"We gotta beat them": Multiple NHL stars pick Oilers as biggest rival
The Edmonton Oilers have a target on their back heading into the new season as players around the league are sizing them up.
Getting to the Stanley Cup Final last season opened up a lot of eyes on just how good the Oilers are. With the 2024-25 NHL season now officially underway, players on other teams view Edmonton as being one of the toughest teams to play this year.
Sportsnet asked 19 players across the league who their biggest rival was this season and while a lot of teams were said, the Oilers were a popular answer with five picking Connor McDavid’s club.
Of course, all five players who chose Edmonton play in the Western Conference.
“Probably Edmonton again,” said LA Kings forward Quinton Byfield. “They beat us three times, so we gotta beat them.”
Rivalries renewed? 🤔
We asked some NHL players who they think their biggest team rival will be this season: pic.twitter.com/3gTrxBNSRE
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 9, 2024
The other NHL players who named the Oilers as their biggest rival were:
- Wyatt Johnston, Dallas Stars
- Jack Eichel, Vegas Golden Knights
- MacKenzie Weegar, Calgary Flames
- Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks
Johnston chose the Oilers due to the team knocking the Stars out of the playoffs during last season’s Western Conference Final. You have to think Hughes had similar feelings following Vancouver’s Game 7 loss to the Oilers in the second round.
As for Eichel, the Oilers and Golden Knights are staunch Pacific Division rivals and had quite a spirited second-round series back in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Lastly, Weegar being a member of the Flames should say all you need about that.
McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were also asked the same question in the video. Each of their answers pointed at two of the players who chose Edmonton. The Oilers captain chose the Kings as Edmonton’s biggest rival, while Draisaitl went another way.
“Biggest rival? Probably Vancouver,” Draisaitl said.
As the new season wears on, we’ll see if any of these rivalries ignite even further or, perhaps, we’ll have an unexpected team rise to the occasion to start a fresh feud with the Oilers.
Either way, plenty of fun is on the horizon for fans.