Despite the Edmonton Oilers coming up empty handed in two of the last three Stanley Cup finals appearances, they have been an incredibly successful team. Being able to make it that far in back-to-back seasons is a major achievement no matter what way you look at it.
Unfortunately, this progress that had been built was somewhat tarnished by the Oilers fall from grace during the 2025-26 NHL season. The team struggled mightily at various points throughout the season with even Oilers captain Connor McDavid dropping a scathing quote directly after the team was eliminated in the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs by the Anaheim Ducks.
After a season that saw the team struggle so much, general manager Stan Bowman had his work cut out for him this summer to try and improve the club. There are a number of key areas that the Oilers will need to see improvements in order to get back into Stanley Cup contention and this season will prove whether or not Bowman did the right things.
Goaltending
Last season, the Oilers suffered from some of the worst goaltending across the entire league, ranking 32nd in save percentage at 5-on-5 according to evolving-hockey.com. These numbers look bad anyways but with their expected goals against per 60 (xGA/60) sitting 14th and their shots against being just 10th, it illustrates just how poorly their netminders kept pucks out of their goal.
This year, Bowman and the front office made some changes to their crease that have the potential to pay off in a big way. The club added veteran netminder and Stanley Cup champion, Frederik Andersen into the mix and although he will miss the start of the season, he should be able to provide some leadership and stability to the Oilers crease.
The team also added a goalie with potential in Devon Levi, in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres. Adding Levi provides the Oilers with some genuine optimism in net with his pedigree, the 24 year old has the chance to pay off in a big way for the club. Given the injury to Andersen, he also has the chance to take over the crease early on.
If the Oilers hope to get back to the Stanley Cup Finals, they will need a strong performance from at least one of their goaltending trio. Whether that be Levi, Andersen, or returnee Tristan Jarry.
Coaching decisions
An area that the Oilers have worked on improving over the summer is behind the bench. The club moved on from former head coach Kris Knoblauch, firing him after a disappointing 2025-26 season. They proceeded to replace him with the controversial Mike Babcock, making other changes to their assistants and a recent addition in Misha Donskov to be named as a coaching consultant.
One of the biggest gripes against Knoblauch was that he was stubborn, refusing to roll his lines and make impactful changes. Many felt that the Oilers under Knoblauch relied on their stars too heavily. This distrust in the players outside the top of his lineup extended to their prospects and young players, partially having an impact on Matt Savoie taking so long to put it all together and Isaac Howard, struggling as bad as he did.
This distrust in young players is one of the things that caused the issues with former Oilers young players like forward Dylan Holloway and defenceman Philip Broberg failing to reach their potential in Edmonton. Although of course, Knoblauch is not solely to blame for this issue and would not be the first coach to struggle at integrating young players into the lineup.
If the Oilers hope to get back to Stanley Cup contention, Babcock will need to pull out any tricks he may have up his sleeve. He also will need to rely on their depth players and especially his youngsters such as Savoie, who is poised for a breakout sophomore season.
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