With 57 games in the books, the Edmonton Oilers sit at 64 points-a record that paints a picture of a team still trying to figure out exactly who they are. Some nights, they flash the kind of talent that reminds you why they’re always in the preseason playoff conversation. Other nights, they look like a group still searching for structure, bleeding goals and chasing games they were never really in.
Right now? They’re hovering somewhere between average and inconsistent. And that’s just not good enough for a team with this much firepower.
The latest stumble came on home ice, where the Toronto Maple Leafs handed them a 5-2 loss-another game where the Oilers found themselves buried early and scrambling late. After the final horn, winger Kasperi Kapanen didn’t sugarcoat it.
“We can't be letting in five, six, seven goals per game. It's just too much.
It's not the right way to win,” Kapanen said, visibly frustrated. “I feel like we're always trailing by two, three goals.
And they've scored four or five.”
That kind of defensive breakdown has become all too familiar in Edmonton. For a team known historically for its offensive flair-the “High Flying Oilers” legacy still looms large-there’s a growing sense that this group needs to evolve. That means tightening up in their own zone, supporting their goaltending, and playing with a level of discipline that’s simply been missing far too often.
“As a good team, we can't be doing that moving forward, and it's something that we've addressed,” Kapanen added. “You know, it doesn't happen overnight.
We're trying, guys. We're trying, and we want to be better defensively.”
And that’s the thing-this isn’t a lack of effort. The Oilers want to be better.
But wanting isn’t enough in a league where the margin for error is razor-thin and playoff spots are earned, not given. The defensive lapses, the early deficits, the inability to control the pace of play-they’ve all become recurring themes in a season that was supposed to be about taking the next step.
Right now, Edmonton doesn’t look like a Stanley Cup contender. They look like a team stuck in a loop, trying to patch the same holes that have sunk them in years past.
The talent is there. The urgency?
That’s what needs to show up-and soon-if this team is going to break the cycle.