Connor McDavid is spending his offseason away from the rink, and Lauren Kyle gave fans a small look at the Oilers’ annual weekend gathering.
Kyle shared photos from the event, where McDavid and several teammates were pictured enjoying themselves. One detail stood out right away: most of the people in the images were dressed in white, while a few wore grey.
The offseason comes after a difficult 2025-26 campaign for Edmonton, which ended with a Round 1 exit in the Stanley Cup playoffs. McDavid appears to have moved past that disappointment, even as the organization heads into a pivotal 2026-27 season.
That next season will arrive with a new voice behind the bench. After the Oilers sacked Kris Koblauch, they hired Mike Babcock as head coach.
The move drew criticism, but reports indicated that McDavid and other senior players were comfortable with the decision. Even so, the hire has been a lightning rod because of Babcock’s past.
His last stint as an NHL head coach ended badly with the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he was accused of invading players’ privacy and resigned three months into the job. That history made the Oilers’ decision an easy target for scrutiny.
McDavid, in particular, took heat once reports surfaced that he had approved the hire. Before the appointment became official, Sid Seixeiro called out the Oilers star on The Sid Seixeiro Show, saying:
"The desperation here is shocking from Edmonton... I am less interested in the organizational desperation as I am in Connor McDavid.
Let's cut the BS. McDavid is signing off on this.
And Connor McDavid, like a few days ago, I'll remind you, was once again voted on by his peers, by the players, as the best player in the league, and the recipient of the Ted Lindsay Award."
He followed that by saying:
"I believe his fifth Ted Lindsay Award. Voted by the players.
Do you know how many players in that league hate Mike Babcock? A lot.
That Columbus story didn't go over well. And here you have Connor McDavid, who is clearly involved in this.
Who constantly is praised by his peers around the league. All of a sudden, going NWO and bringing in the guy who's probably most hated in the PA in Mike Babcock."
Seixeiro finished by saying he had never seen the kind of desperation McDavid and the Oilers were showing with the Babcock hire.
In Other News...
Oilers Win Now Wishlist Is Starting To Come Into Focus
The Oilers long-term shopping list is already starting to take shape, and it is built around the same kind of win-now logic that has defined so much of the conversation in Edmonton. With a 2027 free-agency window in mind, the idea is less about fantasy names and more about identifying players who could actually be available, fit the roster and push the team closer to another playoff run. That makes the exercise feel practical even if it is still firmly in the speculative stage.
Jason Robertson, Alex Debrincat, Vince Dunn and Jordan Binnington all surface as the sort of targets that could move the needle if the right circumstances line up. Robertson would require a lot of cap maneuvering, Debrincat carries the appeal of a long-standing fit, Dunn would answer a need on the back end and Binnington would only enter the picture if Edmonton keeps searching for stability in goal. None of it is imminent, but the list says plenty about where the Oilers are already trying to position themselves. [Read more 🡒]
Ducks Landed On The Wrong End Of An Oilers Night Fans Wont Forget
The Oilers 2025-26 season had its share of uneven stretches, but January gave them a run of nights that stood out even in a year that ended with a first-round playoff exit. Connor Clattenburgs NHL debut added a fresh prospect storyline to the mix, while an eight-game homestand turned into one of the most memorable offensive bursts of the season, highlighted by back-to-back hat tricks from defensemen Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm.
Bouchards big night came in a wild overtime win, and Ekholm followed two days later with a three-goal performance against Anaheim that capped the kind of blue-line scoring binge few teams ever see. Edmonton also finally strung together its first three-game winning streak late in the year, a small but notable sign of momentum during a season that kept swinging between frustration and flashes of something more promising. [Read more 🡒]
Patrick Kane's Return Says Everything About Where Blackhawks Believe They're Headed
The Oilers are being linked to another aggressive swing as they weigh a possible move for Steven Stamkos, a rumor that fits the same win-now posture that has defined so much of their thinking around Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Edmonton has already shown a willingness to chase proven help when the window feels open, and any conversation about adding a player of Stamkos stature only reinforces how little patience this front office appears to have for a slow build.
What makes the chatter worth watching is the price tag and the timing, because this is the kind of deal that would force Edmonton to part with real assets while also depending on Nashvilles willingness to reshape its own direction. The Predators have been linked to a broader reset, and if they decide to lean into that next chapter, the Oilers could find themselves in the middle of one of the summers most consequential trade discussions. [Read more 🡒]