Would the Oilers have won the cup last season if they had kept Kesselring?

[Bjornar Moxnes]

Kesselring was traded along with a 3rd for Bjugstad back in 2023 when the Oilers went all in and failed to get past the Knights. I'm wondering would the Oilers have won the cup if they had kept Kesselring and played him over Ceci/Desharnais in the 2024 playoffs? I know a single bottom 4 Dman wouldn't usually make the difference, but seeing how the Oilers lost by a single goal in game 7 of the SCF, it does make me wonder.

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[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

No.

 

[Czechboy]

No becasue they would've never figured out how to use him. However, if Klef never LTIR'd.. we might have a fun chat about that!

 

[Sasha Orlov]

They were 2 goals away, no roster changes make the outcome any different lol

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

No becasue they would've never figured out how to use him. However, if Klef never LTIR'd.. we might have a fun chat about that!

I'm sure Kesselring would have been paired with Kulak and saw good results on the bottom pairing.

They were 2 goals away, no roster changes make the outcome any different lol

If they got swept in the finals your statement makes sense, but a single player could absolutely dictate a 2 goals away difference.

 

[Crabapple]

Only if he scored 2 goals in game 7.

 

[Nemesis Prime]

nein

 

[10YearsHaveGone]

Who knows? Team made it to game 7 of the SCF so all kinds of counterfactuals can be drummed up to have the Oilers win. If Draisaitl, McDavid, Nurse, and Kane are less injured they could probably win. If Klefbom doesn't have his career cut short the Oilers may have won a cup. If Chia doesn't make a disastrous trade during the 2015 draft too.

All teams have many of these types of potential stories.

 

[ChaoticOrange]

Probably not.

The reason Edmonton lost is in their losses they got stonewalled by Bobrovsky. They win the Cup if they had another top 6 forward.

 

[Canovin]

Kesselring in for Ceci? Oilers wouldn't have made it further if he didn't score those timely goals

 

[SwedishFire]

3rd åair

I'm sure Kesselring would have been paired with Kulak and saw good results on the bottom pairing.


If they got swept in the finals your statement makes sense, but a single player could absolutely dictate a 2 goals away difference.

3rd pair I think is fine, its always the Nurse pairing that is worrisome.

 

[Forgot About Drai]

Oilers management and coaching would never make that call, so the point is moot.

 

[ManofSteel55]

Kesselring has become a nice player, but I don't think the Oilers would have even been using him to be honest. Broberg was higher on our depth chart, and he wasn't called upon until the finals, so I don't see how Kesselring would have been in the lineup. I don't believe they would have dressed Kesselring over Ceci either. Plus, Ceci actually scored some key goals for us that helped us get to the finals, so I don't see them suddenly pulling him out for another young guy.

 

[10YearsHaveGone]

Kesselring in for Ceci? Oilers wouldn't have made it further if he didn't score those timely goals

Mr game 7.

 

[Golden_Jet]

No, unless he was going to score 2 goals in the last game.