$76,000,000 Panthers Stanley Cup champ takes savage dig at Oilers for resting all hopes on Connor McDavid 

The Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday. The Panthers won their second straight Stanley Cup against the same opponents. They played as a strong team and controlled the game from the start. The Oilers struggled to create good scoring chances against Florida’s defense.

After the game, Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk made a direct comment about the Oilers. Tkachuk, who is on an eight-year, $76,000,000 contract, took a moment in the postgame press conference to send a clear message about what makes a winning team. He spoke about the difference between the two teams:

"Heart meets talent. Our team was a team. When things were getting hard for them, they looked to one guy. But our team, we do it collectively... And that's why we're lifting the Stanley Cup right now — because we're a team and not a bunch of individuals."

In Tkachuk’s postgame comments, he pointed out that the Oilers depended too much on Connor McDavid. The Panthers worked together as a group and stayed strong throughout the series. Their teamwork helped them win back-to-back championships.

Captain Connor McDavid comments on Oilers' loss to Panthers

Connor McDavid shared his thoughts after the Oilers lost in the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight year. He said the team gave full effort but could not beat the Panthers.

"We lost to a really good team," McDavid said via NHL.com. "Nobody quit, nobody threw the towel in. They’re a heck of a team, they’re back-to-back Stanley Cup champions for a reason. "Their forecheck was great; they tilted the rink. ...We kept trying the same thing over and over again, banging our heads against the wall. Credit to them, they played well," he added.

The Oilers had trouble moving the puck and creating chances. McDavid also noted how deep the Panthers’ lineup was. Six of their players had over 20 points in the playoffs. The Oilers had four, and the gap in depth became clear as the series went on.

Despite the loss, McDavid said the team still believes in each other:

"We still have a lot of confidence and belief. I don’t think people thought we were going to make it this far... we came up just short again."

The Oilers will now look to learn from this and try again in the 2025-26 NHL season.

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Edited by Veer Badani