We are less than two hours away from the 2024/25 Stanley Cup finals, and as Connor McDavid and the Oilers, and Aleksander Barkov and the Panthers lace up their skates for a rematch of last years finals, here are my main finals breakdowns, and what to know before the start of this exhilarating series.
In terms of superstar talent, both are stacked at both ends of the ice, but with two former league MVPs in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the Oilers just about edge the reigning Stanley Cup champs when it comes to superstars. Although the Panthers have star power of their own, Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, and Sergei Bobrovsky, the Oilers stars could just have enough to beat out the Panthers with star power alone.
But as far as stars go, what the Oilers don't have is the offensive depth to go with it. In the absence of Zach Hyman, beyond McDavid and Draisaitl, the list is pretty weak in terms of offensive weapons, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Evander Kane being arguably two of the better players on the roster after the big three. Unlike in Florida’s case, behind Barkov and Tkachuk, the Panthers emphasised last year that depth is what wins championships, and that's exactly what they have this year over the Oilers once again. With a supporting cast of Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, Evan Rodrigues, Carter Verhaeghe, and the list goes on, the Panthers take the offensive advantage over Edmonton purely because of depth, but who knows what the two magic men in Edmonton can do on their own.
Defensively both teams have definitely shown their woes, but have also shown very positive signs in recent games. As Mattias Ekholm returns to the lineup alongside Evan Bouchard who has been putting up Conn Smythe level performances, the Oilers defensive problems may be patched up perfectly in time. Even with Kulak and Nurse, and Walman stepping up when they need to, Edmonton’s depth is a decoder, and if they stay on form in the big games, they could manage to stand strong against the relentlessly deep Panthers offense. In the Panthers case, defense has been good enough, and definitely needs to up its level for the finals. Mid-season trade acquisition Seth Jones has proven he is as reliable as they come in the playoffs, and Aaron Eklab has been showing the aggression and physicality that head coach Paul Maurice would have been expecting. But as far as depth goes,and the quality past the first pairing, Dmitry Kulikov, Nate Schidt, and Niko Mikkola have been essential for Paul Maurice when they need to get back to basics, and are the perfect definition of just getting the job done. But with the finals only hours away, and two of the best in the game by a long shot coming right at them, their defensive depth issues may be an issue.
But with bad defense often comes a saviour in between the pipes, something the Panthers never need to worry about with Russian goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Bobrovsky who was arguably robbed of the Conn Smythe trophy last year will have the opportunity to put his skills and reliability on show once again against goal machines like McDavid, but is the perfect wall in the net which negates most of Florida’s defensive problems. Bobrovsky who could be considered the Panthers most important player behind Barkov is definitely a player to look out for, and had they go all the way, will definitely play a deciding factor. In Between the Edmonton post on the other end of the ice, Stuart Skinner has been making his own redemption story, and has put up some impressive performances to back it up. A horrific start to the postseason followed by a comeback string of fabulous victories has meant Skinner is more important to the Oilers than most may think, but is still strides behind Bobrovsky, and will be tough to outperform the Russian phenom the Panthers so deeply love.
And there it is, my pre finals breakdown. With special teams, locker room vibes, and desires only to be split by a hair, the matchup looks pretty even, and is set to be an exciting and hopefully historical finals for one lucky team.
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