It’s early, but something feels different around the Oilers.
Edmonton has spent years waiting for this kind of October hockey, and now the results are starting to show up on the ice. At the same time, the city’s football side has a spark too, with the Elks booking their first trip to the CFL’s Western Final in more than a decade. The old City of Champions aura isn’t back yet, but the mood in Alberta’s capital is trending the right way.
That shift was part of the conversation on the Friday, Oct. 16 edition of the Lowdown with Lowetide on Sports 1440, where host Allan Mitchell spoke with former Hockey Night In Canada producer and longtime Oilers watcher Steve Lansky. Lansky pointed to one thing in particular: “The thing that I notice is not there anymore is when there’s a goal scored against them or maybe two goals scored against them….there doesn’t seem to be a deflate reaction.
And now that doesn’t seem to exist… It’s like, they’re just still pounding and grinding and going, which is something you always wanted from the Oilers, but you didn’t get. And now it seems like we might be getting it.
And I’ll be damned if it’s not going to make a huge difference, because it is.”
That kind of resilience has been easy to spot through the first seven games. Edmonton has just one regulation loss and sits in the mix for first place in the Pacific Division, while carrying the best winning percentage in the Western Conference at .786. The Oilers have done it despite missing Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Matt Savoie, and the early feel is a team embracing the “next man up” approach.
The front office deserves some credit for the start, too. The offseason came with plenty of turbulence, beginning with the firing of former head coach Kris Knoblauch, then the hiring of Mike Babcock and the signing of unproven goaltender Devon Levi.
General manager Stan Bowman entered the season with real pressure to put together a roster that could legitimately chase the Stanley Cup. For now, the early returns have been strong.
Babcock and associate coach D.J. Smith also seem to be changing the tone inside the room.
The Oilers no longer look like a team that folds when things go sideways. Even when they fall behind, there’s a sense they can keep coming.
That edge has surfaced before, but this season it feels more established. The coaching staff appears to be pushing veterans out of old habits and into a tougher, steadier mindset.
Levi has become a major part of that story. The goaltender’s play has given Edmonton a lift, and Babcock recently said, “He (Levi) is a confident kid.”
That confidence seems to be feeding the group around him, including Tristan Jarry, who looked strong in the Oilers’ 3-1 win over the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 10.
Levi’s athletic style and quick glove hand have led to some Miikka Kiprusoff-type comparisons. The Oilers may have found their own version of a goalie who needed the right opportunity to break through, much like Kiprusoff did after being the third goalie on his team before getting a fresh start in Calgary from former Flames GM and coach Daryl Sutter.
For a city that once lived on dynasties, the familiar feeling is starting to creep back in. Bob Dylan put it this way: “For the loser now, will be later to win for the times they are a changin’”. Edmonton may not be back at that level yet, but with the Oilers and Elks both pushing forward, the pendulum looks like it has started to swing again.
In Other News...
Jake Walman Is Testing Edmontons Bet On Him Early
Jake Walmans start to the 2026-27 season has put a fresh spotlight on the long-term bet Edmonton made when it locked him into a seven-year extension before last season. The Oilers expected a steady, minutes-eating defenseman who could help stabilize the blue line, but injuries and uneven play have made his early stretch a little more complicated than the contract suggested.
The numbers have been mixed so far, with some encouraging shot-attempt results offset by the kind of expected-goals-against profile that raises questions about fit and usage. Edmonton may need to keep experimenting with his defensive partners and overall role to find a better match, because this is still a player the organization clearly believes in even if the opening weeks have not made that belief easy to see. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Linked To A Top-Six Target They May Struggle To Land
A potential top-six addition is already hovering around the Oilers radar, even if the path to getting him looks like a long shot. If Philadelphia decides to make changes, Travis Konecny has come up as a possible fit in Edmonton, the kind of winger who would immediately draw attention for a team still looking to reinforce its forward group without disrupting the rest of the roster.
The catch is the usual one for Edmonton at this stage: money and assets. Any serious pursuit would likely force the Oilers to move salary back the other way, and they are not exactly sitting on a deep reserve of prospect capital either. So while the link is real enough to keep an eye on, it also feels like the sort of idea that tests how creative Edmonton can get before the market and the cap start closing in. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Forward Depth Suddenly Has A New Jason Dickinson Problem
Edmontons forward depth took another hit Thursday when Jason Dickinson was unavailable after getting hurt in practice, adding a fresh complication to a role the Oilers had already been trying to stabilize. For a player whose start was delayed by a foot and ankle issue in the preseason, it was a familiar sort of interruption at an inconvenient time, one that left the team adjusting again on the fly.
The injury is separate from the ankle problem that slowed Dickinson earlier, which matters because the Oilers were hoping to build some continuity around him after that delayed ramp-up. Instead, they are suddenly dealing with another absence in a part of the lineup that can least afford churn, and the uncertainty now lingers over how long he might be out and what it means for Edmontons depth chart going forward. [Read more 🡒]