The Edmonton Oilers were the second best team on the ice in the 2025 Stanley Cup Final. The team’s best players made significant mistakes on the first two goals against in the clinching game; the team’s brilliant coach was unable to find a counter to his opponent’s strategy; the Oilers looked old, because they are old, and by the time Gary Bettman cracked the microphone the list of wounded men headed for surgery or the infirmary stretched out for miles and miles.
We have plenty of time to discuss what may come over the next few days. In fact, we can already read the tea leaves. Expect a long-term contract for Trent Frederic (I am a fan of the player) and that probably means an Evander Kane trade. Expect an offloading of Adam Henrique and Viktor Arvidsson, most likely via trade.
More than that, this team needs to ponder the defensive miscues, the Florida forecheck (which, at times, featured three forwards below the goal line), the baffling jailbreak by Edmonton’s forwards from the Oilers zone even if possession was not certain, the failure of the special teams.
The only player under 25 in the Edmonton lineup last night was Vasily Podkolzin. He was also the team’s best player on the night. Youth has taken a powder on this roster during the Ken Holland era. It’s time for Stan Bowman to make room for Matt Savoie, and if the team doesn’t think Savoie is the answer, then cash him for another young player who can deliver on a skill line.
These Oilers are disappointing. That’s death to a sports organization selling dreams of glory.
I know as much about hockey as the average fellow, and there have been many comments posted on this blog by people with more hockey knowledge than I possess. I do recognize a story, and can write that story well enough to keep you, the reader, engaged day to day. That’s what this blog is, and has been, for 22 years.
So, believe me when I say these Oilers are a tragedy, and follow the tragicomedy that we called the decade of darkness. Combined, they mean pain, and memories we actively try to avoid. Meet me at the wrecking ball, wear something pretty and white, and we’ll go dancing tonight.
The Oilers are old today. Old and defeated and have a department of youth that is basically a cardboard box rolling in a ditch near Midnight Lake. Only loons and their lonely calls pierce the silence. We are here.
This blog is about stories, mostly stories of hope. I can’t get you there today. It would be a lie.
This is Stan Bowman’s first summer at the helm, and he faces Herculean challenges. His coach made some mistakes in the final, but the roster was old and weathered and he couldn’t fix all the holes where the rain came in.
There’s a lesson here. The tragedy of this team, during this time, is management allowed them to get old, while spending the youthful gold, without ever winning one damn thing.
I suspect history will be most unkind to this team, this era of the Oilers. I cannot argue against this, not today. The team’s best winger in the playoffs was 40. Jesus.
Kevin McCurdy will join us on the Lowdown today at noon on Sports 1440. We’ll also feature a segment with Declan Krueger, who called the final score yesterday just past noon. I hope you can tune in.
New for The Athletic: What changes could help Edmonton Oilers return to Stanley Cup Final again?
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6431079/2025/06/18/edmonton-oilers-stanley-cup-final-2025/
Good host, I respectfully disagree – I believe this team was good enough to win and out there in the infinite multiverse, there are plenty or realities where they won this series. We often get confused between conversations about ‘what is’ versus ‘what should be’. One of those is easy so long as you have a grasp on reality, the other is extremely subjective with a wide dispersion of ideas from person to person. One of those implies an acceptance of reality and the other questions it. I offer my take:
The Oilers were out of gas. But the factors affecting the flame burning out were numerous. Age played a role. Injuries played a role. The physicality of the other team played a role. The uncalled clutching and grabbing played a roll. The attempts to injure (and success at injuring) played a role. The consistent retaliation against said attempts to injure being called played a roll. The ignored fouls played a roll. The lack of consistency of calls on the other team played a roll. The unearned goals for the other team played a roll. And finally, chasing the game from behind was the biggest culprit, in my opinion.
Last year, a little bit of snow made a puck wobble a bit between Bouchard and McD’s stick in game 7 and the deflection went over the net (I argued that if it were Edmonton ice, that game would have been tied). This year, several Sam Bennett goals, I believe, were gifted by bad calls or non-calls. I believe these moments turned out to be critical because they contributed to the Oilers playing from behind despite outplaying Fla early in the series. I think if those goals did not stand, this would have been a very very different series. The cascading effect of just refereeing would have made a significant difference on the final outcome (not necessarily who won but how the winner won).
It’s easy to dismiss refereeing as a critical component of outcomes. The apologies given are “it’s a difficult job” (so are a lot of other jobs that don’t accept mediocrity), “you’ve got to just play through it” (this ignores that skill is disproportionately affected by clutching and grabbing), “it’s a tough sport” (hockey is tough without not calling penalties), “the game goes so fast” (carrying water for referees that are often in the right place at the right time to see exactly what’s going on), “nothing would get done if they called everything” (not true – did you watch the past 2 Dallas series?), and finally, the most irritating, “it goes both ways” (it so clearly doesn’t, and it so consistently doesn’t that you can see it affecting outcomes quite patently).
Do I need cheese with this whine? Yep. The wound is fresh
I think the double OT in game 2 did them in. It was a seesaw battle and they had a chance to go up 2-0. The ignored (not missed) call on the Ekblad limping off too-man-men that directly impeeded a scoring chance, I think, really got to this team. Losing those long OTs can be a backbreaker. They came into game 3 looking to play a dirty physical game (much like Fla does), and got consistently called (in the first period) and very quickly found themselves in a hole. Then they started panic chasing and the errors compounded. This, combined with Fla correctly understanding that they can get dirtier as the games progressed, the Oilers went mad.
Game 4 was their last gasp, and they were lucky to win. Through games 5 and 6, they played well until they got behind and then began taking mental shortcuts that blew up in their face. This is all and outcome of exhaustion, I believe.
I still believe this team was ready to play the SCF and if the series behaved, from a refereeing standpoint, like last year, they’d have faired much better. They may have still lost but I think we wouldn’t have seen them completely undone.
