The Edmonton Oilers have seen their rivalry landscape drastically change throughout the last few seasons.
Traditionally, sussing out the Oilers’ biggest rival was easy, as the iconic Battle of Alberta placed the Calgary Flames at the top of that list for about the first five decades of the team’s existence.
However, as the Oilers have become perennial contenders while the Flames fall by the wayside, new and exciting rivalries have overtaken that once-iconic feud. Playoff matchups have given a new meaning to games against teams that Oilers fans normally wouldn’t get up for.
So, without further ado, here is a ranking of each Oilers rival in 2024 from the least fierce to the most:
5. Calgary Flames
Just because the Battle of Alberta vitriol has died down a bit in recent years doesn’t mean it’s completely vanished.
The early part of the decade featured a bit of a revival of this classic rivalry as the two teams engaged in an all-out brawl during a 2020 regular season game. The two teams also met in the second round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs for a very entertaining series.
Edmonton also hosted the Flames in last year’s Heritage Classic game at Commonwealth Stadium. It may not be how it used to be, but the Flames are still one of the Oilers’ most bitter rivals.
4. Florida Panthers
The Oilers may only see the Florida Panthers twice during the regular season, but the bitterness between these two Stanley Cup Final rivals is apparent.
A quick look at these two teams playing against each other earlier this week is all it should take to see just how much they hate each other. A dramatic seven-game series in the Stanley Cup Final will do that to you.
It also helps that both these teams are well-positioned to make yet another run at the Stanley Cup this season. Nobody would complain about another seven-game series between the Oilers and Panthers.
3. Vegas Golden Knights
The Oilers have become quick enemies with the Vegas Golden Knights since they entered the league in 2017.
For the past few years, the two teams have been consistent division rivals fighting it out during the regular season. In 2023, that rivalry was amped up a notch when the two met in the second round of the playoffs. The result was a series full of animosity on and off the ice.
Vegas fans were pictured giving the middle finger to Evander Kane after a goal, and then Alex Pietrangelo had his infamous slash on Leon Draisaitl as well. Since then, the two have played some remarkable games against each other.
The threat of another series between these two teams is also still looming.
2. LA Kings
The Oilers and LA Kings have had plenty of time to acquaint themselves as enemies, and this has resulted in a fierce rivalry between the two clubs.
These two teams have met in the first round of the playoffs for three straight seasons now and appear to battle it out for Pacific Division positioning just about every single season. Right now, they are once again locked in a duel for the second-place spot in the division.
While the Oilers have won all three series, there is still a lot of vitriol between the players on each team and their fanbases.
1. Vancouver Canucks
There is no doubt that the Vancouver Canucks are the Oilers fiercest rival following a second-round playoff series full of animosity last season.
The fanbases for each team turned into rabid beasts as they were at each other’s throats for the entire seven-game series and have remained just as adversarial since. It was a series full of ups and downs for both the Oilers and Canucks and one that wasn’t completely put away until the final buzzer rang in Game 7.
It was as intense a rivalry as seen in recent NHL history, and as long as these two teams are good, it looks like it will remain that way for some time.