Watching the Stanley Cup Final this year as a New York Rangers fan is tough. The Blueshirts went from Presidents' Trophy winners to missing the playoffs entirely — a collapse that's still hard to fully explain. So now, with the Cup Final underway and the Rangers nowhere near it, one question lingers, who should fans root for? The Florida Panthers or Edmonton Oilers
Florida: The Machine That Broke (And Could Fix) the Blueshirts:
There's a compelling argument for the reigning champion Panthers. Paul Maurice has built something awe-inspiring in South Florida. Their structure is airtight, their forecheck unrelenting, and their buy-in total. This is their third straight trip to the Final. Their system is a blueprint for success in today's NHL — one that Mike Sullivan may be trying to replicate on Broadway. Watching Florida can feel like watching what the Rangers should be. They don't just rely on talent; they play with purpose, commitment, and cohesion. Yet there's baggage here. Rangers fans remember last year's Eastern Conference Final. The Panthers exposed the Presidents Trophy winner in six games. They cracked their confidence, sending them spiraling to a playoff miss in 2025. If you're still scarred from that series, it's hard to root for the team that delivered the knockout blow.
Edmonton: The Redemption Story:
Then there’s Edmonton. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have carried this franchise through a decade of promise, disappointment, and what-ifs. They were supposed to be dynastic. Instead, they’ve been questioned, doubted, and knocked out early, until now. This Oilers run isn’t just about star power. It’s about growth. Grit. Evolution. They’ve surrounded their core with veterans, added edge, tightened their team defense. They’ve suffered and learned. Now they’re back in the Final for the second straight year, looking to finish what they started. In a way, their story mirrors what Rangers fans hoped ours would be. We had our heartbreak in 2022. We thought we were building toward something. Still, the Oilers stuck with it, and now, they’re on the doorstep of something great.
With all of that said, we return to the beginning and the question that still needs answering.
Who should we root for — the Florida Panthers or the Edmonton Oilers?
Why Rangers Fans Should Be Rooting for the Edmonton Oilers:
McDavid is back. The second the buzzer sounded last June in Game 7, and the Panthers lifted the Cup, you could see it in McDavid's eyes. He was already rewinding every shift and planning how to get back here. He didn't even skate back out to accept the Conn Smythe Trophy. He wasn't there to be celebrated. He was there to win, and he didn't. So he went back to work.
Now, 340 days later, he's back in the Final. In 1983, Wayne Gretzky and the Oilers got swept in their first Final appearance by the New York Islanders, who won their fourth straight chalice. In 1984, they returned and beat those same Islanders in five games to win their first Cup. In 2008, Sidney Crosby made his first trip to the Final and lost to the Detroit Red Wings. In 2009, he beat them and got his ring. It's McDavid's moment, and you'd have to be heartless (or live in South Florida) not to want to see it happen even though Canada hasn't won since 1993. Edmonton's captain is the same man who scored the Golden Goal in Boston to defeat the US at 4 Nations Face-Off back at TD Garden in February.
Yet, it's not just about 97. Let's talk about Jeff Skinner, 15 years in the NHL. Drafted in 2010. He was one of the most consistent producers of his era. He finally gets a shot. Then there's Corey Perry. The worm has clawed his way back to five Finals in six year, and has zero rings since his 2007 one with the Anaheim Ducks. He's 0-4 on this redemption tour. There's Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the longest-serving Oiler, drafted back in 2011. He's seen the dark days. The lottery pain. The rebuilds. The fake rebuilds and is still grinding through loyalty. Adam Henrique, 34 years old, needs a drink 13 years after making his debut in the show.
Stuart Skinner, remember him? The goaltender everyone blamed last year in Game 7? He was benched during round one against the Kings? Yeah, he's back too. He was mentally sharper, technically sound, and with a chip on his shoulder the size of Alberta. Finally, Draisaitl, who somehow still gets treated like McDavid's sidekick when he might be the second-best player on the planet. He's been dragging this team through bad defensive systems and goaltending meltdowns for years and is ready for his shot at redemption.
If that's not enough, Kris Knoblauch is a former interim head coach on Broadway, and the Hartford Wolf Pack bench boss in the AHL is back on the big stage for a second consecutive summit, seeking his glorious lift with hockey's sacred prize. Truthfully, some kid's going to ask you how many Cups McDavid won. If the answer is zero, he'll shrug and say he wasn't that great. We cannot let that happen.
McDavid deserves to lift the Cup. His 200-foot greatness deserves the only thing it's missing. I know it's been 32 years since Canada last won the Cup. I know it's fun to clown on that. I know part of you wants to root for the American team. However, if you love this sport, rooting for revenge is easy. McDavid needs his ring. Both Skinners need their redemption. Perry needs his closure. RNH needs his reward. The ice needs its generational face to get its coronation. So, yeah, it hurts a little to admit it: You have to root for the Edmonton Oilers.