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Edmonton Oilers
Overall: 112
Title track: T55
Ownership: 94
Coaching: 79
Players: 117
Fan relations: 101
Affordability: 107
Stadium experience: 114
Bang for the buck: 119
Change from last year: +3
The bad news if you're the Edmonton Oilers is that you rank 112th of 122 pro sports franchises in North America. The good news? That's three spots better than a year ago. And, not to put too positive a spin on things in the town they used to call The City of Champions but for whom the playoffs now have become something from the dim past, we can only imagine next year's rankings will reflect a healthy climb up the ladder, given the significant changes within the organization -- including landing the next great prospect, Connor McDavid, in June's draft.
What's good
The one consistent high grade (i.e., not in triple digits) fans give the Oilers is in the title track category (tied for 55th). That's in large part thanks to the fact that many fans can say the team has won a championship in their lifetime (waaaaay back in 1990). For younger supporters? Well, it must be a strange mélange of optimism over the fact that the Oilers have enjoyed four No. 1 draft picks since 2010: Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Nail Yakupov and now McDavid. This ranking is down by four spots from last year (a sixth straight losing season will do that), but it's still the team's best -- and only top-half -- finish in this year's ratings.
What's bad
Unfortunately, those four No. 1 draft picks haven't helped the Oilers' popularity -- at least not yet. Edmonton's 117th-ranked roster is ranked second worst in the NHL, better only than Toronto's. To be fair, Edmonton's youngsters are improving year by year -- Nugent-Hopkins was tied for the team lead with 24 goals last year, his best showing in his four seasons so far. That said, no Oiler finished in the league's top 20 in points, goals or assists, and the team's defense was ranked last in the league. With a bit more improvement from Edmonton's early draft picks -- and, especially, a strong rookie year from super-prospect McDavid -- the Oilers could find themselves back in the fans' favor.
What's new
The only improvement the Oilers made in the standings from last year was in coaching, a fairly significant 31-place jump. That's thanks to the offseason hiring of Todd McLellan, who had a .637 winning percentage at San Jose and made the playoffs in six of his seven seasons at the helm. If he can work that magic in Edmonton -- with a new star and, soon, a new stadium (luckily for fans, who voted their stadium experience 114th) -- the Oilers will be back in contention sooner than later.
Next: Vancouver Canucks | Full rankings