The top of the Western Conference already feels set for the 2023-24 season.
There was such a big gap last season between the great teams — Dallas Stars, Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers, and Colorado Avalanche — and even the ones that felt merely “pretty good” like the Los Angeles Kings or Minnesota Wild.
Most of those great teams have done at least something that would convince you they can maintain position or, in the Stars’ case, take some kind of step forward.
But then you look at what the Oilers have done this offseason. Doesn’t their position in the standings feel a little precarious?
They gave away Kailer Yamamoto for free (not that he was some big needle-mover) and brought in Connor Brown and… that’s it? Yup, they were two points away from being best in the West, and the late-se