I hate to consider conspiracy when incompetence could explain what we see. If this is incompetence and not a specifically mandated type of referee game management, I’ve seen better refereeing all season. To me, the officiating in this final was an abomination that disproportionately and consistently affected one team more than the other. You can claim that The Oil didn’t cheat the ‘right way’ all you want, but that’s an admission that cheating is required (gamesmanship is a euphemism for poor sportsmanship and cheating). They were not protected by the officials, and when they took matters into their own hands to defend themselves, they got called for retaliation. I’m not sure why anyone considers that hockey. The game is beautiful (and I argue more beautiful) without that.
Small events can cascade, especially when similar events occur in succession. I believe the calls made, the non-calls, and the resulting style of play between the teams was a significant factor affecting this series outcome. Instead, the referees were too concerned with the Oilers winning 2 OT games on the PP that they wouldn’t call obvious penalties that directly impeded a scoring chance. That incentive, if it exists, could imply that there’s someone or something to answer to for the referees.
Rant over.
So… ah… I guess we’re living in the version of Shawshank where Andy Dufresne stays in prison at the end of the movie?
Is there a nurse swayman trade out there? Has swaymans value dropped enough / has organization soured on him. Boston might be a place nurse would go. I know I’m dreaming but to remove that contract would just be something
Well…
Here I thought it was a pessimist, and LT you have been the perpetual light through all the gloom through all the years. If anything, I want to see the team win for YOU.
But here’s some food for thought: in a 32 team league, 97% of teams don’t win the Stanley Cup in a given year. It’s a damn hard trophy to win. And there’s no shame in finishing twice.
Life’s funny. Sometimes you can have the best plan, the best ideas, the best people, the best resources, and still there isn’t ultimate success at the end of the tunnel.
I’ve been very entertained over the last few years. I also think we have an excellent core and we’ll probably have a few more trips to the final book to over the few years coming.
The pre final years, there’s no excuse for that however. Burning up the ELCs on the glimmer twins, inexcusable.
You may be speaking the truth LT but Im not there yet.
I just logged in today to say that while I am disappointed, the team was not disappointing. Maybe the org, okay. Discussion for another day.
But this years team was excellent once again. They were finalists. This is excellent while still being disappointing.
Massive entertainment by every one of these Oilers. The rolled over teams thought to be better than them. Their make-up could not overcome Florida game. I said it in September. Yet they still delivered a huge season, huge effort and sacrifice. Oh so close once again.
For readers of this blog, it was a season of highs and lows, ups and downs, edge of your seat, yelling at the TV.
Dam shame for the guys in that room, they are going to need a massive re-set if ever getting over these losses at all. I feel for them. Head up, you did a fine job helping put Edmonton back on the map, and I appreciate that.
Thanks Oilers. And thanks LT for your dedication to Oilers fans.
What do we think 97 is referring to in this?
Coaching strategy?
Players attempts?
Defense passes?
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I never seen this but I absolutely agree. They did not adapt, they kept throwing themselves at the wall. Id like to know the answer, my bet is coaching, yet it would be contrary to coaches history.
So do we re-sign Perry for the guarantee of making the SCF, or does the guarantee that we lose when we get there tip the scales more?
So if we have to blow up half the roster for the next season like many suggest, what the hell do the other 30 teams have to do?
you can run it back and lose in the finals or try to retool for a better shot. Alot of the wingers ran out of gas at the end of the playoffs and another year with a short summer might be a death knell
If they don’t have an elite player, do what the Panthers did. Create depth, have a good goalie, hope for LTIR and overload
All the Oilers have to do because they have elite talent is balance the roster better (not wholesale to me) and get to playing a good team game all of the time against teams like Florida
They went vet vs kids. Then realized come the finals they needed the youthful energy to keep up with the rat squad. Full marks to Florida. They are the standard.
Who do they target if Florida is the standard? Gritty goal scorers who can skate and play D.
Some new, speedier faces in the lineup. A faster 3C perhaps. A better 2RD as well. And some youth, Frighteningly a whole lot of what we lost in the last off season.
What’s everyone thoughts on KK, will he back if not, Peter DeBoer an option?
I would like to see him come back and assume he will. He is no doubt still learning and made some mistakes but changing coaches every 18-24 months is not a recipe for success.
Why would we want to hire the coach the Oilers broke in the conference final?
KK pushed all the right buttons and soundly outreached DeBoer. I don’t see the attraction.
KK did not have enough to work with to beat Florida; that’s not his fault.
Might be an unpopular opinion (and I am not a huge Skinner apologist) but losing the finals, as a series, is not on Stu in any way. Did I dislike goal 3 in game 6? Yes. Did I dislike the overtime winner in game 2? Yes. Did I want a big stop from him on some breakaways (like goal 1 in game 6)? Yes.
But this series is on the lack of scoring. They had basically nothing going in game 6. Game 2 overtime was a moment for McDavid or Draisaitl or Bouchard to make one play. Superstars can’t single-handedly win a game, but when you are in overtime and all you need is one play to win, big time players have to make big time plays.
In half of the games, our offence was non-existent. We allegedly have the two best players on the planet but Bennett and Marchand were the ones making the big plays to win games.
But your argument is exactly the reason we should look at the options – the superior goalie made big saves when needed, ours did not. Big time players need to make big time plays. And Stu let in a bad goal every game. And often at terrible times.
Goals are not just about was the goalie great or terrible. Shooters are the other half of the equation. Pick your spot and hit it. Stu could have bailed out the team one or two more times per game and we’d still lose 3,5, and 6. That’s on the offence to show up.
I agree with you. I’ve posted a lot about it starting a few seasons ago, and before last playoffs a lot that they needed to add to what they do offensively. I felt that way because of games and series like against the Panthers
They have skill, and in some games even against teams like Florida the breaks and bounces go their way, or the other guys have an off game, and they can do well. But when there is no room and tight checking they can really struggle. I think they rely too much on things working out, high light plays or it just showing up, as opposed to working hard and together for 60 minutes and making it happen regardless of the circumstances. To me that’s what Florida does and the Lightning did
Knoblauch talks about it, that by playing the system and 200 feet it helps offense. Also GA of course. But they don’t consistently do that or the things you have to do to create chances when there are no bounces and no clean air
Florida comes at you a certain way and don’t stop, nothing fancy. Teams that can’t respond to it with enough push back break down and get little done, while the Panthers exploit the frustration and mistakes
If you want to beat it, you need to play a certain way, and the top Oilers players don’t seem to want to or can’t well. It appears at times but never sticks. Perry knows what to do, but is pretty limited at this point. I think they need to play playoff hockey all season, which won’t be as fun but I don’t think you can flip a switch in April
I’ve never been one that thought moving on from Skinner in the near future was likely – that contract is real value (yes, I do think that $2.6MM for Skinner, who has played 55+ regular season games with well over .900,. etc., etc. is value).
