A year ago the Edmonton Oilers were about to enter the 2016/17 season below the radar. They were considered longshots to do any damage in the NHL, but almost won the Pacific Division and then they went to a game-seven in the 2nd round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Where that team last season had the benefit of catching others off guard, given Edmonton's history over the previous decade, forward Milan Lucic doesn't think they'll surprise anyone this upcoming season.
Lucic spoke with media recently
The forward is with the Edmonton Oilers for the 2nd straight season after being the biggest free-agent signing during the 2016 free-agency period.
He was asked a plethora of questions after a recent workout, including about what he did during the offseason. He claimed that he was in Los Angeles, Hawaii, and Vancouver during the last several months. In regard to the latter location, Lucic spoke at length about reuniting with his Memorial Cup winning team from a decade ago, the 2007 Vancouver Giants.
One comment he made about the Oilers' upcoming season may certainly prove to contain some insight. According to Lucic what the 2017/18 Edmonton Oilers team will come to learn is that no one in the league will be taken by surprise by Edmonton. With the success from last season and the lineup that the Oilers have, including the returning league MVP in Connor McDavid, Lucic thinks that the teams in the NHL will expect tough games when they face the Oilers.
From this point of view Edmonton, it could be argued that Edmonton won't benefit from an opposing team being overconfident when preparing for the Oilers.
Lucic spoke about the visor situation
Lucic also made some interesting comments about the role that the visor plays in the NHL. He claimed that when he entered the league wearing a visor meant that you weren't willing to participate in the NHL's famous fist fights.
Nowadays they are much more common as players are required to wear them with some exceptions. Lucic doesn't have to wear a visor however he wore one during the practice that preceded the interview and claimed that it would not become permanent for him.
Lucic is among a large contingent of Edmonton Oiler players that have been interacting with the media of late.
Mark Letestu, Leon Draisaitl, and Jesse Puljujarvi have all recently had interviews published to Oilers TV. The sentiment among them has generally been positive as the players look forward to what promises to be an outstanding season in the Alberta capital.
In regard to not being able to surprise anyone, the Edmonton Oilers are certainly not below the radar heading into the 2017/18 NHL season. The Oilers are priced at +170 to win the Pacific Division (source: bet365), the shortest odds of any of the eight teams in the division.
