Last season, Edmonton Oilers team captain Connor McDavid was in tears and was too despondent after a bitterly disappointing loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final to return to the ice from the dressing room and accept the Conn Smythe Trophy as postseason MVP.

In a cruel twist of fate, McDavid and the Oilers would be defeated in the Stanley Cup Final by the Panthers for the second consecutive season, this time in six games and yet in the same building.

McDavid has now lost consecutive Stanley Cup Final series, and his pre-game prediction of returning to Edmonton with a victory that would have set up a decisive Game 7 didn't come to fruition.

“Becuase we're going to win,” McDavid said to commentator Darren Pang via the NHL on TNT. “That would be why, it's a great opportunity for our group here tonight, and I think everybody's really excited.”

Alas, McDavid and the Oilers will have to wait another season for another chance at winning Edmonton's first championship since 1990.

Connor McDavid still believes in the Oilers despite another bitter Finals loss

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Despite the pain of a second straight defeat in the Stanley Cup Final, McDavid said that he still believes in the club while giving credit to the rest of the teammates for the long journey through the postseason.

“Still a lot of confidence and belief,” McDavid said of his team via NHL.com. “I don't think people thought we were gonna make it this far. We obviously believed, but came up just short again.”

“We became together at the right time. A lot of difficult circumstances coming down the stretch with injuries and guys fighting through things, and we just found a way to get here. We obviously didn't find a way to get enough, but credit to a lot of guys.”

Naturally, Oilers (and hockey) fans everywhere wonder what McDavid's mindset is about his long-term future with the franchise that selected him with the first overall pick in 2015. McDavid is under contract for one additional season and is eligible to sign a contract extension during the offseason.