The Edmonton Oilers fell short of the Stanley Cup in 2024. Connor McDavid had a historic postseason and helped lead his team to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. However, they fell just two goals short of winning it all. Ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, McDavid is hoping to avoid a repeat of this fate.
McDavid, like many players across the NHL, is preparing for the 2024-25 season. However, he has made a significant change to his training regiment and overall preparation plan. Last year, the Oilers captain and 2024 Conn Smythe Trophy winner spent a good portion of the summer on the ice. That is not the case this year.
“You don’t necessarily need to peak Sept. 18, but you need to peak for Oct. 9 when the first game is,” McDavid said, via Sportsnet. “This summer I took some time off the ice, rested a little bit. I was working hard off the ice, but I didn’t go on the ice until August. Five great weeks on the ice, and I’m feeling good and ready to roll again.”
Oilers, Connor McDavid hopes for a better start
Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) celebrates a goal with teammates in the second period against the Florida Panthers in game four of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place. Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
Though Connor McDavid and the Oilers found success as the season went on, their season could not have started worse in 2023-24. Edmonton got off to a 2-9-1 start which saw them fire head coach Jay Woodcroft as a result. McDavid struggled with injury, as well, and did not appear to be the player fans have come to know over the years.
McDavid attributed this to his offseason training. He usually worked incredibly hard during the summer to prepare himself as best as he possibly could. However, he noticed this heavy summer workload began to have an on-ice effect during the beginning of the 2023-24 campaign.
“In years past, it’s just been very volume heavy, Very go, go, go. Throw everything at the wall and hope something sticks,” the Oilers captain said of his previous offseason training, via Sportsnet. “That strategy, as well as it’s worked for me, I think about the beginning of last year. I was just very tired and fatigued from a long summer of training, and was not feeling very good on the ice. And it translated.”
McDavid rebounded in an incredible way after the horrid start. He finished with 32 goals and 140 points during the regular season. In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he made history by scoring 42 points. McDavid joined Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux as the only players in league history to score 40+ points in a single postseason.
It’ll certainly be interesting to see if McDavid’s more restrained offseason regime pays off in the season ahead. If it does, the Stanley Cup could certainly head north of the border for the first time in more than 30 years. McDavid and the Oilers begin their 2024-25 campaign on October 9 against the Winnipeg Jets.
