Blowout loss to the Maple Leafs highlight Oilers' flaws

Things have been great for the Edmonton Oilers to open the 2026-27 season, and almost all of that is related to their top-line duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. That is especially true as it relates to McDavid, who is off to one of the best starts in NHL history and on a pace to rewrite the NHL's single-season record books.

But as the Oilers showed in Saturday's 7-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, there are still some very valid and legitimate concerns with this team when it comes to them being a Stanley Cup contender.

Oilers still have big questions with scoring depth and goaltending

It is hard to be overly critical about a team that, even after Saturday's loss, is still 8-2-1 this season and owns one of the best records in the league, but you still have to be alert to warning signs early in the season. 

The Oilers have plenty of them, and they are the same warning signs that have existed with this team for the entirety of the McDavid and Draisaitl era. 

One of the biggest is goaltending.

The Oilers have been unable to find a consistent, No. 1 goalie for years and have gone through an extensive list of players that have failed. Tristan Jarry, Saturday's starter, is one of the latest, and after allowing six goals on 31 shots, his save percentage through four games is down to just .852. That is not only not good enough, but it is barely NHL-caliber. 

Devon Levi has been getting the bulk of the playing time to open the season, but he is far from proven as a long-term option.

Frederik Andersen is also on the roster, but is sidelined due to injury (which has been a constant problem for him throughout his career). 

Levi and Andersen are question marks for different reasons (Levi's lack of experience; Andersen's injury history), while Jarry has never proven to be a reliable, big-game player in a 10-plus year career.

But that might not even be the biggest issue.

The biggest issue is what the Oilers do when McDavid and Draisaitl are not on the ice.

After Saturday's game in Toronto, Edmonton is outscoring teams by a 16-6 margin when the McDavid-Draisaitl duo is on the ice during 5-on-5 play.

When only one of them is on the ice, the Oilers are outscoring teams by a 4-2 margin. 

When neither is on the ice? The Oilers are being outscored by an 18-7 margin, while also getting dominated from a scoring chance and territorial perspective. They are getting badly outshot and generating just 38% of the expected goals in those minutes. 

They play like a Stanley Cup team with their two superstars. 

They play like a lottery team without them. 

This has been a theme for years in Edmonton, and it is not changing. There is not much with the roster on paper that suggests it will change without major changes in personnel. 

The Oilers have been able to overcome it so far due to a softer schedule and McDavid playing the best hockey of his career. There was always a question as to what will happen when the schedule gets tougher and when McDavid is not scoring five points every night. The thing is, McDavid and Draisaitl still teamed up for both goals on Saturday, which is normally a great night for a team's top line. It still was not enough. That is the sort of thing that needs to be a concern. Especially when combined with the goaltending questions. Great start to the season, but it always comes down to sustainability and whether they can do it in the playoffs.