The 2025-26 NHL season was a rough one for the Edmonton Oilers who failed to meet expectations as a hockey club. After making back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals appearances the prior two seasons, this past one fell short by a lot.
The Oilers poor play and issues this season has resulted in them moving on from head coach Kris Knoblauch. They will have to make tough decisions and it will force general manager Stan Bowman to be bold when making moves this summer.
Thus, it is no shock that there were plenty of players who fell short of their expectations this season, with these three sticking out.
Jake Walman
The 30 year old left-handed defenceman Jake Walman was acquired by the Oilers at the 2025 NHL trade deadline and the move for him immediately paid off. He logged big minutes in the regular season and playoffs, routinely averaging over 20 minutes a night and was quite productive in his time, potting three goals and 15 assists for 18 points in 37 games between the regular season and playoffs.
He also showed some good chemistry with the much maligned Darnell Nurse -- who has found himself in trade rumours of late -- providing solid puck moving ability down their pairings. His great play and seamless fit earned him a massive seven-year contract extension paying him $7 million per season.
However, after a full season in Edmonton, Walman did not seem to fit as well inside the club's top-four and struggled to produce offensively, which is one of his calling cards. He also suffered various injuries and missed plenty of times, playing in only 53 games this season, scoring eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points. He also did not seem to fit into the lines well and his chemistry with Nurse was not as evident as it had been.
Next year, when his contract extension kicks in, I am sure all involved hope that he takes a step up with the Oilers and the club do not find themselves on the hook for another boat anchor contract on the blueline.
Trent Frederic
Speaking of the 2025 NHL trade deadline, forward Trent Frederic has been a fairly disappointing acquisition since Bowman traded for him. He was brought in to provide the team with a hard nosed secondary scorer but in 101 games across the playoffs and regular season, Frederic has scored just 11 points (five goals, six assists).
On top of his poor production, Frederic has not been able to solidify a consistent spot within the Oilers lineup. It did not help Frederic's perception when the club quickly locked him up to an eight-year extension that paid him $3.85 million per season. This now makes him a lightning rod for criticism as he is expected to live up to his large contract.
Hopefully under a new head coach, he will be properly utilized and can get back to his 30-40 point producing days with the Boston Bruins as a middle-six powerforward.
Tristan Jarry
After a poor start to the season for the Oilers that forced the club to make a big trade to change out their goaltending tandem and acquire Tristan Jarry, there were high expectations for the former Pittsburgh Penguins starter. In the trade, the Oilers absorbed his big contract which had three seasons remaining at $5.375 million per season.
In a move that was supposed to stabilize their crease, the back-to-back Stanley Cup runner ups found themselves once again struggling to find consistency on a nightly basis. In 19 starts with the Oilers, the 31 year old recorded one shutout, had a 9-6-2 record with a 3.86 goals against average and .858 save percentage.
The backbone of that inconsistency was their netminders, specifically Jarry who after providing some early optimism quickly fell out of favour and lost the starter's job to Connor Ingram. Now, the Oilers will have to try to find an upgrade this summer and if possible, get out from under Jarry's albatross contract.
Add us as a preferred source on Google