While it’s inaccurate to claim the Edmonton Oilers were never close to a Stanley Cup victory, it’s undeniable they’ve experienced setbacks. However, a statement suggesting they were never in contention lacks factual support. Their back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances, however, indicate they were indeed within reach of the championship.
Reaching Game 6 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final after winning two overtime games is significant. Furthermore, the Oilers’ remarkable comeback from a 3-0 deficit in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers, forcing a Game 7 where they ultimately lost by a single goal (2-1), demonstrates their proximity to victory.
This past season, the path to the Stanley Cup Final was anticipated to be challenging for both the Panthers and the Oilers. Edmonton struggled even to secure a playoff spot. As Leon Draisaitl himself acknowledged, the Oilers appear to be trending in the wrong direction.
“Yes, I am concerned about that. And a little bit of that leads into obviously us players. Like I said before, we didn’t do a good enough job of properly winning games,” Draisaitl stated when questioned about his concerns regarding the team’s trajectory. “And I don’t like using the terminology of taking the regular season seriously, because we do. We go into every game, and we try to do it right. We say the right things.
But I think you really have to in the regular season, form these moments, you have to get comfortable in these moments. And we didn’t do that this year, and it ended up showing in the first round here. So, but yes, I am concerned, because we’re not trending in the right direction. We’ve taken big steps backwards, and we’ve got to get a grip of this and head back in the right direction.”
Draisaitl has been consistently forthright about his assessment of the team’s performance throughout the season. A recurring sentiment among the players is the need for improvement across the board, with a call for a shift in mindset from top to bottom.
Echoing these sentiments, Connor McDavid, following Game 6 of the First Round series against the Anaheim Ducks, described the team as merely average. He reiterated these comments, aligning with Draisaitl’s view that the team has regressed.
“Yeah, I feel the same way. It’s only a couple days ago I made those comments. Obviously, I feel the same way I did a couple of days ago,” McDavid said when asked if the team had taken a step back and if he still felt the team was average. “And agree with Leon that the organization as a whole is taking a step back. And that starts with me, starts with Leon. We all can be better. We all need to be better.”
Achieving three consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances is a difficult feat. While the Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning have accomplished this, it requires everything to align perfectly and for the team to reach its peak at the opportune moment. The Oilers, in recent years, have lacked the necessary depth to sustain such a prolonged run.
Regardless of whether the team openly acknowledges it, they have accumulated significant playoff experience since 2022. The path back to the Stanley Cup Final is present, but a collective buy-in is essential. As Kris Knoblauch pointed out, other players on the team need to embrace larger roles, and the team can no longer rely solely on a few key individuals. This was evident in the depth of the Colorado Avalanche during their championship run.
The Edmonton Oilers possessed that crucial depth in 2024, with players like Evander Kane, Corey Perry, Ryan McLeod, Philip Broberg, Dylan Holloway, Vincent Desharnais, Cody Ceci, and Warren Foegele. Leon Draisaitl even referred to the 2024 Edmonton Oilers as the best team they had fielded.
However, the current lack of depth points towards management’s handling of team personnel at the conclusion of the 2024 season. For the Edmonton Oilers to reclaim their contending status, the team must improve, approach the regular season with greater seriousness, establish a distinct identity that complements their playing style, and ultimately achieve success.