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Edmonton Oilers goaltender Tristan Jarry (Perry Nelson-Imagn Images)

Draisaitl’s Comments Reveal Deeper Oilers’ Troubles

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By The Old Prof | Last updated Feb 6, 2026 2:00 PM ET

There are losing streaks, and then there are stretches when a team starts to know something is off. The Edmonton Oilers sound as if they’re drifting into that second category right now. The on-ice results haven’t been good, but it’s the tone coming out of the dressing room that’s turning more heads than the scoreboard.

Elliotte Friedman recently stepped into the conversation, reacting to Leon Draisaitl’s unusually blunt post-game comments after another Oilers loss, this one to the Calgary Flames on Wednesday (4-3). As he noted, Draisaitl is an honest interviewee who doesn’t hide behind clichés. He talked about the team not being ready — not emotionally, not physically, and maybe not mentally either. When a player of his stature says something like that publicly, it carries a different weight. That’s not noise. That’s a warning flare.

Players are usually careful with their words, especially during rough stretches. They talk about sticking together, trusting the process, that sort of safe language. Draisaitl skipped all of that. He basically suggested the Oilers are showing up to games without the edge needed to win. That’s uncomfortable to hear, but it’s probably even more uncomfortable inside that room.

Friedman Wondered About the Oilers’ Emotional Readiness

Friedman touched on something that often gets overlooked when people analyze losing teams. Emotional readiness isn’t just coach-speak. Teams that look slow or disconnected often aren’t dealing with tactical breakdowns first. Instead, they’re dealing with hesitation. Hockey punishes hesitation faster than almost any sport. If a team starts games half a step behind mentally, the physical mistakes usually follow.

You can see hints of that with Edmonton lately. There are shifts where the team still looks dangerous because elite talent doesn’t disappear overnight. But there are also stretches where they look unsure of themselves, and that uncertainty spreads quickly across a bench.

What About the Oilers’ Goaltending Situation?

Then there’s the goaltending conversation, which is starting to sound familiar in Edmonton. In one game, Tristan Jarry has been vocal about needing better support in front of him. During the next game, the worm turned, and he was forced to admit he hadn’t passed his own test. To his credit, he didn’t dodge his own responsibilities, but he made it clear that defensive breakdowns are forcing him into situations that no goaltender consistently survives.

That’s always the tricky part of analyzing goaltending. Fans tend to look at save percentages and goals against. But inside the game, everyone understands it’s a shared responsibility. When defensive coverage gets loose or players lose assignments, it doesn’t just hurt the goalie statistically. It drains confidence from the entire defensive structure. Jarry’s comments suggest that trust between layers of the lineup might be fraying more than a little.

Friedman Zeroed in on the Oilers’ Accountability

Friedman also zeroed in on accountability, and that word can mean different things depending on who’s using it. In this case, it feels less like blame and more like clarity. Draisaitl spoke openly, saying he’s willing to accept responsibility himself, but it also signals that he expects the same from everyone else. Leadership sometimes shows up through calm example. Other times, it shows up through blunt honesty. Edmonton might be hearing the second version right now.

Another piece of this puzzle is role clarity. The Oilers have never lacked star power. Draisaitl and Connor McDavid can carry offensive stretches almost by force of talent. The issue comes when the rest of the roster isn’t completely sure how it fits around them. He hinted at this, and Draisaitl has all but said it outright. Depth players need defined, confident roles, or they start playing cautiously, trying not to make mistakes instead of trying to influence games.

The Oilers’ Bottom Six Looks Like It’s Guessing How to Play

Take Andrew Mangiapane, for example. He thrives when he knows exactly what his job is — forecheck, create pressure, live around the net. When that identity gets fuzzy, players like him often disappear statistically, not because they’ve lost ability, but because they’ve lost certainty.

It’s worth noting that teams like the Florida Panthers have built recent success on exactly the opposite approach. Every line knows its function. Every player understands what success looks like in their role, even if they aren’t producing highlight-reel moments. That clarity creates confidence, and confidence spreads quickly through a lineup.

Andrew Mangiapane, Edmonton Oilers (Perry Nelson-Imagn Images)

Draisaitl’s comments may also hint at something harder to measure — chemistry. When players start openly questioning their readiness or effort, it can suggest that frustration has been building quietly for a while. That doesn’t automatically mean a fractured room, but it does suggest conversations that probably aren’t easy are starting to happen.

Are the Oilers Doomed to Failure This Season?

None of this means the Oilers are doomed. Teams with elite talent rarely stay stuck for long. But it does mean the solution is more emotional and structural than tactical. They need to rediscover what kind of team they believe they are and commit to playing that way every night.

With the playoff race tightening, there isn’t much runway left for experimentation. Edmonton doesn’t need reinvention. It needs alignment — emotionally, defensively, and throughout the lineup. The pieces are still there. The question is whether they can reconnect them before the season ends and before management is forced into bigger decisions.

If nothing else, Draisaitl has made sure the conversation is happening out in the open. Sometimes that’s uncomfortable. Sometimes it’s exactly what a team needs. The question right now is what the Oilers are going to do with where they are at this particular moment.