Edmonton Oilers
Changes Coming as McDavid and Oilers Search for Answers After Another Ugly Loss
The Edmonton Oilers continue to reach new lows in 2025-26, and Connor McDavid doesn’t know how they’re going to fix it.
The Edmonton Oilers are no strangers to getting off to slow starts to seasons, but what’s gone on thus far in 2025-26 has lasted way too long for a team that’s been two back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals. We’re now 25 games in, and the Oilers are 10-10-5, and that record is probably a little generous given how poor the performance on the ice has been at times.
Tuesday night’s 8-3 loss on home ice against the Dallas Stars, sans Mikko Rantanen and Thomas Harley, was the latest low point in a first two months that have had plenty of them.
Is it the goaltending, the defense, the structure, or the coaching? These are all questions the Oilers are trying to answer, but on Tuesday, it was evident they didn’t have the solution to any of it, and Connor McDavid expressed that in his postgame interview, almost at a loss for words with what went on.
“Yeah, I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t have many answers for you here tonight. I don’t, I don’t know, I don’t have any answers like I said…”
The 28-year-old has continued to rack up numbers despite the team’s struggles, with 34 points (10 goals, 24 assists) in 25 games on the season, though he is sporting a -6 rating, which is tied for the worst mark of his career from the 2019-20 campaign (-6).
What Changes Could be Coming in Edmonton?
Something clearly has to change in Edmonton for the Oilers to get back on track.
Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard have often been hung out to dry, yet their play has been well below average. That being said, finding a legitimate solution in goal might have to wait until the offseason, given the lack of options and salary cap space available.
Roster changes are hard to come by in today’s NHL, so the blame often lands on the head coach, and while Kris Knoblauch has had tremendous success behind the Oilers bench, his seat has certainly warmed up, and coaches tend to be the first ones to go when a team is in disarray.
It may not be fair, but the window to win with McDavid and Draisaitl gets smaller with every passing year, so they cannot afford to waste one while they remain at the peak of their powers.
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