The Oilers’ Mid-Season Malaise: A Familiar Crisis with a Different Feel
Here we are again - the Edmonton Oilers, deep into the regular season, staring down the barrel of another identity crisis. The names are familiar.
The problems? Even more so.
Defensive breakdowns, inconsistent goaltending, and a team that looks like it’s waiting for someone else to lead the charge. If you’ve followed this team for more than a minute, you’ve seen this movie before.
But here’s the thing: this version feels different. Not because the script has changed - it hasn’t - but because the performances aren’t even hitting the usual highs.
The elite play we’re used to seeing in spurts? It’s been replaced by flashes, glimmers, and the occasional outburst that can’t quite mask the larger issues.
Through 58 games, the Oilers have yet to find a rhythm. They didn’t notch a three-game win streak until a recent homestand, and they followed that up with their first three-game regulation losing streak.
That’s not streaky - that’s inconsistent. And for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations, that’s a problem.
The Numbers Don’t Lie - But They Don’t Tell the Whole Story
Let’s talk stats, because they’re as baffling as they are impressive.
Connor McDavid leads the NHL with 96 points. Leon Draisaitl is right there with him at fifth overall, sitting at 80.
Evan Bouchard? He’s pacing all defensemen with 63 points.
And the power play? A league-best 31.4 percent.
Those are numbers that scream dominance.
So how is this team sitting eighth in the Western Conference by points percentage, with a 28-22-8 record? How have they lost more games than they’ve won?
The answer isn’t in the offensive zone. It’s everywhere else.
This team has made a habit of chasing easy games - and finding out the hard way that there are none. The idea that the Oilers can simply “flip the switch” when they want to has been floating around for years.
And to be fair, they’ve done it before. But the question now is: can they still?
Because this time, something feels off.
“We’re Not the Same Team”
After a recent loss, Leon Draisaitl didn’t point fingers. He didn’t throw anyone under the bus. But he did say something that should make everyone in the organization pause.
“We’re a different team. We’re not the same team.”
That’s the quote that matters most right now.
Yes, the core remains - McDavid, Draisaitl, Nugent-Hopkins, Nurse. But the supporting cast?
It’s been reshuffled, and not for the better. Gone are the depth players who knew their roles and played them well.
Players like Corey Perry, Brett Kulak, Evander Kane, Connor Brown, and John Klingberg are no longer part of the equation.
This roster doesn’t have a single Stanley Cup champion on it. No one who’s been there, done that.
The bottom six has been a black hole in terms of goal share - historically bad, even. And there’s no edge, no sandpaper, no gamesmanship to speak of.
What’s this team’s identity? That’s tough to pin down.
They’re not attacking the middle of the ice like a high-powered offense should. Their puck movement is erratic, especially on zone exits. And they’re leaning way too hard on the stretch pass, which has become predictable and easy to counter.
Even former Oiler Derek Ryan has voiced concern. He sees a contender on paper, but he also sees a group of role players who don’t seem to have roles.
Coaching Under the Microscope
Kris Knoblauch is feeling the heat. Some of it’s justified. Some of it isn’t.
There are pieces missing, sure. But there are also internal tweaks that could help - and haven’t been made.
For example, giving a few more shifts to a third line centered by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is a simple, low-risk adjustment. So is keeping Curtis Lazar and Trent Frederic in the lineup as they build chemistry.
Instead, we’ve seen a heavy dose of Mattias Janmark, whose minutes haven’t exactly moved the needle.
And then there’s the tendency to hit the nuclear button - McDavid, Draisaitl, and Hyman on the same line - at the first sign of trouble. It’s a tempting move, but one that disengages the rest of the lineup. You can’t build a complete team if you keep leaning on the stars to do everything.
This regular season could have been a testing ground, a lab for combinations and strategies to prep for the postseason. But that’s not how it’s been treated. Instead, it’s felt like a desperate scramble to find something - anything - that works.
The Asset Management Conundrum
The Oilers’ roster construction hasn’t done Knoblauch any favors.
The Andrew Mangiapane experiment hasn’t panned out, and it’s clear the coach has little interest in making it work. Trent Frederic has gone 32 games without a goal, yet remains in the lineup - at least he brings some energy on the fourth line.
Then there’s the goaltending situation. Tristan Jarry is twice as expensive as Stuart Skinner and hasn’t been any better. That’s a move that cost the team valuable cap space and tradable assets.
But again, there are ways to work around this. The coaching staff has options - they just haven’t capitalized on them.
Time for a Reset
The Oilers have played 58 games in 119 days. That’s a grind.
After 107 games in 2023-24 and 104 in 2024-25, fatigue is real. And now, McDavid and Draisaitl are gearing up for the Olympics - more high-intensity hockey on the horizon.
This is the moment to reset. Not just physically, but mentally.
Knoblauch’s job doesn’t appear to be in immediate jeopardy, but he’ll need to reflect - and adjust. There are whispers about bringing in another assistant coach to help lighten the load, particularly on the defensive side. Mark Stuart is currently handling both the penalty kill and the defense corps - a tall task, especially when last year’s bench included veterans like Paul Coffey and Glen Gulutzan.
Whether Coffey returns is unclear. But what is clear is that this staff could use more experience behind the bench.
Still in the Hunt
Despite everything - the underwhelming play, the shaky roster, the coaching questions - the Oilers are still within striking distance of the Pacific Division lead. That’s the paradox of this team: they’ve been mediocre since Christmas, but the door is still wide open.
Opportunity is knocking. But if the Oilers don’t answer soon, they risk letting another season slip away - and banking on a postseason miracle that may not come.
Because this time, the switch might not flip.