Summary of the Edmonton Oilers 2025 end-of-season media availability

The Edmonton Oilers end-of-season media availability just concluded, and here is what some of the players had to say. The biggest topic of discussion was the back-to-back Stanley Cup losses to the same team, the Florida Panthers. With some contracts needing to be finalized this offseason, it is hard to say what this team will look like next season and if they can even be competitive again.

Thoughts and quotes from Leon Draisaitl

“We probably just made it too easy for them, especially in the past two games. We made key mistakes and they didn’t give us those. There are lots of positives you can take out of this, but at the end of the day only one team is celebrating,”

What Leon Draisaitl means by this statement is that throughout the Cup Final, the Oilers allowed the Panthers to have too many Grade A opportunities and shots on their net. The Panthers made very few mistakes, which made it harder for Edmonton to score.

Meanwhile, the Oilers made offensive and defensive mistakes that made it easier for Florida to get puck possession and have some great scoring chances.

Thoughts and quotes from Trent Frederic

“My agent is talking and hopefully something will get done here.”

“It’s hard to put a percentage on something (ankle injury) and the medical staff did a good job of getting me ready… I’m not thrilled with how I played through the playoffs.”

“When you get traded at the deadline, you want to come to a team that has a chance. Getting that opportunity was awesome. It’s not ideal to hop in and play in the playoffs but [the Oilers] made me feel comfortable.”

“Playing this time of year, with this group, and having a chance to do that year-in-year-out is why I’d love to be back here. Everyone at the rink is pretty impressive and how genuinely nice they treat you, it’s a first class organization.”

“I’ve never really been slotted anywhere, I’ve played all over the lineup… mostly bottom-six. I’d love to get those opportunities but you have to earn it. I can play left, centre, and right, but I’d love to play more centre.”

“I’ve played mostly on the wing in my career, but I’ve played centre during the playoffs. It’s the position that I played my whole life—it gets you more involved… I think it’s more the flow of the game and moving around the ice.”

“There was some chirping going on, but I don’t think it’s any different than when I’ve played Florida in the past. They like to run their mouths but it was nothing different than the past few years.”

Trent Frederic is now a UFA (Unrestricted Free Agent) and it is expected that the Oilers plan on signing him to a long term deal. Frederic missed all but one game in the regular season due to his ankle injury and once he was healthy, jumped right into the lineup for the playoffs. Having spent most of his career on the wing, he wants to switch it up and start spending more time playing centre.

Thoughts and quotes from Corey Perry

“At the end of the day, we didn’t get the job done. That’s why we play the game. That’s why you work out and do all the things [to get ready]. It never gets easier, but there’s a lot of good hockey left in that room… it’s going to get there.”

“I just want to win. That’s been my motto the whole time. Hopefully it’s here and hopefully we can figure it out and get something done.”

“I would love to stay here, but I’ll let the higher ups do the rest of the talking. I thought I gave everything I had to give and I’ll let that do a lot of the talking. Hopefully we’re back.”

“They’re well rehearsed in what they do. They don’t deviate from their game plan and they stuck with it. It’s the way hockey goes, sometimes you get the breaks and sometimes you don’t. That’s the way it goes. We did as much as we could.”

“Coming in halfway through a season is not easy. They were in the midst of their 16-game winning streak, so you just try and fit in and mesh. This year, I played some good hockey and I love playing with [97 and 29].”

“It’s devastating. Five of the last six, it doesn’t get any easier. It doesn’t feel real, but you get ready and you move on. You get ready for next season and hopefully you can be there again.”

Corey Perry is maybe one of the unluckiest players in NHL history and after making it all the way to the Cup Final, could not get it done yet again. At 40-years-old and with his career coming to a close, Perry’s only plan now is to win, no matter the team that he is with. As a pending UFA, it’s hard to say if Corey will re-sign with the Oilers or not, hopefully him and the team give it one more shot.

