3 days ago
Can Stan Bowman's Mystery Men power Edmonton Oilers to Stanley Cup?
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First off, no one imagined Bowman would bring in such players.
Second, no one imagined any of them had it in them to be such key components of this deep and grinding Oilers team.
But here we are about to start the Final, with the Oilers having ruthlessly and forcefully dispatched two powerhouse teams, the Vegas Golden Knights and the Dallas Stars, and Bowman's four Mystery Men acquisitions are helping to lead the way.
They have all been vital players at even strength in the playoffs, Podkolzin and Kapanen with aggressive hitting, strong board work and industrious backchecking and forechecking, Klingberg and Walman with exceptional puck-moving and sound positional defence.
Coach Kris Knoblauch has trusted Klingberg and Walman so much they've been his most used defensive pairing. As for Podzilla and Kapanen, they've regularly been bumped up to play with star forward Leon Draisaitl.
