Who Knows What's Going On with the Edmonton Oilers?

The Edmonton Oilers might be the most complicated team in the NHL. And that's saying something.

Normally, having Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl should make things pretty simple. You have two of the best players in the world. Build a good team around them, keep the goaltending respectable, stay healthy and give yourself a chance in the playoffs. Except the Oilers have been trying to do that for a decade.

They still haven't won the Stanley Cup. They came close twice, but no cigar.

The Oilers are running out of time, and it’s obvious they know it.

That's what makes Edmonton so difficult to figure out. McDavid has a two-year extension, which should give the Oilers some certainty. But it also creates an enormous amount of pressure. Everybody knows the clock is ticking. The problem is that urgency can make an NHL team do strange things.

Sometimes you make the trade that solves a problem today but creates another problem tomorrow. Sometimes you pay too much for a player because you desperately need him. Sometimes you bring in a veteran because you believe experience is what your team needs. And sometimes you start making moves because you feel like you have to do something.

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That's where the Oilers appear to be right now.

There are some genuinely good moves. Getting out from under Darnell Nurse's contract without retaining salary was impressive. Signing Ryan Shea at a much lower cost makes sense. Jason Dickinson is a useful player.

But then there are the moves that make you scratch your head. The Tristan Jarry trade hasn't worked out. The Trent Frederic contract already looks uncomfortable. Edmonton paid heavily to acquire Dickinson and then had to spend again to keep him. And the offer sheet situation left a bad taste. It's a strange collection of decisions.

And then there is Mike Babcock.

Which brings us to the biggest gamble of all. Mike Babcock was once one of the most respected coaches in hockey. He also hasn't coached an NHL game since 2019, and his return to the Oilers comes with an enormous amount of baggage. Maybe it works.

That's the thing about Edmonton right now. Almost everything is a “maybe.” Maybe Babcock gets the best out of McDavid and Draisaitl. Maybe the defensive changes finally work. Maybe the goaltending holds up. Maybe the expensive contracts don't become problems.

But when you have two of the best players in the world and only two years left on McDavid's contract, “maybe” isn't a particularly comfortable place to be.

That’s what makes the Oilers so complicated.

They're desperate to win now, but some of their decisions suggest they're also trying to solve problems that extend beyond the next two seasons. And those two things don't always fit together.

The Oilers simply need to stop making the situation more complicated than it already is. With McDavid, the opportunity is obvious. The hard part is figuring out what to do with it.

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