Oilers' star Draisaitl says blame "starts with coaches" heading into Olympic break

The Edmonton Oilers entered the 2026 Winter Olympics break in rough shape, having lost their previous three games. Their current hold on second place in the Pacific Division feels less and less steady as they have multiple teams closing in behind them with multiple games in hand.

There are a number of areas that are failing the team from goaltending to defence to their depth upfront. There is plenty of blame to be had, just ask Leon Draisaitl after the Oilers most recent loss to their Battle of Alberta rivals, the Calgary Flames.

The Oilers star, who is having quite the season himself, becoming the first German NHL player to reach the 1000-point milestone and hitting the 400 career goal mark. When speaking to the media postgame on Wednesday had plenty to say.

"Just not good enough right now" says Leon Draisaitl

As Draisaitl pointed out, there are plenty of issues facing the Oilers as they enter the Olympic break amidst a losing streak. Saying ultimately that both "It starts with coaches, everybody." Later saying "It starts at the top, we can be better, our leaders can be better,"

When asked by a reporter if some of the issues could stem from all of the success the team has had, Draisaitl clarifies "We're a different team, we're not the same team, we are not as good right now."

There are plenty of things that can be read into with what Draisaitl is saying and many fans and media have tried. Is Draisaitl calling for his coaches to be fired? Is he calling out the general manager and his staff to do more to improve the team?

It is unclear and we can speculate all day long but the fact of the matter is, we do not have to speculate. The content of what Draisaitl says is true. The Oilers rank near the bottom of the league in terms of their team defence and goaltending.

Oilers must improve in multiple areas

Looking at the statistics, it is clear the struggles that the Oilers goaltenders having keeping the puck out of the net -- simply looking at all three goalies having a sub-.900 save percentage is a good indication. But, the issues run deeper, the defence has been sub-par at limiting quality chances against, ranking 23rd in 5v5 expected goals against per 60 minutes according to evolving-hockey.com.

Although they rank much better (10th and 13th, respectively) in terms of corsi against and fenwick against per 60 minutes, that is only part of the equation. Yes, the goalies need to be better but as Draisaitl points out it is a 'two-way street' and the team in front of them needs to be better too. The blame does not solely rest at the feet of; Calvin Pickard, Connor Ingram, and Tristan Jarry, as well as Stuart Skinner before. It starts before them and runs much deeper.

On top of the goaltending and defensive issues, their depth scorers have struggled mightily this year. This is in large part because of the Oilers over reliance on their top scorers like Draisaitl and Connor McDavid to produce. Their depth is barely given an opportunity to flourish and as a result, multiple issues have surfaced with contract terminations, demotions, scratches, and even trade speculation.

Will general manager Stan Bowman fire his coach like many fans want? Will he make a big splash at the trade deadline? We will have to see.

The next three weeks will serve as a great break for the Oilers management and coaching staff to take a step back, reflect, and plan accordingly. The Oilers Stanley Cup hopes may rest on the next few weeks.