Watching the Colorado Avalanche put up nine goals against the Minnesota Wild, another Western Conference favorite in this year's Stanley Cup chase, one can't help but be reminded of the meeting between the Edmonton Oilers and the Avalanche earlier this season, where the Avs put up another nine goals, foreshadowing the two teams' relative regular and postseason success in the 2025/26 season. While the Avalanche are eleven wins away from another Stanley Cup victory, they Oilers seem to be in decline, and it's felt that way for a while now.
Wayne Gretzky won plenty of personal glory after leaving Edmonton. But he never won another Cup. It takes more than just superstar players to for a team to capture the National Hockey League's championship trophy, and for over a decade, a string of general managers haven't been able to provide Connor McDavid with the supporting cast it takes to win.
Close in 2024
There's certainly an argument that the team could have won in 2024. The 0-3 hole they dug themselves in the Final series was a huge hill to climb, and they almost managed it. But they didn't. Then the following year, their depth was simply outmatched. The Final wasn't close, but that even team was head and shoulders above the 2025/26 version.
This was a bad hockey club with elite scoring. Take McDavid and Leon Draisaitl off the roster and the Oilers might have battled the Vancouver Canucks for the best lottery odds. Players should be fighting one another to come to Edmonton and ride the coattails of the best player in the game to glory, but GM after GM has brought in the wrong guys, overpaid in trades and dollars, and made the team worse.
Avalanche began the season with a goaltending problem
Much like Edmonton, the Avalanche has big question marks in net as they opened their regular season. Mackenzie Blackwood was not ready to go, so the Avalanche would need to depend on their backup goaltender, Scott Wedgewood, in the early days of the season. Wedgewood arrived in Colorado the December prior in a deal with the Nashville Predators. The Avs paid the smallest of premiums, swapping out goaltender Justus Annunen and adding a 6th round pick to the deal.
Wedgewood did more than hold the fort. The Avalanche rocketed out of the gates, giving themselves such a comfortable standings lead that they were able to rest star players like Cale Makar down the stretch, and capture the President's trophy at the same time. Meanwhile the Oilers risked missing the playoffs entirely, only locking up their spot in the final week of the regular season.
Oilers management couldn't fix the same problem
The Oilers, faced with similar goaltending uncertainty, massively overpaid for what could arguably be called a downgrade in Tristan Jarry. They gave up a 2nd round draft pick, and also sent Brett Kulak along in the deal. Where is Kulak today? Playing playoff hockey for the Colorado Avalanche. Meanwhile Jarry played a single postseason game for the Oilers (an overtime loss) and has been a large disappointment otherwise. Oh and he's signed through 2026/27 as well.
The difference couldn't be clearer, and ultimately the blame goes all the way to the top of the organization. While Nathan Mackinnon's management is giving him the pieces he needs to capture another championship and cement his legacy, Oilers management and ownership have consistently let Connor McDavid down.
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