Don Cherry with sensible words on Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl injuries

Hockey’s most age-old analyst Don Cherry sees the silver lining of injuries to Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

On his Grapevine podcast, he had 2 tips for followers of the Edmonton Oilers: “Don’t panic.”

The 2 super stars will certainly have the ability to remainder, experimenting the group, yet not playing.

On the various other hand, Cherry claimed to his boy Tim, the program’s host: “You know what gets me, tho. If I had paid big money to take you to the game — and they’re not playing.”

As for the Stanley Cup, Cherry claimed he’s still choosing the Toronto Maple Leafs to win and claimed he still thinks the Calgary Flames will certainly make the playoffs.

My take

1. I’m amazing with McDavid and Draisaitl obtaining a remainder, yet with one significant clause– that when they do return they do not simply state they’re 100 percent prepared, yet they remain in truth truth totally healthy and balanced, a period of pains and discomforts recovered up. If that takes a couple of weeks, so be it. I’m a company follower the Oilers will certainly win the Cup this year if their finest gamers are healthy and balanced with the playoffs– something that hasn’t resemble occurring in the previous 3 periods– and if the group takes the bull by the horns and plays champion degree protection, as it performed in the 2024 playoffs for the very first time.

2. If McDavid and Draisaitl are out, I’m not anticipating any kind of winning touches. The Oilers will certainly fortunate to win as numerous as they shed. They were fortunate to defeat Seattle onSaturday The Kraken had 16 Grade A shots to 15 for the Oilers, with the part of one of the most hazardous 5-alarm shots nine-to-five for theKraken Yes, Stuart Skinner allow 4 objectives yet he beat his Seattle competitors, which is typically a signal for the Oilers to win.

3. One minute, tho, because Seattle video game offered me really hope, a change late in the 3rd with the Oilers safeguarding an organization where the line of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Viktor Arvidsson and Vasili Podkolzin mosted likely to function to secure Edmonton’s lead. They took turns winning the puck and biking it, a point of appeal, after that when they had a clear benefit, relocated the puck in to Jake Walman for a Grade A shot. It was an instance of clever, abrasive, champion degree hockey from the Oilers triad, and made me believe that they may simply have the ability to duplicate that type of play in the playoffs.

4. If the Oilers do opt for such a line in the playoffs, that could be on the initial and 2nd lines aside from McDavid, Draisaitl andZach Hyman Edmonton will certainly pick from the adhering to gamers: Jeff Skinner, Corey Perry, Evander Kane (if healthy and balanced), Trent Frederic (if healthy and balanced), Adam Henrique, Connor Brown and dark steed prospectMatthew Savoie My finest think now is McDavid, Skinner and Hyman on one line, Draisaitl, Kane and Henrique on the various other. This brand-new RNH triad might well be the 3rd line, with a 4th line of Frederic and Brown and Perry, with Mattias Janmark, Kasperi Kapanen and Derek Ryan in the wings.

5. As for Cherry, he’s not every person’s much-loved analyst, yet I constantly discover his take intriguing, as he’s been around the video game much longer than I have actually lived. If he’s not fretted, I’m not fretted. Of training course, I’m additionally not concerned due to the fact that the buzz around the Oilers is that these injuries aren’t extremely severe, which is a hug alleviation.