The Edmonton Oilers spent Nov. 8, 2025, getting run over by the Colorado Avalanche, and the 9-1 loss left them with a familiar problem: no fight, literally. At 6-5-4 and coming off a two-game skid, they were already having a rough night. By the end of it, they were still the last team in the league without a scrap.
That changed in the very next game.
On a Monday night in Edmonton, Trent Frederic answered the bell almost immediately against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and he didn’t exactly pick a soft target. Less than two minutes into the game, he went after Mathieu Olivier, a player described as the meanest, toughest guy not just on Columbus, but in the league.
It was the kind of bout that looked about how you’d expect it to look. Of the 75 hockeyfights.com voters, only two didn’t give it to Olivier.
One of those two scored it for Frederic, and the other called it even. The other 73 sided with Olivier, and the fight landed a 6.49 rating on the site.
Still, the Oilers got what they needed from the moment. It was the first fight of their season, and they won the game, helped along by a late rally and one of the best Oilers goals of the season. More than anything, it gave the group a little edge and a little response after that ugly loss to Colorado.
Kris Knoblauch had already put Frederic on notice after the Avalanche game, calling out his lack of physicality. With Columbus up next, Frederic took the message and turned it into action.
That scrap also kicked off a much busier stretch for Edmonton. Frederic fought three more times during the 2025-26 season, winning two and dropping a competitive tilt with Logan Stanley. None of those later bouts made this list, but the Columbus fight opened the door for 21 more regular-season fights for the Oilers, which tied them for sixth-most in the NHL.
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 🡒]