The positives that came out of the Edmonton Oilers 2025 Stanley Cup run

After another season without winning a Stanley Cup, Oil Country appears to be in a full blown meltdown. There is plenty of conversation about how this team is just not good enough and that major improvements are needed if they want even a chance to win a Cup.

Was this a frustrating end to the season? Of course it was. After all, losing to the same team two years in a row is going to sting, and the team’s performance in the final two games left a lot to be desired.

But maybe everyone should take a breath and move their hand away from the panic button. The way people are talking, it sounds like the Edmonton Oilers are back in the Decade of Darkness with no light at the end of the tunnel.

Here are a few things that people should probably keep in mind when evaluating this team and its future.

The Oilers are one of the most successful playoff teams during the McDavid era

If I were to give you one guess as to where the Oilers rank in the NHL in playoff wins since Connor McDavid entered the NHL in the 2015–16 season, where you would you place them? I get the feeling a lot of people wouldn’t expect it to be very high up. After all, three of the first four seasons were non-playoff seasons.

Well, they are sixth in the league with 51 wins. Granted that is 23 less wins then first place Tampa Bay, but only three wins less than the “dynasty” Florida Panthers.

If you take it from the 2019–20 season, the first of now six straight playoff seasons, they move up one spot, but are now only eight wins behind Tampa and Florida.

Even this year, the Oilers entered the final with a slightly better record than the Panthers, at 12–4 versus 12–5.

Oh, and they’ve also made it to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals, something only three other teams have done since McDavid became an NHL player.

So if a team that has done that is considered a bad team, then what does that say about the rest of the league?

The team can easily run it back for the third year

Again, I appreciate that emotions are running high and people are calling for major changes, so maybe you will disagree with this point.

But the fact of the matter is that 17 players who played in this year’s playoffs are under contract for next year, with only Corey Perry, Connor Brown, and Evan Bouchard being major contributors who are free agents.

12 of those players have been on the team for each of the past two years as well, meaning you have more than half your current roster that has shown they can at the very least get to the penultimate position in the NHL.

Yes, the cap is looking tight for next year, unless the Oilers can offload a couple big contracts such as Evander Kane’s and Viktor Arvidsson’s. Mind you, Kane had a pretty decent playoffs with six goals and 12 points in 21 games, so he showed he still has some game after recovering from his myriad of injuries.

And of course, the team should always be looking to make improvements and not just stand pat. But the foundation is there, whether people seem to want to hear it or not.

The Oilers window should be open for a while still

After this offseason, the Oilers should hopefully be in a position where the major pieces to a championship team are in place for a long time.

Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Zach Hyman are all already under contract for multiple seasons after this one, and both McDavid and Evan Bouchard will hopefully be following suit (knock on wood). Darnell Nurse is also locked up for a long time, but to say that that is a controversial contract is an understatement.

The Oilers are also rumoured to be in long term contract talks with both Connor Brown and Trent Frederic, although maybe those contracts are potentially a bit suspect. But Brown has shown his worth these past two playoff runs, and given how he improved from recovering from a major injury, the Oilers are clearly banking on Frederic doing the same and providing major value on a contract that should be considered pretty low as the salary cap continues to rise.

At the end of the day though, if/when McDavid re-ups, having him and Draisaitl means you are always in contention.

Management seems aware that they do still have to make tweaks

I know this seems to be opposite of the last two sections, but the fact that GM Stan Bowman did say changes will be made to the forwards and goaltending is a positive sign that the Oilers will not stand fully pat.

McDavid’s comments on if there is a good window to win means there is no issue with re-signing was almost certainly a message to the team that he wants to make sure there is a good plan in place. Everyone knows McDavid will get a blank cheque, so the real negotiation here is about the future of the team itself.

So you do have to think that played a factor in Bowman’s statement on how he plans to attack the offseason. After all, NHL GMs are notorious for keeping things close to their chest, so for him to straight up say there will be changes, and to goaltending especially, is pretty significant in my opinion.

This is an entertaining team

Yes, winning is important in professional sports. But another thing that is important to remember is that this is still an entertainment business. We watch because we are invested in our home team, but also because we love the game.

Imagine how much worse it would be to watch a less high octane team only to still lose? At least we get some edge of your seat entertainment. Plus, a team that sets the NHL record for come from behind playoff victories in a row is peak dramatics.

So having the opportunity to watch McDavid and Draisaitl night in and night out, along with a very good offensive defenceman in Bouchard is a gift to Oilers fans that no other team has. Not to mention a power play that when it is on is arguably the best in NHL history. Throw in some fun wormy antics from Perry, some personality from Jake Walman and Vasily Podkolzin, and the golden human being that is children’s book author Zach Hyman, and you have a pretty fun and likeable team.

And that is what it is all about at the end of the day right?