At the same time, the 3rd goal last night could be “the moment” that solidified a change here. I mean, that was such a dagger and 100% goaltending and it was just a “bad goal” it was almost like a “lack of effort” goal which is not something I can every really say about a goaltending play – it was like he had given up at that point – I know that isn’t true but that was something else.
In the post game he said he directed the rebound to that spot and then admitted it was a bad choice.
I wonder how well liked Skinner actually is in the room. He seems super likable in his interviews, but there’s something off with the vibe there with him and his teammates..or at least..that’s my gut feeling.
The 3rd goal was a total brain cramp.
The difference between a top 10 goalie like Bob and a mediocre starting goalie like Stu over a sample of 1000 shots, is no more than 50 to 100 saves. Over the course of a season, that amounts to 1-2 shots per start … aka “the bad/soft goals”.
The margin of error in the Finals is so small, that you can’t have your goalie routinely letting in a soft goal every game if you want to win.
That was a really bad goal. It was also 37 mins into a game where the Oilers had zero goals and very few chances and were already down 2.
Get out of my head OP! I had the identical thoughts on Stu. That 3rd goal was when I knew they were going to lose because confidence often comes from the net out.
On the other hand, I think Stu outperformed $2.6M. Once Campbell’s buyout comes off the books, there’s no excuse for spending $7M on that position.
Thank you LT for hosting us all for another year. I (we all) owe you a beer and then another!
A brief post-mortem through my eyes.
This was a wildly successful season by most metrics, that again ended in heartbreak.
Florida basically ran back the same great hockey team as last year, augmented at the deadline with two major acquisitions. Their best players outplayed our best players and looking in the rearview mirror, I think we might have been lucky in winning those two games in OT.
Coaching matters. Kris is good, but Paul is better.
I’ve defended Skinner the entire year but goaltending is an issue. As a father, I hate that Stu and his young family will shortly be uprooted but as a fan, Edmonton needs to cut bait on a homegrown tender whose play style resembles a lowercase h Hasek (seriously, there’s no positional awareness!)
The team needs to get younger, and provide in-season key role developmental time for Pod, Savoie, Emberson and any other NHL-ready prospect we can acquire this offseason. Harsh decisions will need to be made on our veterans and it may cost us to offload the likes of Henrique, Arvidsson, Kulak.
I don’t think we can trade Nurse and hope to re-sign McDavid.
Bouchard, despite his defensive lapses, is a top-5 defenseman with the puck on his stick. He’s going to cost a boatload but will be worth it.
This Oilers can and will make the playoffs next year, but the team doesn’t need to be fully constructed this off-season. Smart mid-season and deadline acquisitions have been beneficial to the last cup winners, and was also pivotal to the Oilers run to the finals in the likes of Kapanen and Walman. Do not overpay on day 1 of free agency. This needs to remain our philosophy.
While I agree with you that Skinner is likely gone, I think it is a mistake. He would be a capable 1B goalie with a top tier 1A. Not picking up Blackwood was a huge missed opportunity. Hopefully filling that role next year does not cost the team like signing Campbell did a few years back.
Pretty incredible luck for Florida to have their entire roster intact for the playoffs.
Turtle had a hernia. Was there news on what Reinhart was dealing with?
My Ron Gunville (Late PP Dir PA Raiders) position Theory (mid 70s).legs down track ball hit him at high rate. Results in close sh theory.
We know many corsi are blocked, missed & Shot into Goalie without movement (Closed SH theory = Bio evo hunt mechanism = shot into G body).
So we have a 2 SH x,y heat maps (TA (tse) 00’ 3D maint redesign faghing sys w/ G. Woods Current head Trans Alta Gen & Renew)
1 Open SH & 1 Closec SH density maps. W/ goAlie position top view on each indv. Shot.
Their is also a net elevation y,z 3D profile based on G pos. Netbpkabne cover by angle. I allways think people can visualize this. But now that havevkost identic memory (Chemo) not so easy!
SH% has a very close (98+%) to OPenSH targeting.
Edm has many Top OSH targeting fwds. Drai, Henrique, Perry, Hyman.
But repeat top 30 OSH% & Top EV & PK Def F Mcleod was really missed!
There was a time a few years back where Charlie Huddy was widely considered a D Whisperer of a coach. Where is he at these days and wouold he be a good addition to our staff?
Anyone else you would consider a great addition as a D coach? I like Coffey for his work with the puck moving game, but is there someone else who can get them to a more complete game on D?
What’s with the tide turning on Coffey? From LA Game 3 until the Florida series, the d-corp played the tightest and most effective defensive Oilers hockey I’ve seen since ’06. Great coverage, phenomenal stick work, and consistent effective first pass breakouts.
The Oilers defense was essentially that Homer Simpson meme of presenting an impressive facade but having serious structural issues, notably:
-Two guys who had just come back from severe injuries, where their physical abilities steadily deteriorated game by game.
-No effective 3rd pairing RHD, leading to having to play LHD on their off hand, which was badly exposed
-An LHD who struggled with every pairing partner except for an undersized RHD that couldn’t compete.
I don’t know really if Coffey is a good coach or not. But by and large, I’m having a tough time attributing the issues to his coaching and more unfortunate roster limitations that was exposed by Florida’s brutal forecheck. If anything, he squeezed some pretty good juice out of these guys given the roster issues for three straight series.
The only reason I’m “sad” is I wanted this one for Bruce. For a man I never met, I felt like I lost a Uncle.
