The Edmonton Oilers hope to make their way back to the finals this season, as they did in 2023/24 and 2024/25. Coming that close to two consecutive Stanley Cup victories is the second hardest thing a National Hockey League team can do, so the team had their work cut out for them before the season began.
Now we're closing in on the end of the NHL regular season. The Oilers haven't strung together one of their notorious winning streaks to put the doubters to rest. Their bottom six looks different, and the goaltending situation, never completely solid, is as uncertain as its ever been in spite of the changes in net. But these factors haven't really mattered in the past; not once the postseason arrives and the Oilers' superstars do what they do.
Star Power
Connor McDavid remains elite. The Oilers captain is in the midst of his sixth consecutive 100 point+ season:
- 2025/26: 116 points through 71 games - 1.63 points per game (ppg)
- 2024/25: 100 points in 67 games - 1.49 ppg
- 2023/24: 132 points in 76 games - 1.73
He's actually performing at a higher level this year than last.
Leon Draisaitl, current injury concerns aside, is also maintaining his elite production levels. His own 100 point+ season streak is likely to end, unless he returns late in the regular season and manages a couple more goals and assists:
- 2025/26: 97 points through 65 games - 1.49 ppg
- 2024/25: 106 points in 71 games - 1.49 ppg
- 2023/24: 106 points in 81 games - 1.31 ppg
Like McDavid, Draisaitl isn't yet in decline. Two superstars, continuing to have superstar-esque careers, clearly these two aren't the limiting factor on the current roster.
Top supporting players
To me this is defined as top line wingers, 1st pairing defenders, and, on some teams, goaltending. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman, Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm fit the bill, but Edmonton doesn't have a netminder in this category. Arguably they didn't have one in either of the last two years.
Hyman required surgery after his playoff injury, missing the beginning of the 2025/26 season, but when he returned, he stepped right back into the role he has played so well as an Oiler. He's already eclipsed his goals scored from last season, in twenty fewer games. While his 54-goal season is likely the best he'll have, he remains a competent and dependable top line player.
Nugent-Hopkins is also likely to match or pass his goal total from last season. The longest serving Oiler may decline ahead of McDavid and Draisaitl, potentially surpassed on the depth chart by the likes of Matt Savoie or another young player, but Nuge's NHL Edge stats suggest his skating and shot speed remain consistent to date.
I've written recently about Bouchard and Ekholm and both have been playing at a high level. While Ekholm is an injury away from a sharp decline, Bouchard continues to get better. So with all of these important players performing at or above the previous season's levels, the difference seems clear.
Depth and Goaltending
It must be a source of eternal frustration for the generation's best player that his home organization can't put support pieces in place. The team is top five in scoring, but has allowed 70 more goals against than the top ranked Colorado Avalanche. Their powerplay is the best in the league, but they have a bottom 10 penalty kill. There are more than 30 goaltenders with save percentages over 0.900, but one needs to scroll all the way down to 61 to find the best Oilers starter (Connor Ingram 0.890).
McDavid and Draisaitl can't play 60 minutes every night, but all they actually need to turn the team into the perennial Cup favorite they should be, is league average play from the bottom of the line up and goaltending. As it sits, they should make the playoffs and they might win the Pacific division, but beyond that all bets are off.