Thoughts and quotes from Evan Bouchard

“We tried to not talk about it come playoff time. I love being here, I want to be here. Let’s see where talks go.”

“First periods are what hurt us. We were fighting to come back in most of the games and that’s not a recipe for success against Florida. They’re such a good team. We had our chances to score but didn’t.”

“I think it’s going to keep getting better. The longer you play in the league, the more comfortable you get, but there’s still plenty of work to be done.”

“The team, the coaching staff, everybody around, the fans… makes me want to bring a Cup back to Edmonton. You want to reward the fans for all of the times they come out to support us.”

“Getting to the end two years in a row now and not getting the job done is going to make it even sweeter when we do get it done.”

“The way they forecheck was relentless. They’re so good at getting pucks back and they’re on top of you constantly. They work hard, they compete and in the end, we couldn’t do enough to defeat that.”

As an Arbitration eligible RFA (Restricted Free Agent) Evan Bouchard would love to re-sign with the Edmonton Oilers. The Florida Panthers were a very strong and deep team, that were able to outscore the Oilers 13–4 in the first periods and 9–0 in the first frame, in the final four games of the series. Losing the Stanley Cup two years in a row would be hard on any team, but Bouchard thinks that it will be a pretty sweet moment when the team does get that job done.

Thoughts and quotes from Connor McDavid

“Incredibly disappointing. Another fun run to be a part of, and it’s always fun to see how the city supports us and gets behind us. But obviously, it’s extremely disappointing to not get it done.”

“Going to take some time to regroup, talk to my agent a little bit, family, and make some decisions when the time comes. There’s no rush.”

“Not good enough starts. Chasing the game, down 2, down 3. What were the things? We struggled breaking the puck out. That’s not on the D, that’s on everybody. We struggled getting up the ice. Couldn’t sustain pressure. And you get worn down.”

“Absolutely, This core has been together a long time and we’ve been building to this moment. The work behind the scenes, the conversations, the disappointments, and some good times along the way… We’re all in this together.”

“It’s tough to focus on the good stuff two days out. As times goes on, we’ll look back on another successful run of making it to the finals and being two games away. At the end of the day, I get up here every year and tell you that. It’s only about winning.”

“Every team is going to have their own strategy with their personnel. I think we’ve found a winning formula here, but we didn’t find a way to get two more wins.”

“Last year was heartbreak, you were sad. This year was more angry than heartbreak. It’s more frustrating and that would be the comparison.”

“We don’t need to look very far at what it takes to win or what it feels like to play the winning team. We’ve done it four years in a row now. four Nations was the best hockey I’ve played, that Florida team would be a close second. Lots we can learn from them.”

“We come back and we do it again. There’s no quit. Guys can take their time and get healthy, and guys will go through their process, but ultimately it’s on everybody in the room and the organization to dust themselves off and come back better.”

“I think the team is certainly positioned to be really good again next year, but beyond that I don’t know or care. We’re worried about next year and that’s the only focus.”

“I think every team that is successful and goes to the finals, you don’t have to worry about guys. There’s no one to worry about. Everyone is a strong player and people, and can perform in big moments, we’ve done it.”

“My message to the fans would be to keep being patient and keep believing because they’ve been through a lot. The emotional highs, the lows. I look at what these runs do to my family and It’s hard on them. Just like the fans, it will be worth it.”

“Three days ago, we were two games from winning. Last year, we were two shots away from winning. The belief is incredibly high in that room and we do believe this group can win and will win.”

With a core that has been together for quite a few years now, Connor McDavid is not going to rush and will take some time when deciding if he plans on re-signing with the Oilers or not. With Edmonton finding a winning formula, they do not have to look very far when it comes to winning or competing against a championship winning team. The Oilers are expected to be really good again next year and will look to all their players to step up and perform in the big moments, in hopes of making it back to the Stanley Cup Finals, yet again.

Oil Country, we have been through a lot, but do not stop believing and keep being patient. Edmonton’s time is coming and hopefully sooner rather than later, they will be crowned champions once more.