According to the article in the Edmonton journal, his celebration of life will be live streamed, I believe on June 22nd.
Haven’t read all the comments so I hope I’m not repeating someone elses thoughts.
I agree with the posters who say Stan Bowman has a tough job ahead of him, but his first year on the job gives me some reason for optimism. Other than the Frederic trade, I like the moves he made. He spent most of the season backfilling holes dug by Jeff Jackson, and I think he did a reasonably good job on a shoestring budget.
Moving forward, the Oilers need to acquire at least one new center capable of playing top 9 minutes. Henrique is not that player. If he stays he needs to be 4C or a winger. The Oilers did remarkably well playing Henrique at 3C and Janmark, a career winger, at 4C. Once again, thank you Jeff Jackson.
The real tough choices are going to be on defense and in net. I have no idea about the goaltending, but 1 of the lefties has to go. If it’s not Nurse, could it be Eckholm? I hate to say it, but he’s a 6 million dollar cap hit with a year left on his contract. Is he tradeable? Can they get some value for him? He was noticeably slower all year and Kulak looked pretty damm good next to Bouchard during these playoffs.
Not sure how they’re gonna do it, or if they even can: Kane, Arvy, Henrique, HAVE to go. Upgrades on Janmark and Kapanen would be preferable too. I also don’t get the love for Frederic (was he THAT injured?!? and if so, why make the freaking trade in the first place?) ESPECIALLY not long term. He was invisible. Can’t expect Perry to repeat this performance either.
They absolutely CANNOT sit pat with goaltending and I’m pretty certain, regardless of contract that Skinner has played his last game in the uniform. He simply isn’t good enough.
In a perfect world, they can move Nurse and used that cap space on 2 competent players.
I’m used to disappointment from this organization so I’m more angry than sad today.
What I would give for a time machine to 2019 for them to hire Zito and not Holland. Having 2 all-time greats and going cup-less is criminal.
Prime years are waning. It’s gonna take an imaginative manager (because the cupboards are bare) to take this roster where it needs to go. Frankly, I don’t think management is capable.
We could definitely use picking up some younger players. But you guys are all acting like there’s no way this exact team can win the cup next year.
Although I would like the top pp unit to get 1min of pp time so they learn some urgency
And would like to see Mcdavid shoot the puck more
EDzm last 2 stanley cups 4L:
23’ 3.25 gaa (13); 24’ 5.25 gaa (21) gaa.
Before ssn looked at last 30 final 4 90% 2.00gaa to .75 gaa in 4 wins.
2/3 1.50 or less. Top 3 1 2.25, 1 2.50, 1 3.25 gaa in 4 wins.
3.25 Col vs Edm WC 5.50 gaa (22ga) in 4 losses.
We know elite Muti M fwds are shutdown!
It is pretty clear why we lost!
Can you put this in a way that is understandable please? Glad you’re back Friend, but at least run this through chat GPT first.
(1) They decided to live or die with Skinner the last 2 years;
(2) They couldn’t fix the PK or the PP, which is a killer against Florida, remember we allowed I think 4 PP the entire playoffs last year, not sure what happened;
(3) Losing McLeod, Foegele, Holloway, Broberg looked like a loss of team speed and youthful energy at the time, and to the team’s credit, it really only became an issue against Florida, but you need ELC players on their cheap contracts in this cap world if you’re going to have 3 players over $10m/year.
(4) I’m not convinced Savoie amounts to anything, and the rest of the prospect cupboard is poor.
I realize having 97, 29 & 2 means elite talent and a chance every year for the next several years, but it’s not automatic, nothing is a given. Just look at Colorado, it ain’t easy.
In the words of LT, this year really felt like Last Chance Texaco to me.
It really was their last chance. McDrai’s 5v5 production will start to noticeably decline starting next season, especially as their wingers get even older.
LT says start as you mean to go. And I turn to the historically loaded 2015 draft, where we have the extreme privilege of drafting Connor McDavid #1….and then we trade #16&33 for Griffin Reinhart.
Seriously think Pocklington got the Monkey’s Paw and asked for 5 Cups, which he got, but the Monkey’s Paw interprets that as “5 and not one more”.
A lot of negative comments but let’s say Bennett dislocated his wrist in the conference final and Hyman is in the final it’s probably a very different series.
Agree…Brown was starting to role prior to his concussion, Ek not right, Nuge was hurtin’
no excuses for injury, verhaeghe was def hurt… chuckaluck, reinhart were initially but started to heal
Frederic was a shell
Losing Hyman was a huge loss. He was sorely missed on the forecheck 5×5 and I have to think that his presence would have led to more PP success.
It’s also possible that if Skinner doesn’t let in a questionable goal in 2OT in Game 2, the series plays out differently.
Florida is the rare team that is capable of playing near perfect hockey. Edmonton is MILES from that and needs a goalie that can erase mistakes and Skinner ain’t that guy
Thanks for your consistent coverage of an exciting season Allan! That was sure a disappointing conclusion to a great season. It’s nice to wake up today and know that we get to commiserate together on this forum that you’ve created and facilitated.
I’m glad 97 is a year older, maybe now he will realize he can’t do one on four sorties any more and play more like a team player.
It is the coach’s job to point out that he kept skating directly into the coverage and getting himself cornered and have him care about that.
Is there anyone around this team who can talk to him the way he needs to be talked to? I don’t know, but based on the experience so far, I doubt it.
No, and he controls the roster as well.
Which is why I talk about a next level coach. Bowman a few times, Sather, Cooper, Maurice, Quenneville and a few others
I felt the team was deeper this go round, but the Panthers were all over what the Oilers wanted to do. They couldn’t counter as Connor alluded to
The Oilers at 5v5 GF% 50 or less: McD, Drai, Brown, Perry, Skinner. The Panthers: Barkov (3-3), Luostarinen, Nosek, Gad, Greer. The others GF% 57.14 or higher, only Pod and Janmark matched that. Their bottom players fared worse than the Oilers, their top players better
Barkov’s minutes 6 goal events 3-3 so low event, Leon 13 4-9, Connor 11 3-8. They either need better wingers, to use them more, or both
Maybe his dad can talk to him. “Son, as we age our bodies begin to slow down a little, all the whacks and hatch’s you have taken over the years takes a toll. You still think the game better than anyone blah blah blah…..I love you.
