NHL News

Home

Teams

Quizzes

Newsletter

Edmonton Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard, center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and center Connor McDavid celebrate a goal on Detroit Red Wings goalie Cam Talbot (Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images)

Oilers’ Stanley Cup window is beginning to close

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Dale Bochon | Last updated Jan 29, 2026 11:00 AM ET

It seems like just yesterday that Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were the young guns in the NHL’s Pacific Division. After watching the Anaheim Ducks play the Oilers on Jan. 26, I can’t help but think of Bob Dylan’s timeless classic “The Times They Are A-Changin’.” Even though the Oilers won the game 7-4 thanks to a hat trick from Mattias Ekholm, it was hard not to be impressed by Anaheim’s young guns, including Beckett Sennecke and Jackson LaCombe.

Anaheim is not only knocking at the door, but it seems like they’re starting to pound on it. The same goes for the San Jose Sharks, who the Oilers host on Jan. 29. Led by the NHL’s fourth leading scorer Macklin Celebrini, the Sharks come into Edmonton with a talented group of young kids only five points back of the Oilers with three games in hand.

Oilers Still Hold the Upper Hand, But for How Much Longer?

Realistically, the experienced Oilers are still in the driver’s seat in terms of being in the conversation for Stanley Cup favourites this season. Led by McDavid, Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the Oilers are focused on making it back to their third-straight Stanley Cup Final. There are still many miles to go to make it there.

The Oilers have been playing inconsistent hockey for most of the season, unable to win three games in a row. They’ll to hit the ground running on Feb. 25 when the NHL resumes after the break for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Will There Be a Changing of the Guard This Season?

With the way Anaheim and San Jose are playing, the race for a playoff spot in the Pacific Division could be a six-horse sprint to the finish. Currently, only six points separate the sixth-place Seattle Kraken from the division-leading Vegas Golden Knights, with the Oilers, Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, and Sharks all sandwiched in between. After the Oilers’ two long runs to the Stanley Cup Final in 2024 and 2025, do they have enough fuel in the tank to make it to a third? And if they were to play a young, talented team such as Anaheim or San Jose in the first round, would they be able to match the tempo of the younger rosters?

Oilers Are Making Adjustments By Adding More Youth

You can thank Oilers general manager Stan Bowman for doing a quick and methodical job of restocking the Oilers farm system. Young players such as Quinn Hutson, Issac Howard, Connor Clattenburg, and Josh Samanski have all made contributions when they’ve been called up from the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League.

The biggest issue has been where to slot them in the lineup so they get the proper amount of ice time. The good thing for the Oilers is the young legs in Bakersfield should be available for the stretch drive and into the playoffs. They may need more youth and speed to match some of the up-and-coming teams, such as Anaheim and San Jose.

Oilers Might Only Have a Two to Three-Year Window to Win the Stanley Cup

The reality of where the Oilers are at really hit when watching the game against Anaheim. Oilers fans were used to believing that a team led by McDavid and Draisaitl would have years of opportunity to win it all. They still might; his is a talented team with a good balance of veterans and youth who know when to clamp down and play championship-style defence. But it’s hard not to see that there are some new kids starting to knock on the door.

As a fan of McDavid and the Oilers, I would do anything to see him hoist the Stanley Cup as captain. The Oilers’ time is now, and with only 28 games left to go until the playoffs, one has to know that Bowman will be doing his best right up to the 2026 Trade Deadline on March 6 to equip his team for another run at Lord Stanley’s Mug.

Regardless of what happens this season, the race for playoff positions in the NHL’s Pacific Division is going to get more and more interesting over the next few seasons. It feels like the times are a-changin’ indeed. If you’re an Oilers fan, you have to hope they have what it takes to win it all now.