How the Oilers have wasted Connor McDavid’s prime

The clock is ticking in Edmonton — well, metaphorically. Connor McDavid is inching towards the most dreaded fate in sports.

The age of 30.

An unavoidable period that — in recent memory —  only the likes of LeBron James and Sidney Crosby have traversed unscathed.

And yet, he’s failed to reach the top of the hockey mountain. 

Despite the lack of a Stanley Cup, his resume tracks as one of the best in modern sports. In only eleven seasons, he has the second-most scoring titles in NHL history, three Hart Trophies, 1220 career points, and a Conn Smythe.

Hockey is far from a sport where one superstar can backstop a championship, but McDavid is on a path to becoming the greatest player to never win a Stanley Cup. After the Oilers fired Kris Knoblauch, the 29-year-old will enter next season under the eighth head coach of his career.

McDavid and the Oilers’ fanbase have had to endure a decade of subpar contracts, goaltending disasters, and an overall lack of proactive decision-making. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly where the McDavid era went wrong, but drafting feels like a good place to start. 

The mismanagement of young talent

Under general managers Peter Chiarelli, Ken Holland, and Stan Bowman, the team drafted eight skaters who have suited up for 100 or more games after McDavid’s 2015 draft. That about lines up with other teams over that span; however, the only player from that list who is still in the organization is Evan Bouchard.

Jesse Puljujärvi, Vincent Desharnais, Kailer Yamamoto, Ryan McLeod, Michael Kesselring, Philip Broberg, and Dylan Holloway all reached the mark but have since left the organization. McLeod, Holloway, and Broberg were all traded or sent off in an offer sheet following the 2024 Stanley Cup Final loss, but what did the Oilers prioritize over the three rising talents?

The Oilers opted for veteran talent Jeff Skinner, Mattias Janmark, and Viktor Arvidsson, who were all above the age of 30. Skinner and Arvidsson have since moved on, highlighting the short-sighted nature of these moves.

General manager Stan Bowman only received compensation of a second and a third-round pick for Broberg and Holloway, while both have blossomed as top-of-the-lineup players in St. Louis.

The good, the bad, and the goalie

It feels as though there’s an overarching incompetence in the Oilers’ organization. No matter who is at the helm as general manager, or who the coach is, or who’s on defense, the team can’t acquire a starting goalie.

It doesn’t take a hockey savant to understand that Stuart Skinner, Calvin Pickard, or Tristan Jarry aren’t leading you to a Stanley Cup. Edmonton has been in the bottom ten for goals against above expected in three of the last four seasons, finishing sixth-worst in the stat this season.

The most criminal of Edmonton’s goalie-shaped offenses dates back to the 2021 draft. With the 20th pick in the draft, the Oilers had the opportunity to snag their goalie of the future, Jesper Wallstedt.

He was regarded as one of the best goalie prospects in recent memory and was projected near the top 10 of the draft, so it felt like a no-brainer for a team yet to find a solution between the pipes. And yet, the Oilers decided to trade back in the draft, selecting forward Xavier Bourgault.

After leading the Wild to the second round, Wallstedt is arguably better than any goalie of the McDavid era at only the age of 23. In his rookie season this year, he recorded an impressive .916 save percentage along with four shutouts in 35 starts.

You can’t help but think the Oilers would change that pick if they had the chance, especially given that Bourgault was traded to Ottawa after failing to stick on the roster.

The pre-written disaster of signing Mike Babcock

At the time of publishing, all signs are pointing towards the Oilers signing Mike Babcock as their next coach following his reinstatement by the NHL. For a league consistently referred to as a ‘boys club’, the NHL really doesn’t do anything to dispel that reputation.

Babcock is seemingly incapable of avoiding controversy and is an old-fashioned coach in the worst sense of the term. Former Detroit Red Wings winger Johan Franzen described Babcock as the worst person he’s ever met, and said the coach made him dread coming to the rink thanks to his constant verbal abuse.

In Toronto, Babcock forced Mitch Marner to rank his teammates based on their work ethic, then announced the list to the team after claiming it would remain private. More recently, in Columbus, Babcock went through players’ personal phones, including text messages and photos, supposedly in an attempt to get to know them.

His hiring, which will likely be confirmed in the coming days, could go down as the final straw of the McDavid era.

An unclear path forward

Entering McDavid’s 12th season, it’s hard to gauge what expectations are for the Oilers. After making back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals, Edmonton had its worst season in years, losing to an inexperienced Anaheim Ducks team in the first round.

Any team with McDavid and Leon Draisaitl is impossible to count out, but the clock is ticking in Edmonton, and the poor decisions are piling up.

As it stands, the Oilers have wasted the prime of this generation’s most skilled player.