Man, LT I am buying what you are selling. Because last night, sitting around with the fellas after golfing, I mused out loud what this Final might have looked like with McLeod, Foegle, Broberg and Holloway in the line-up; all young bucks with fuel to spare and one Stanley Cup run under their belt. Instead we get Henrique, Arvidsson, Perry, Kane, Skinner (J), Janmark, Klingberg – all running on fumes. This was not a roster designed to go four rounds deep! And you wonder if McDavid and Draisaitl looked at the bench and realized that and the weight of that overwhelmed them. I have no idea how you move forward with this. As noted, Matt Savoie seems to be the only youngster in the barn capable of moving up. Yikes. I do not envy what Stan Bowman is facing over the summer. There is not a one or two moves tweak that can fix this – this is structural and a huge problem. And then there is the goaltending…
And the plan will be to get older and more expensive in net. And let’s face it, any goalie at any time is a roll of the voodoo dice. Stick with Stu.
Hey LT,
Love the Wrecking Ball reference. I imagine you’ve heard the original and the version by Emmy Lou Harris. Fan of both. Think I’ll give both a listen to this morning seeing it’s a blah kind of day.
Where do I start? Like you, I’m a fan of this team, and by golly, the list of people who know more about this game is infinite, but I will write from the heart. The sun came up today and I’m above ground and I’m hoping for that tomorrow, but there’s no guarantee for that.
The question has been brought up on social media and on other Youtube shows about the coaching tactics of Coach Garlic, and the comments by 97 about the “same thing” may play into this when all is said and done. However, as one who sits behind and has sat behind a bench a great deal of time since 1992, I tend to back up my brothers in the coaching fraternity. Coach Garlic did a masterful job with the roster he was given. It’s hard to expect a 5 star tactical plan when you’re given 2 star talent, and no one notices when you turn that 2 star talent into a 4 star machine, but one or two mistakes and you will be turned out. That’s the cruelty of the profession and it is something you accept as a coach, so you make the most with what you’re given and create your own special memories. There have been times as a coach I almost was in tears with what showed up in September, but at the end of March of each season, I found myself (most times), longing for the one player who drove me crazy, to give me grief one more time. That’s the beauty of being a coach.
“My life’s an open book, you read it on the radio…”
The only thing I found bizarre was Coach Garlic pulling Skinner with 7 minutes left. Not sure if that was a desperation move or what he was thinking, but I found it weird. I don’t know the exact numbers, but is that a tactic that has actually worked for the Oilers, and that is not being facetious, I just wonder why?
That ride home is a weird one for you as the coach. Yes, you say all the right things and try your best to comfort your team, but you will question every last thing you did during the last game and what you might have done differently. You wonder if players still care about you and whether they still trust you. Most times, your entire staff will sit away from you and will be quiet, but you will always have that one assistant coach who is loyal to you to the end, but even in those times, they may distance themselves to avoid the shrapnel. That is a scene that is played out on buses from Kitimat, BC, on planes from Florida, and trains from Ornskoldsvik, and played out numerous times. It’s the feeling that never leaves you and it sits with you for a very long time.
However, as my dear friend Charlie Ghostkeeper used to tell me, “Partner, don’t let it get you down too much.” Charlie was a mentor to me and a good friend. I coached his grandsons and we used to drag a team from PG to Saskatoon each year for the Western Canadian Native Championships. He was always a constant for me and always made me believe in myself, even at the lowest points. He’s been gone for 13 years now and I miss him dearly, but I promised myself I’d carry on that legacy of being the encouraging presence for others.
Dear friends, I hope Coach Garlic has a Charlie Ghostkeeper in his life today and I hope all of you do as well.
That was a tough loss and I’m hoping for better, but wow!
Thanks for reading.
Great words as always Coach. Thank you
KK seemingly pushed all the right buttons until he ran out of options with respect to lineup decisions. He just didn’t have enough to overcome what Florida had.
I do question what they were doing on the PK that has sucked all season long, and how a historically great PP has become so anemic despite having all of the same personnel. Is that on KK or do the assistant coaches wear that?
Same thing with playing Ekholm on his off side in Game 5, and not starting with Stetcher with Nurse, and sitting Kulak, to get Ekholm in to the lineup for games 1 and 2 … is that on Coffey?
Ghostkeeper is hockey royalty in PG.
Morning all,
I look at all things in life they have a maximum negative emotions of a 10 and last night my 11 year old son was a 9.5 sad so I only get to be a 0.5 sad about this loss. I can only think of very few times that this has had to come into play but the Oilers in the Playoffs the last few years are it.
I feel this allows me to look at things with a bit of a different lens than some as I have to find ways to regulate where my head is at.
First and foremost, I used to be a ref and that job is damn hard and I am not a “blame the ref” guy but the game not being called what I will call fair had a lot of domino effects. I think the Oilers got away with their fair share of things too but the High sticking calls being called against the Oilers and missed against the Panthers I believe neutered the Oilers physical players and created such a fear of contact that was taken out of the game- thinking the hit on Troy Stretcher or Kane’s crosscheck in game 3 as an example. if you set a standard it needs to be there all the time- they let lots of holding go both ways, that I can live with but if you are going to call the High Sticks, call them.
Second, injuries killed the Oilers, Once Nuge was hurt, I assumed it was going to be insurmountable, when you take Hyman out and add in Nuge and Ek at lets call it 50% no team is going to overcome that easily- imagine taking out Reinhart (both he and Hyman scored 50+ in 23/24 so fair comparable) entirely and put Ekblad and maybe Verhaeghe at 50% and i think it is a different story. that is part luck and part other things but context matters- that is nothing more than a hockey gords thing that you need to try to overcome.
