Matthew Tkachuk addresses his message to McDavid in Cup Final handshake line
Photo credit: Florida Panthers YouTube
The Florida Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers in a nail-biting 7 game series to win the Stanley Cup last year, and Tkachuk guaranteed a rematch - he was right.
Since the rematch was confirmed, Tkachuk honestly evaluated the Edmonton Oilers as a machine on a 12-2 playoff run, and clearly one of the two best teams in the league.
Tkachuk addresses his message to McDavid and Oilers in handshake line
Speaking to the media yesterday, Tkachuk said his moment with McDavid in the handshake line was entirely sincere, and he believed it would happen.
I believed it was going to be us two again. I believe we're the two best teams in the league, and if everything would go right again, it would be us two in the Finals. Again, I have the confidence in our team, and they were the best team we played last year in the playoffs. So I stand by that, I believed that at the time, and here we are again.
- Matthew Tkachuk
- Matthew Tkachuk
It's clear that Tkachuk actually respects the Edmonton Oilers as a formidable playoff opponent - and he absolutely should.
Edmonton Oilers are much improved team this playoffs compared to last
The Edmonton Oilers retained all their key players from last year's playoff run, and made key improvements to see increased depth scoring and quality puck-moving defenceman.
They're a much deeper team than they were last season, where they already took the Panthers to 7 games - after losing the first 3 straight.
It feels this year it would be impossible for the Oilers to crumble now and lose the first three games, especially with home ice advantage. The Oilers will have a better start, and won't have to force themselves to win 4 straight against the defending champs.
And on a personal level, Connor McDavid and the Oilers are more motivated than ever to realize their ultimate goal, and beat the that handed them their worst loss ever. The rematch is on.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 2 | 678 ANSWERS Matthew Tkachuk addresses his message to McDavid in Cup Final handshake line Do you think the Oilers are a better team this season? | ||
| Yes | 650 | 95.9 % |
| No | 28 | 4.1 % |
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