The 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs are set to begin this weekend and the Edmonton Oilers still do not know who their first round matchup will be or even if they will have home ice advantage.
At this stage, the Oilers could face their division rival Anaheim Ducks or they could once again face the Los Angeles Kings in the opening round or the youth led Utah Mammoth as they secured their first playoff berth in team history.
All of this -- caused by a weak Pacific Division -- is ripe for an exciting finish for the 2025-26 regular season schedule, that wraps up on Thursday.
Unfortunately, there is even more uncertainty for the Oilers as they have multiple players sidelined with injuries. This fact puts their lineup in flux as the club cannot even have lines set out as they enter their seventh consecutive postseason berth and what they hope to be their third straight Stanley Cup Finals run.
Oilers plagued by injuries as they enter the playoffs, get a positive update
Thankfully, injured forward Zach Hyman revealed he will be returning to the Oilers lineup for their final regular season game against the Vancouver Canucks. Hyman has been out of the Oilers lineup since April 4th with an unknown injury, allowing him to recoup ahead of what the team hopes to be another long playoff run.
Head coach Kris Knoblauch said in regards to the injury; "If it were a week ago and we were in the playoffs, I don't think he would've sat any time out, but we wanted him healthy and ready for the playoffs."
Since signing as an unrestricted free agent in 2021, Hyman has proved to be a vital piece to the Oilers offence setting career highs such as 54 goals in 2023-24 and points with 83 in 2022-23. This season, the Oilers entered without Hyman after he was sidelined needing surgery followed an injury sustained during the 2025 Western Conference Finals against the Dallas Stars.
Although Hyman is set to rejoin the team and confirmed to start the playoffs with the Oilers, there are more unanswered questions amongst Oilers forwards.
Oilers have multiple uncertain forwards
Star centre Leon Draisaitl was seen back at practice this week but was unsure exactly when he would be eligible to return to the lineup. General manager Stan Bowman said in March that he expected Draisaitl to return before the end of the regular season but so far that appears unlikely.
Also down the middle, trade deadline acquisition Jason Dickinson has also been sidelined with a leg injury after blocking a shot against the San Jose Sharks on April 8th. There has been little update provided, putting the Oilers shutdown centre's playoff debut up in the air.
Forward Max Jones injured himself on Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings and is expected to be out for an undisclosed amount of time. When he left shortly into the match, he could not put much weight on his leg, a very concerning sight for a player who has been able to join the Oilers squad and perform well down the stretch.
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