I don't think the Oilers are garbage but I definitely don't think they got any better defensively. And THAT of all things is what carried them to Game 7 last season. They rode a historical PK and once in a lifetime defensive performances and buy in from all their plugs. On top of that, so many things had to go right for them to actually get to the final as well. Drai was a no show and the plugs were giving amazing depth scoring too.
Winning the cup takes a lot of luck as well as merit, and the Oilers exhausted most of it last year.
They're not built for success when these 30 year olds will be relied on for 30 minute nights deep into playoff runs. They're human at the end of the day.
By all logic they won't win a cup with the cap situation they're in.
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