Morning Coffee: McDavid, Oilers back to the Stanley Cup Final

Your future hasn’t been written yet.

Could somebody at TSN please tell Ryan Rishaug to say that to Connor McDavid the next time he sees him?

Because unless Doc Brown shows up in the DeLorean and sends us back to the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, it’s up to McDavid to save Edmonton’s future and get his ring.

The best hockey player on the planet showcased his unparalleled skill set once again last night in Game 5 of the NHL’s Western Conference Final.

McDavid registered a goal, an assist, went 10-of-16 in the face-off circle, and led all forwards with 20:20 of ice time playing in all situations.

It wasn’t his best game of the postseason, but he still recorded his ninth multi-point performance of these Stanley Cup Playoffs to give him an NHL-best 26 points in 16 games.

More importantly, McDavid appears to be playing the best hockey of his career, which is one of the biggest reasons why the Edmonton Oilers were able to eliminate both the Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars in five.

Now the Oilers are four wins away from a championship, with a Stanley Cup Final rematch against the defending champion Florida Panthers on deck.

Sure, the NHL scriptwriters were a little lazy this year.

Oilers Nation won’t care one bit after getting the do-over they’ve wanted since the 2023-24 season ended.

Now it’s back to the Stanley Cup Finals for the Oilers.

If McDavid can dodge Matthew Tkachuk and the Cats the way Marty McFly dodged Biff and his goons, he could save Edmonton’s future and make sure this timeline ends with a Stanley Cup Parade in Alberta.

“Doc, we gotta go back and win Game 7!”

This is the Morning Coffee for Friday May 30th, 2025.

McDavid, Oilers Back To The Stanley Cup Final

The Oilers and Panthers will meet in the 12th rematch in Stanley Cup Final history.

If the NHL scriptwriters are borrowing from the same material they used in the two previous Stanley Cup Final rematches, the 2024-25 season will conclude with a parade in Edmonton.

It’s only the third time in the last 45 years that the same teams have met in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals.

In 1983, the Wayne Gretzky-led Oilers lost to the New York Islanders in a four-game sweep.

Then in 1984, Gretzky won the Stanley Cup for the first time as Edmonton beat the Islanders in five.

In 2008, the Sidney Crosby-led Pittsburgh Penguins lost to the Detroit Red Wings in six games.

Then in 2009, Crosby won the Stanley Cup for the first time as Pittsburgh beat the Red Wings in seven.

In 2024, the McDavid-led Oilers lost to the Panthers in seven games.

So, what happens next in the 2025 Stanley Cup Final?

McDavid’s future hasn’t been written yet.

Florida and Edmonton opened at nearly identical odds to win the Stanley Cup last summer.

While those numbers have fluctuated over the last year, the Oilers and Panthers had identical odds to win it all at the start of the second round, third round, and according to FanDuel’s hypothetical Stanley Cup Finals odds with both sides priced at -110.

Contrast that with a year ago, when FanDuel made Florida a -128 favourite to win the Stanley Cup Final.

This time, Edmonton will have the home-ice advantage.

The Oilers opened -122 to win Game 1 at FanDuel.

While the odds to win the Stanley Cup should continue to hover around a pick’em right up until Game 1, Edmonton is currently -113 at FanDuel and will emerge as an even bigger favourite if they take care of business on home ice.

Meanwhile, McDavid is the obvious favourite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player to his team during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

McDavid’s odds to win the award were cut from +175 to +110 following another impressive performance in last night’s series-clinching win in Dallas.

Sergei Bobrovsky is the second choice to win the Conn Smythe Trophy at +250 at FanDuel.

Aleksander Barkov is +430 as the third choice.

Leon Draisaitl is +850 as the fourth and final player with shorter than 23-to-1 odds to win the award at FanDuel.

The bad news is that Oilers Nation and hockey fans will have to wait another five days for the Stanley Cup Final.

The good news is that the NHL’s two best teams are set for a highly anticipated Stanley Cup Final rematch that has the potential to be epic.

The future is whatever you make it.

Hopefully for Oilers Nation, McDavid and company continue their dominance and make it a good one.