Two years. The Edmonton Oilers were kicked out of the playoffs in their first round series against the Anaheim Ducks last week, meaning there are now only two years left on the contract extension for their captain and franchise cornerstone; Connor McDavid.
Although that leaves two full seasons before his contract ends, more than enough time for a team like the Oilers to bounce back right into Stanley Cup contention, it would be naive to think that the pressure has not been cranked up. Especially given McDavid's comments after their game six defeat, referring to the Oilers as an 'average' team.
This off-season is crucial, because if the Oilers go through another season where they are simply not good enough and especially if they have anything like the struggles they had this past season, it could foster some genuine displeasure from their biggest stars. We have now seen what that can do on teams like with the Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers in recent seasons.
Oilers upper management will have tough decisions to make and I don't just mean general manager Stan Bowman and his staff but team CEO and president, Jeff Jackson along with team owner Daryl Katz.
Bowman and Knoblauch may not be the right fit
After seeing the Oilers fall from back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals appearances to being ousted in the opening round, it is fair to take a step back and assess the two men who hold two of the most important roles with the hockey club.
Knoblauch has the direct ability to work with the players on the ice and establish the structure and their style of play. Bowman oversees Knoblauch and his entire staff, along with most if not all hockey operations departments and holds the wheel on player acquisitions and the overarching direction of the team.
It cannot be denied that both have not done well at their jobs, especially as of late. Key acquisitions have blown up in Bowman's face like; acquiring Tristan Jarry. Possibly more important is the moves that have not been made where Bowman has not been active enough like in switching his goalies or supplementing his depth offence.
On the coaching side, Knoblauch has shown some real issues with managing his lineup and properly deploying his players. He failed to keep his star Connor McDavid from being neutralized for much of their 2026 first round series. He has also garnered a lot of flack for the club's issues in relying too much on their big guns, McDavid and Draisaitl and not utilizing his young players nearly enough.
Oilers need to be bold
When you look at how successful teams have operated in recent years, they have been bold. Namely, the Oilers' Pacific Division rival, Vegas Golden Knights, have been lauded for their bold and cutthroat style. They are consistently unafraid to push the envelope and make aggressive moves in terms of personnel and also in player acquisitions.
They are always in on the best players and are not afraid to shake things up internally, like firing their head coach Bruce Cassidy with just a couple weeks to go before the end of the NHL regular season. Although they catch some flack for being 'disloyal' you cannot argue that they have been one of the most successful teams across the entire league year over year.
Along with them, teams like the Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Colorado Avalanche have all been willing to be bold. The Stars were willing to make a big splash and acquire Mikko Rantanen. The Panthers have embraced analytics, using it to identify overlooked talent consistently and have been willing to make big gambles.
The Lightning have been willing to take big swings on the trade market and have allowed key players like Blake Coleman, Alex Killorn, and longtime captain Steven Stamkos to walk in free agency for the betterment of their team. The Avalanche have allowed players like Nazem Kadri and J.T. Compher to walk away and have been unafraid to be bold by completely switching out their goaltending tandem mid-season.
These are all teams that the Oilers could learn a thing or two from and they must be willing to look in the mirror and admit that their key decision makers may be the wrong men for the job.
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