Third and this is very important to me- your mileage may very. at 5×5 the top scorer for the Oilers was Ekholm and Podz with 4! Then Dria, Kap, Walman, and Bouch with 3 seriously WTF! The Flordia Panthers made McDavid crawl through the mud and he could not find fresh air but there are a lot of people that got skunked on the Panthers side so it came down to the top players capitalized on one side and not on the other- the depth was okay and would have been fine with Hyman but the composition of the depth is wrong.. I think most of that was again health tipping the scales not that Florida was so much deeper than the Oilers but they are different in their team knows how to lock it down and the Oilers try to stretch it out making the outlets harder for the D, and the support less when needed.
For 2025/2026 here are my feelings, do not blow it up, do not do anything dumb, yes the Oilers were the oldest team in the NHL last year but it is not like Flordia had a bunch of kids, they had all of their D-men 29 or older and most of their forwards were late 20’s or older. Would I like to have some younger guys playing, absolutely but that is on an eye for 2027 and beyond, so we do not age out- I view the lack of detail and defensive awareness a much bigger issue than the youthful legs- unlike Lowetide I do view Savoie as a must have in the lineup for all of next year- if he pushes, great, if not he is in year 2 of his entry deal. I would like to see Kane and Arvy traded, Rico if returning an assets if not he can play 3rd or 4th line at that cost. and bring in someone that produces at 5×5, 27 or so and does not get power play time currently- but most importantly is a stylist fit with Dria or McD- Jeff Skinner was never going to be a fit for what they needed- round peg in a square hole. I do not know who that person is, I dont watch enough of the other teams but find the stylistic fit that is a 40 point guy, no power play time, that is a defensive wizard and hard to play against. then find another. To win hockey games you need to give up less than you get- with Nuge and Hyman down the tunnel that dropped away and it was “man the torpedoes and hope” that did not work.
Find a few more two way guys that can cash enough but give up nothing and are hard- that is the moral I take from the story, if McD cant find fresh air that is part on him to rethink things as the rules change and part on the not having the ability to put someone other than hurt nuge there that can be the defensive person on that line- if Fredrick can be that if needed then great, I dont know his healthy game enough but you need 6 wingers that are defensively sound.
this got convoluted and my phone wont stop ringing. Just remember this is a damn fine team and to say trade 7 guys well I cant see that making them better
Great post.
97 resorts to trying to do everything in frustration and when things aren’t working but other teams key on him so when that happens it is up to the others to pick up the slack, that didn’t happen in the finals. Earlier series others were scoring and coming on in key moments, then injuries derailed a lot of that. I also agree that the oil physicality got neutered because of game management reffing. Obviously I am pissered (I have posted as much) about it because imo it changes the games and in turn a series which I feel it did. Not that the cats wouldn’t have won, they were the better, less injured team. I just sat bewildered at times, my bro n law who is not an oil fan agreed there was a discrepancy.
One player that ought to be a primary target for EDM is Pageau. He’s everything the team needs in a 3C: pesky, RC, great on the dot, penalty killer, playoff performer, and generally good at 5-on-5. He’s about the only 30+ player on the market that I’d be okay with EDM hard targeting.
This version of the Oilers handily beat 3 supposedly better, younger teams to get to the final. They’re objectively better than 30 other teams in the league. There are absolutely tweaks to be made; they can’t just run it back unchanged. But panicking and over-reacting in the name of “doing something!!!” is a great way to backslide into mediocrity.
Great post LT.
The Oilers are praying all of Akey, O’Reilly and Savoie are NHL players within the next two years.
Bowman needs to find a way to dispose of most of:
Nurse
Henrique
Arvi
Janmark
Stu Skinner
And Kane.
I would honestly trade RNH and Hyman if possible while they still have value.
Realistically, this team is going to take a step back given their age. Need to try to recoup some value.
The way you avoid windows is no bad contracts and cashing vets like you said. The team we can’t beat acquired two of their best forwards by trade and a top RS D. Vegas has mercilessly re tooled a few times, avoiding falling off as I thought they would
The goaltender market is barren this year. It will be easy to trade Skinner for a reasonable return.**
**I would not trade Skinner.
Only thing I sincerely hope for is that the team finds a way to move on from Kane. He’s slow, defensively inept, takes dumb penalties, passes grenades that only McDrai can really handle, and isn’t even good at board battles. His offensive prowess and physicality aren’t worth the downsides.
Take advantage of an Eastern team that got bullied by FLA and move on.
It is really unfortunate he couldn’t play his role and get the job done in the finals. One year because of injury, and another where he just couldn’t./
Time to move him. I’ll miss the shot off the wing. It is truly glorious.
And that the refs/league won’t let him play the game that makes him effective. They do allow others to but not him
Oh man.
We have a core of McDavid / Draisaitl / Bouchard about to be signed through 2033.
We have Hyman & Nuge on good contracts for solid veteran players.
This team is going to compete year after year after year for at least another half-dozen.
We can easily move on from and cost-effectively replace the aging Kane, Arvidsson, Henrique, and possibly even Ekholm. That’s $18M coming off the books no later than a year from now.
We’ll be able to attract star players to sign short-term deals to win. It didn’t work with Skinner and Arvidsson, but it worked at times with Brown, Perry, and Kapanen.
I trust Stan Bowman will be able to find a right-handed Walman, some speedy wingers who can score, and most importantly: a goalie the team feels calm playing in front of.
Nuge is probably not a top line winger going forward given his 5v5 struggles this year. I think in a perfect world he is a great 3C on a really good 3rd line (sort of like Marchand was as a winger on Florida’s 3L), and a PP wizard. Not an awful contract if that’s his role, but probably not a value contract at $5.125M.
He and Hyman will also decline as they age and those contracts have a decent chance of being bad in a few years, but I have faith both players will remain productive into their mid 30s.
I think getting rid of 33 and 19 before next season will be harder than most people think – who would they waive to accept a trade to, and why would those teams want to acquire them?
I think Bowman penciled Walman in as “replacement Ekholm” since Ekholm will be 36 after his deal expires next year. Unless they want to run Nurse on the second pair they’ll need another top 4D and I don’t think that is easily replaceable (and certainly not cost-effectively when you don’t have a good D prospect coming up through the ranks to fill that role)
I doubt that “star players” will sign here on short term deals, and they’ll be targeting players who have been good players but whose best years are behind them (much like Skinner and Arvidsson). Stars will sign extensions for big $, not take one year deals for less $ in their prime years.
