The Edmonton Oilers were 30-25-8 as of the National Hockey League's trade deadline on March 6, 2026. They had 68 standings points, and sat third in the Pacific Division, behind the Vegas Golden Knights and the Anaheim Ducks. Oilers management didn't take big swings on pending free agents, instead looking to shore up team defense, adding two pieces from the Chicago Blackhawks, Jason Dickinson and Connor Murphy.
Today, the team is 39-29-9, sits atop the Pacific Division standings, and owns the tiebreakers over the Ducks and Golden Knights. This surge was accomplished without the services of Leon Draisaitl, injured on March 15th, and it certainly seems to suggest that the team is better than is was in the first two thirds of the season.
Team Health
The Draisaitl injury looked very concerning when it occurred. Edmonton's remaining schedule was loaded with 4-point games against divisional opponents, and the team's season-long inability to string together wins looked like it might bite them, even potentially leading to a position outside of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The new additions, along with some inspired depth play by Matt Savoie, Vasily Podkolzin, and others, proved that wrong.
Edmonton is in firmly control of its playoff ranking, and has the ability to assure themselves of home ice advantage up to the Conference Finals. A divisional title is also potentially available, though the three way tie means there's work yet to be done. But as the team looks past Game 82, injuries are the biggest concern.
Zach Hyman missed the fourth and final game against the Golden Knights, a 5-1 loss, and will apparently miss more time as well. And while the recent news on Draisaitl's planned return is promising, the combined absences may see similar results. Should the Oilers lose any player of significance on the defensive side of the ice, they could easily slide down the standings.
Playoffs are a certainty
Oiler fans can breathe easy, even if the standings don't show a little "x" next to the team quite yet. The team will play postseason games in 2026. And assuming they'll have two healthy superstars, they should be favored versus any of the teams they are likely to meet in Round 1. The roster needs to make it past these final regular season games without further injuries.
The Oilers, with everyone present and accounted for, can skate and score with anyone in the Western Conference. And while the three Central division teams they're most likely to face if they make the Conference Final are all well ahead of them in standings points, those teams will have to go to war with one another in order to get there.