to deny Edmonton the credit it rightly deserves for coming such a long way, just because the team couldn’t land the Cup on two occasions.
“You know, we’ve had a lot of success over the last number of years in our runs and stuff like that. We’ve won a lot of playoff series. We’ve won a lot of playoff games. Um, we know how to win when it matters,” added McDavid.
The 28-year-old went so far as to express his belief that, despite Stanley Cup losses, the Oilers are arguably the most motivated group in the NHL. McDavid’s overt faith in the team could offer some much-needed respite to Oilers fans who ought to be distraught amid the never-ending contract discussions.
