Coming off of their second straight Stanley Cup final loss to the Florida Panthers, the Edmonton Oilers may look at this two-year window as a missed opportunity.
Oilers General Manager Stan Bowman will look for key free agent signings and a new crop of young talent in the forward group to make an impact right away in a year where the Oilers look to finally break the 35-year Stanley Cup drought for Canada -- and what could be the final year of the Connor McDavid era in Edmonton.
Key additions look to buck the trend
The Oilers lost some key pieces from their back-to-back cup runs this summer, highlighted by the trades of Evander Kane to the Canucks (in an effort to free up cap space), and Viktor Arvidsson to Boston.
The Oilers didn’t make huge splashes in free agency, with their biggest addition being winger Andrew Mangiapane from Washington and Issac Howard brought in from Tampa Bay.
Mangiapane will be a solid option on the wings in the Oilers top nine and has shown in the past that he’s capable of a 25 to 30 goal season when put in the right position. Expect to see him used in all situations, and potentially seeing some action on the top line with McDavid throughout the season.
Howard didn’t want to sign with the Lightning, who took him 31st overall at the 2022 Entry Draft, so the Oilers jumped at the opportunity to trade for his rights. Head coach Kris Knoblauch said he isn’t going to throw young talent into the deep end like years past, and with Howard, that may be the path forward.
The 21 year old could be a great depth scoring option for the Oilers’ bottom six group, and will likely be used sparingly higher up in the lineup to start the season.
The Oilers also made some moves for more stability in net, trading for former Mammoth goaltender Connor Ingram just before the start of the regular season.
Ingram struggled on the stat sheet in 2024-25, with a .887 save percentage in 22 games with Utah , however personal issues that saw the 28 year old enter the NHLPA Player Assistance Program in March may have played a factor in his on-ice play.
The reigning Bill Masterton winner has shown promise as a potential starting goalie in the league, as recent as 2023-24, suiting up in 50 games for the Arizona Coyotes, boasting a .907 save percentage in his appearances.
Goaltending has been the Oilers’ Achilles heel in their contention window, having to rely on a streaky Skinner. Ingram will provide competition within the Oilers’ three man unit, something that has been lacking over the past two seasons.
Does Savoie make the jump?
As a cap strapped team for 2025-26, the Oilers will need to rely on young forwards on cheap contracts to provide depth scoring. One player they’ll want to make a leap will be former first round pick Matthew Savoie.
Drafted ninth overall in 2022 by the Sabres, Savoie was taking longer than expected to be a full time NHLer for the Sabres, and with the Oilers looking to move off of Ryan McLeod, the organizations managed to swap their young forwards in a trade in 2024, in hopes of a fresh start benefitting both parties.
Savoie spent the last year with Bakersfield in the AHL, and produced well, putting up 54 points in 66 games with the Condors. Savoie would be a boost of speed and skill into the bottom six for Edmonton, and if Savoie can produce at a high level right away, he could be the next star forward in the Oilers fold.
The final year of the McDavid era?
The Oilers forward has stated many times that he’s not worried about a deal getting done and that it won’t be a distraction, however the regular season hasn’t even started and that’s all hockey media wants to talk about.
"I put everything I have into this and deserve to be paid what I feel is fair. With that being said, there is a salary cap and my only desire is to win, so trying to figure out that balance is tricky."Connor McDavid, NHL.com
It’s still unlikely McDavid leaves Edmonton next summer, but every day there isn’t a new deal for the generational talent, the noise surrounding him and the Oilers future will continue to get louder.
McDavid isn’t the only player the Oilers need to worry about (although he is obviously priority one), as the Oilers still have key secondary pieces heading into free agency next summer.
Half of their projected top six defencemen are on expiring deals, that being Mattias Ekholm, Jake Walman and Brett Kulak. Key bottom six forwards Adam Henrique and Kasperi Kapanen, along with projected starting goalie Stuart Skinner are all off the books next summer, barring an extension for any of the players listed.
Even with the other core pieces of Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Darnell Nurse, and Evan Bouchard with a fresh extension signed long term, all signs point to 2025-26 as potentially being one final championship push in the McDavid era.