The Edmonton Oilers are yet again heading to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. With that being an extremely positive achievement, there can be no denying that this season was far from perfect.
The Oilers faced many problems throughout the season, but they never let them stand in their way. After all of the ups and downs, the Oilers were able to clinch a playoff spot, and currently await their first-round opponent. There is one main problem that the Oilers certainly need to solve come playoff time.
Let’s take a look at what weighed them down this year.
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Team inconsistency
The number one problem facing the Oilers is overall team inconsistency. This is their most significant issue that needs to be solved in the playoffs. Throughout the season, the Oilers would go in stretches where they could barely string three wins together. They would win one game, then lose three straight. Or win a game, then lose a game. It was a constant battle to find any consistency throughout the year until finally, they broke through in mid-March.
The Oilers started their season-long winning streak on March 24 against the Utah Mammoth. This was a strong game, led by Connor McDavid, who netted his 40th goal of the season. The boys kept this rolling in Vegas two nights later when Evan Bouchard potted an overtime winner against the Golden Knights. Then, home ice brought the Oilers even more momentum. The team strung together important home ice wins against the Anaheim Ducks, Seattle Kraken, and the Chicago Blackhawks to complete the season-long five-game winning streak.
With the completion of this winning streak, Oil Country got some much-needed confidence and swagger back. That was the best stretch of Oilers hockey anyone had seen this season, which hopefully, would continue into the playoffs. Unfortunately, since then, the Oilers have lost four of five games and have scored only one goal in their last two. With the Pacific Division title potentially on the line, Thursday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks is a must-win.
Low trust in goaltending
Another obvious issue with the team has been goaltending. This is the story of the Oilers that never seems to come to an end. The tandem of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard was yet again the go-to duo for the Oilers. After taking them to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals, you would think this team could rely on them, no? Skinner appeared in only 23 starts this season before Stan Bowman decided that it was time to move on from him. The goalie posted his worst save percentage as an Oiler with .891 and seemed totally out of it. On December 12, 2025, he was dealt alongside Brett Kulak to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Tristan Jarry (and Samuel Poulin).
Unfortunately, the situation with Pickard was no better. The veteran goalie was slated to be the Oilers’ backup for this season. Right from the start, Pickard was awful. Through 16 appearances, he posted a 5–6–2 record with a whopping .871 save percentage. On February 1, Pickard was put on waivers to get sent down to the minors. Here, nothing has improved. Through eight games, Pickard has a .500 record alongside a .886 save percentage.
With acquiring Jarry from the Penguins, Bowman also picked up Connor Ingram through waivers from the Utah Mammoth. Both goalies, especially Jarry, have had their struggles in Edmonton. Both of them have a sub-900 save percentage, but one has taken over the starting role. Ingram has become the man in the net for Edmonton. He gets the most wins for the team, and it is clear that everyone is more confident with him as the starter.
Failed offseason signings
Going into this season, many hockey fans had the Oilers as the clear-cut winners of the Pacific Division. At this point, they will not even crack 100 points, let alone win the division. Some mistakes were made even before the season started. These mistakes included the signing of three players: Andrew Mangiapane, David Tomasek, and Trent Frederic. Both players had awful seasons with the Oilers, but thankfully, one of them was moved.
Mangiapane was signed to a two-year deal with an average salary of $3.6M. This deal seemed like it could be solid, but it proved to be the opposite very quickly. Mangiapane struggled to fit in the Oilers’ lineup. He played on all four lines at different parts of the season and was eventually a healthy scratch. Bowman traded Mangiapane to Chicago in exchange for Colton Dach and Jason Dickinson.
Tomasek was signed to a one-year deal ahead of the 2025–26 season. This was an experiment to find a solid depth forward to rely on. Although Tomasek did have some good moments for the Oilers, he just did not pan out. The forward finished his time in Edmonton playing 22 games and posting five points. After this, his contract was officially terminated, and the veteran forward went back overseas.
Lastly, the worst signing belongs to Frederic. Not much needs to be said here. An eight-year extension to a fourth liner is a recipe for disaster. This contract was signed at the end of June and includes a no-movement clause for the first four years, then a modified no-trade clause kicks in during the second half. I think the goal was to have Frederic as the main tough guy in Edmonton, but that is not a requirement in today’s NHL. Most tough guys still need to be really skilled, which Frederic is not. The forward has seven points and 58 PIM through 73 games this season.
The combination of all three of these issues has weighed the Oilers down this season. Without these issues, they easily would have been one of the top teams in the league. Can they overcome their obstacles in the playoffs?
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As of this writing the Oilers have managed a second or third place finish in the worst division. Yeah, I’m sure that was Calvin Pickard’s fault????