“It’s Been a Killer For Them”: What Hindered Oilers Early

“Schedule. It’s been a killer for them. No practice, no rest. It’s a thing. Ask any player,” wrote Kurt Leavins in his 9 Things post for the Edmonton Journal on Sunday. He’s not the only person who agrees. While the Edmonton Oilers won’t use the schedule in the opening months of the 2025-26 season as an excuse — they know they could have played better — there’s no denying that things look much different with practices and rest worked into their recent calendar.

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Leavins suggested that there were growing pains this season. The Oilers failed for a second time to win the Stanley Cup after going to the Final. They then made roster changes. Before the team could really build chemistry and find out what they had to work with, ironing out the wrinkles in their game, the team was traveling all over the East Coast with the most hectic schedule in the NHL.

It was a lot of hockey and not a lot of downtime to work out the kinks.

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Leavins added, “And then factor in two deep, back-to-back post-season runs without the ultimate reward in return. Physically, it is a damn grind with no pay-back. And mentally, I would assert to you that it is even more taxing. Ask any NHL team who has had to deal with that, lately.”

The Oilers Have Turned Things Around

Not quite where they want to be, Saturday night represented what might have been the best game for the Oilers this season. There was some let up in the third period — likely thanks to the score — but the first 40 minutes was the most dominant the Oilers have looked without any glaring defensive mistakes.

“I’d say the first two periods was a 10 out of 10. I loved a lot of things,” said head coach Kris Knoblauch.  Leon Draisaitl added, “We looked a lot more connected, we looked a lot faster.” He explained, “Sometimes you lose confidence in your ability and the ability in the group a little bit, you know, it takes a little lull to get out of it. Hopefully, we can string a couple together here now.”

“It comes down to sticking to it and not getting frustrated…”, noted Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

The schedule has calmed and the Oilers have gotten through the roughest part of their season in terms of games, travel, and practice time. The rest of the league has yet to face what Edmonton has, so it’s an opportunity for the Oilers to make up ground. They came away from the experience bruised but not broken. They remained in the mix.

Now, if the Oilers have found their game and can ramp up the effort level with better on-ice habits and results, the team has an opportunity to make a statement.

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