In two finals 13 games Nuge has 2 5v5 points, 2 assists. GF% 50 last season 25 this time. Yes he was hurt, but 5M calls for more. He’s a talented versatile player, but not fast, assertive and not a shooter, teams need to be built to go all the way as everyone is discussing. Most players that age well are fast like Marchand
McDavid had one goal against the Panthers and was bad defensively. I love McDavid, but that’s not value for the SCF. Let’s not judge any one guy on the two SCF stats, because it was a team effort to lose this year’s SCF, and last.
Agreed but Connor is a different convo than regular players to me
2 Cups is not a dynasty is there no shame in south Florida? A geography where one just speaks thing into existence, no matter their dislocation from reality.
Nobody calls the Lightning a dynasty. As you often talk about, it’s the times we live in. Lots of hyperbole and few rebutting nonsense, not that most people would listen anyway
Bedard is supposed to be a generational player you know
Matthew Tkachuk is calling them a dynasty.
Back to back cups and 3 SCF in 3 years is getting pretty close.
For me if they get a third in not too long a span ok. The Lightning also had 2 Cups in 3 in a row
In today’s era it’s a pretty big achievement, especially making the finals 3 years in a row. Don’t know if it’s a “dynasty” or not but I do think they have the inside track on being the team of the 2020s and might still get another cup this decade.
You need a middle scale to justify it, you can’t just go one step above a cup and claim a dynasty. It’s back to backs, it’s great, but it’s not dynastic.
It’s also tacky to claim it for yourself. You know it’s a formal category in the Hall to Fame? I’m sure nobody in South Florida knows this.
Win another in this era, we can talk.
I watched and still watch a fair bit of cricket when hockey is not on. I grew up in times when technology had very little impact on the game (cricket) so the umpires (refs) could really made a bad decision and change the course of the game and it became a deciding factor. We would all yell and scream at our TVs calling for heads and what not but to no avail. Then slowly and surely technology started seeping into every aspect of the sport and fast forward to today the game is 99.99% decided by the players’ skill on the field. The umpires have absolutely no or very little say which decides the outcome. Amazing product. You get to skilled players who have mastered the craft over so many years to do amazing things on the field.
Now switch over to hockey which I have come to love during my time in this beautiful country. This sport is often decided by the refs and not the players on ice. Shame. You complain about the refs and you are called a loser. I am really confused as to why this sport is run the way they run. Skilled teams are often out early and the teams that clutch and grab mostly win the championships. I feel dejected that we may never see the most skilled players ever arrive at the top because someone has decided that skill is not worth seeing afterall. This league is racing in a bad direction with no brakes working.
If we have to tolerate an AI world, that would fix the hockey problem in a quick hurry
I would love to learn more about cricket as I used to teach at the college and a great deal of my students followed/played the sport. They’ve done it so much that I see more fields being designated at cricket fields, even here in Northern BC. Did you know that for a brief period when Canada was created, cricket was listed as the official sport (18 months), until Lacrosse became the official sport (joined by hockey in 1994).
Anyway, I digress. Hockey has to be the slowest sport to utilize technology and change rules. I don’t believe there have been any major rule changes to the game since the early 1900’s when the NHL adopted the rules of the Patrick Brothers PCAHA. Simple things like whether a puck crosses the line or offsides, could easily be done with technology. Yes, the human element is still important in a sport that “interprets” rules, but the refs haven’t improved their abilities at the same level that players have raised skill levels to heights never seen. We haven’t seen the same evolution for officials.
All major sports leagues have been actively working toward limiting needlessly dangerous plays that have a high risk of injury, including a major focus on reducing head traumas that lead to long term issues, such as CTE. Whether they’re doing this as they believe it will improve their product or save themselves from future lawsuits, who knows (probably both), but intent isn’t the point.
Meanwhile in the NHL: run a guy in the numbers so their head slams into the glass/boards? Great play! Hit a goalie directly in the side of their head in the crease? No problem!
Sometimes I’m amazed this league even brought in hybrid icing.
Re: Henrique and Arvidsson – how/why are folks so confident they’ll be moved?
The issue as I see it is they are expensive given their current role on a good team (Henrique adequate 3C who is probably a better 4C, Arvidsson as a 3L winger with some upside/risk).
The types of teams who are willing to acquire declining veterans who are overpaid for the role they’re best suited for are rebuilding teams willing to eat $ for draft picks. But both 19 and 33 have full NMCs and came to Edmonton for the express purpose of winning a cup, and I can’t see why they’d agree to waive their NMC to go to a rebuilding team (particularly Henrique who is older and was rarely scratched given he’s a C).
I could only see them waiving to go to a team they think would give them as good of a chance at a cup as Edmonton, and even with all the doom and gloom we feel today, I think that’s a short list of teams: FLA, VGK, DAL, CAR, TOR, COL if we are being generous. Maybe WPG, WSH?
And why would Vegas agree to take on a 33 year old, injury prone undersized winger making $4M who is coming off a year where he averaged less than .5 points per game? Maybe if the Oilers retain 50% and throw in a 4th round pick? But at that point, does that actually make the Oilers better off – can the find an upgrade over Arvidsson via FA or trade for a cap hit under $2M that actually makes them a better team?
If there’s a move out there that doesn’t involve salary retention or throwing in more draft picks to get them off our books, I’d make that move in a heartbeat. I just don’t see any options that 19 and 33 would agree to waive there NMCs for.
I could see both Henrique and ANA being willing to make it work. They could use a veteran C for their depth and, by all accounts I’ve seen, Henrique enjoyed his time in ANA.
Henrique and Arvidsson’s choice will be to either waive their NMCs or get bought out.
There are a bunch of teams out of the playoff picture with loads of draft capital that will be placing a high priority to acquire some pros to help shepherd the youth on their rosters.
The Oilers need to get younger, but a lot of teams are looking to add vets with experience playing in big moments.
