The Oilers? On The Rise?

Now to some news that feels like should've been here a couple months ago. Players around the NHL are believing that the Edmonton Oilers are on the rise and will one day become the Penguins or the Blackhawks. That's according to USA Today Sports who surveyed 29 NHL players and asked them to choose a team that will rise up to be a powerhouse. 16 votes were penned toward the Oilers and no other team picked up more than five votes.

Okay, seriously, I get why everybody would pick the Oilers. They're starting to become a team that looks like it's playing together and the offense seems to be clicking around the guys like Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle. But I need to see some proof. Honestly, they looked good at the end of the season, and they should've done this before they started losing all those games in January and February. And right now, I think I see potential to see winning games early. But I don't know. It could be like a Virginia Tech-type situation, where they start out good and then start flopping once January or February rolls around. I like the Oilers. I really do. But I don't know if they're going to be a powerhouse team this year or the next. I want to see what happens. I'm not ready to say that the Oilers are a team to beat in this conference, but I do think they have that potential.

The Oilers are on the rise, I do agree. But before we jump into conclusions and give them the Stanley Cup title, let's see how well they do in September or October. We can then try to make a case to see if they really got the goods to match the Blackhawks and the Penguins.