Wayne Gretzky makes big prediction for Edmonton Oilers in Stanley Cup Finals against Florida Panthers

Former NHL star Wayne Gretzky spoke about the Edmonton Oilers on The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday. He said the Oilers - who are facing the Florida Panthers in a rematch of the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals - can win the Cup this year.

Gretzky thinks this team has a good chance because they play fast and physical hockey.

"Well, this is the team to do it," Gretzky said. "One, I don't think Florida's played a team that's as physical as Edmonton. The speed of Edmonton matches Carolina, but Edmonton's a little more physical."

The NHL icon said Florida has not played a team as physical as Edmonton.

"When you get to three championship series in a row, you're physically beat up," Gretzky said. "And right now, I hope Florida can rebound, but they put their guts on the line the last three years. And it's hard to get to the Stanley Cup Finals."

Last year, Edmonton lost to Florida in the finals. Initially trailing 3-0, the Oilers tied it 3-3, but lost Game 7. This was also a return to the finals for the Panthers, who lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2022-23 NHL season.

Wayne Gretzky talked about Florida’s players like Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart. The former all-time leading scorer said Florida plays hard and is a tough team, but he believes Edmonton’s style will wear them down in the series.

"They play hard, and they're led by guys like Tkachuk and Barkov and Reinhart," Gretzky said. "I expect them to bounce back."

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Wayne Gretzky talked about Edmonton fans' dedication for hockey

The Stanley Cup was shown at Rogers Place in Edmonton. Fans chanted, "WE WANT THE CUP!" as the city is very excited. Wayne Gretzky said the fans and the arena are great, and he noticed how much the city cares about the team.

"Listen, Edmonton feels it," Gretzky said. "The city, that's all anybody talks about. I was beside the arena yesterday, and at 12 o'clock noon, a band started playing, I thought I was Columbus Street in Manhattan for Labor Day Parade or something. It's crazy."

Edmonton won Game 1 in overtime. They stayed calm even when Florida led 3-1 during the game. Captain Connor McDavid said experience helped the team stay calm and fight back.

"We just hung in there,” McDavid said, via NHL.com. "I think that is experience, just knowing that we’ve got to open it up. We need to hold them at three and find a way to get one, and fortunately we did."

Leon Draisaitl scored the winning goal in Game 1 in overtime to give the Oilers a 1-0 lead in the series. With strong fans and Wayne Gretzky’s confidence, Edmonton hopes to win the Stanley Cup this year. Now, Game 2 is on Friday.