4 biggest needs for the Edmonton Oilers this offseason
Despite being viewed as favourites going into the series, many Edmonton Oilers fans weren’t surprised to see their team fall flat against the Anaheim Ducks.
The Ducks were able to advance to the second round after defeating the Oilers in Game 6 by a 4-1 final on Thursday night. While shocking to some, those who watched this team closely this season thought this could very well be the case.
As Connor McDavid put it following the loss, the Oilers were an average team all season long. They were as inconsistent as it gets, winning three games in a row on just two occasions. There are changes that need to be made, with these four serving as the most crucial:
Oilers need a goaltender
New year, same story in Edmonton.
After entering the season with Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard as their duo once again, GM Stan Bowman had finally seen enough and chose to trade Skinner, along with defenceman Brett Kulak, to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Their big get in the deal was Tristan Jarry.
That move wound up being a colossal failure, as Jarry struggled so much that he wound up riding the pine down the stretch of the season.
This summer, the number-one priority needs to be adding a legitimate number-one goaltender. It won’t be an easy task, but it’s one that’s long overdue, and Bowman, assuming he remains in charge, needs to find a way to get it done.
New voice needed behind the bench
Though some will chalk it up to fatigue, plenty have questioned head coach Kris Knoblauch throughout the entirety of the 2025-26 season. His message has run dry with this group, and, despite his incredible success through his first two years behind the bench, a change is needed.
Given that Knoblauch is more of a player-friendly coach, many are suggesting the Oilers bring in someone a little more hard-nosed. If they choose to go that route, you have to wonder if Bruce Cassidy is the man for the job.
While it’s easy to say in hindsight, one can’t help but wonder if the Oilers should have made this change following the Olympic break.
Youth need to take a step forward
While there have been too many managerial mistakes in Edmonton to count, one that continues to haunt the Oilers more than the rest was losing both Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg to the St. Louis Blues. Without them in the lineup, this has suddenly become an old team that looked very slow against a young, speedy Ducks lineup.
The Oilers have attempted to address this more recently, bringing in Vasily Podkolzin, Matt Savoie, and Isaac Howard.
Podkolzin has been better than anybody could have imagined. As for Savoie, he made big strides in the regular season but really struggled in the playoffs. Howard, meanwhile, struggled to make an impact at the NHL level but had plenty of success with the Bakersfield Condors.
The Oilers desperately need both Savoie and Howard to take big steps next season, as having key contributors on entry-level contracts is needed.
Oilers need to commit to better defensive hockey
One longstanding critique of this Oilers team is that while they can score goals in bunches, their defensive play has prevented them from winning a Stanley Cup. That was more apparent than ever against the Ducks.
The Oilers allowed 26 goals in only six games. Goaltending didn’t help, but it was far from the only issue.
That starts with McDavid, who, while not 100 per cent healthy, went minus-8 in the series. Evan Bouchard was a minus-7, while Zach Hyman finished at minus-6.
And, though Leon Draisaitl was the best of the Oilers’ big guns in this series, he, too, has big improvements to make on the defensive side of the puck. It will be up to him and McDavid to ensure a standard is set next season, and they need to be the ones to lead the way.