Edmonton Oilers roster construction: What has gone wrong?

The Edmonton Oilers have lost to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup final for the second straight year. It was a tough series for the Oilers, who lost all of their momentum from the previous three rounds. What exactly went wrong in the final? An argument can be made that the Panthers outplayed them in every aspect of the game.

Let’s take a look at the overall construction of the Oilers roster.

Superstar talent is not missing

The main idea that pops into mind when the Oilers roster is examined is the superstar talent. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are the best offensive duo in the NHL. They have led the Oilers over the past 10 years through many deep playoff runs. Unfortunately, they just have not been able to show up when everything is on the line.

In the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, McDavid and Draisaitl were not impactful through the first three games of the series. They eventually turned it on in Game 4 and carried that dominant performance through Game 6 of the series, but fell short in Game 7. In the 2025 Final, things were quite different. McDavid and Draisaitl stood out strongly through the first two games of the series, then slowed down for the remainder of the series. Draisaitl carried the Oilers to a Game 4 victory and was rewarded with a lucky overtime goal. Afterwards, the Panthers refused to give him any more space after that mistake.

Looking at the big picture, the superstar talent is not an issue in Edmonton. Yes, McDavid and Draisaitl should have more of an impact in the Final, but their performance overall is respectable. A questionable aspect of the Oilers’ roster is their forward depth. It severely struggled in the Finals and was absolutely demolished by the Panthers’ third line. This is something that needs to be addressed in the offseason.

Depth forward outlook

Forward depth was no problem for the Oilers during the regular season. However, the injury to Zach Hyman brought out the consistency issues in the depth scoring. Corey Perry was a pleasant surprise who scored plenty of significant goals while providing a clutch veteran presence. Hyman’s injury gave Perry a chance to shine. For the rest of the depth, it showed the lack of scoring that remains an issue.

Without Hyman, the Oilers’ right wing consisted of Perry, Kasperi Kapanen, Trent Frederic, and Connor Brown. All of them had their special moments in the playoffs, but struggled mightily against the Panthers. It has been reported that Frederic is close to signing an eight-year extension to remain an Edmonton Oiler. Stan Bowman seems to be confident in the forwards abilities after his playoff run, which quite frankly, was not that great. Maybe this long-term deal means that Evander Kane is on his way out. Frederic would become the new tough guy on the Oilers.

Previous offseason signings of Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson did not work out. They were both expected to have an excellent season in Oil Country, getting to play alongside McDavid or Draisaitl. Neither player was able to find their game, creating more questions going into this offseason. Is it time to move on from both players? Or maybe give one of them another chance? Losing Dylan Holloway seriously affected the forward depth for the Oilers this season.

Goaltending troubles in Edmonton

The most obvious issue with the Oilers is their goaltending. Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard are not a good enough duo to win a Stanley Cup. They have come extremely close, but there was a big difference against the Panthers. Facing a future Hall of Fame goalie in Sergei Bobrovsky instantly puts the better odds on the Panthers. He was a key part of the last two Stanley Cup victories in Florida, proving how important goaltending is. The Oilers must find a new goalie in the offseason.

There are a couple of options available for the Oilers. Some names that have floated around as potential trade options include Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues and John Gibson of the Anaheim Ducks. Binnington is by far the better goalie, but he will be more expensive to acquire. He has two years left on his contract at $6M per year. The 31-year-old does carry a 14-team no-trade list on his contract. It would be interesting to see if Edmonton is on there. Binnington would be pricy to acquire because of his recent performances in the 4 Nations Face-off and the playoffs. He stood on his head during those times, proving that he is a goalie who can steal games.

John Gibson would most likely be easier to acquire. He also has two years left on his contract, carrying an average of $6.4M per year. Gibson has certainly had rough seasons in the past, but was great on a mediocre Ducks team last season. He posted a 0.912 save percentage along with a 2.73 goals against average. The Ducks have young star Lukas Dostal as their future goalie, so it makes sense to move on from Gibson. The 31-year-old also has a 10-team no-trade list that could affect this deal.

What changes need to be made to the Oilers’ roster construction to win a Stanley Cup?