We’ll see I suppose, but I’m more optimistic than most here, that Bowman will be able to turn over the roster this summer, and move out some of the old guys and get younger.
Whether that means they get better is not assured … but the Oilers need to reset this roster no matter what. If McDavid’s comments about doing the “same thing over and over” are any indication, I do not expect that “running it back” is an option that gets McDavid to sign another extension.
Ok now I will try my best at an optimistic version.
How’d we get here?
-The Oilers have some of the best hockey players to ever lace up skates. Full stop. When this team played at their best, they looked unbeatable. They are back to back Conference Champs.
-Character wins for days. We have an incredibly resilient team who battled multiple injuries and set an NHL record for comeback victories.
-We look like we will be able to sign McDavid and Bouchard long term this summer. That would be incredible.
-Our core is aging but this group should have more great seasons ahead. If FLA can reach 3 straight finals, so can we.
-There is no shame in losing to a great team, even if they are a bunch of pricks who play outside the rules and are aided by miserable reffing. But the Panthers are a great team.
-The run the last 2 months was an amazing ride, again! Trophy or not, what a hockey team. We should all pause and certainly be grateful for their efforts and just how much fun that was.
-Oiler fans continue to be amazing. They live and die on every bounce of the puck. This ending is heartbreaking but it will make the eventual and INEVITABLE cup victory that much sweeter.
-Thanks to LT for the space as always.
We need a goalie that can makes saves like flordia has its not hard. Our goalies cant do that. This whole series the Oilers where chasing except game 1. Period. Qe need to blow this team sky high and start from scratch. I want a cup
Maurice put in a defensive system to help Bob when he arrived from Columbus, where he wasn’t very good. I don’t think they need to blow things up, after all they beat three good teams enroute to the SCF. Florida got better as the series went on and Edmonton usually does the same but not this time around. After game 5 they lost their jam.
Skinner would look like a superstar playing behind their team. No goalie has survived post MacT Oiler D zone chaos. Despite times of good play more recently it always rears it’s ugly head
the second and third goals last night were goals an nhl goalie should save. throw in the missed high stick on Podz when the score was still 1-0 and we don’t know what the butterfly effect may have been
Ken Holland built this team to win last year and this year. In the wake of teo losses in the SCF, we now have to deal with the fallout of this laser focus on being in “win now” mode. Bowman has shown an ability to make crafty in-season moves, the off-season is going to be a whole other monster. I hope he’s up to the task, but to be honest his overall off-season resume hasn’t historically been great. I guess time will tell if he’s learned from his mistakes in chicago.
Bowman re-tooled teams twice to Stanley Cup wins….
No other team other than Florida can say that they made it to the Cup Finals the past two years in a row.
Hold your heads high and appreciate that they have been the second best team in the NHL for that long.
We don’t see this that often.
They lost on the ice but won in our hearts.
We will recover. Let the Summer rest, recovery, and contract negotiations commence.
Sadness Lowetide. It feels grim.
However, I first became a diehard fan when we had the kid line of Gagner-Cogliano-Nilsson. Younger me would be thrilled, finals 2 years in a row.
It was a great spring! I’m glad the two playoff games I went to were wins, both Draisaitl OT winners. I am very happy with the fond memories they have left me with. I will remember those moments more than the heartbreak last night (I hope).
Absolute pleasure reading your blog every morning Lowetide. It is sad seeing you without hope.
This is a great outlook. Where one is perceiving from is a thing!! (talking to myself here lol)
How’d we get here? These are the big mistakes for me.
-Nurse deal. Love the player, but not at this cap. Should have locked him up at 5M then 6.5M when we could have. But, bridged twice, one big season and here we are.
-Campbell deal. For all those who want to throw Stu under the bus in his 3rd NHL season, remember this was supposed to be Jack Campbell’s team and time. Stu had to jump in early to bail us out when Campbell failed. I expect he will win a Vezina in Minnesota or wherever we run him out to.
-Hall for Larsson, and sign Lucic. Whiff, brought on by the pressure to do something about the decade of darkness on defense.
-G. Reinhart trade. More pressure to do something about the defense. Something turned into anything. We had a chance to surround McDavid with two more high picks his age, but threw them in the ocean.
-McDavid at 12.5 was over 1.5M clear of the highest contract in history when signed. Not the deal that gets signed by a smart agent and player who recognize the rest of the roster needs to be built and who recognize winning and legacy will recoup that 1.5 you leave on the table many times over.
-Drafting. Poor drafting led to the decade of darkness, then too many high misses on all the first rounders that decade provided.
Good luck to Stan Bowman.
Don’t forget JJ’s 1 month of horror as interim GM.
Honestly I don’t think the 97 contract is a mistake, he’s covered that number in terms of surplus value and then some throughout his entire tenure. The issue is that they Oilers have been unable to fill out other roster spots with young players on value contracts, and when you need to overpay free agents to plug those holes you face a cap crunch that well-run organizations avoid.
I’m not saying that he hasn’t been worth it. He’s worth every penny. But, he did take top dollar and has not won a cup yet. Sometimes less is more.
Maybe he signs a somewhat team friendly extension this summer. Dare to dream.
Connor didn’t take top dollar last time, nor did Leon this time either. Connor won’t this time I’m sure, that would be 19M and it won’t be that high. But they may still be too top heavy to fill out the roster
I disagree I think he did. In his defense he and his agent likely have the added pressure of being a generational talent and to be helping the PA push out the ceiling for all players.
He got paid but it could have been a few M higher. Agreed the PA doesn’t want guys taking low deals
The PA doesn’t care what individual players negotiate with the clubs. They care that the pool of money goes up for their entire membership.
There are lots of examples of stars taking below market deals. Crosby is example number one. I didn’t hear one peep from any player or the PA about that or any other below market deal signed.
A below market deal just means more money for the rest of the membership to share. If I’m a player, I’m happier with that scenario than a handful of superstars getting all the gold.
The notion that the PA wants the highest salaries possible for the best players has no logic in a cap environment. In fact, I would argue that the opposite is true.
The PA represents far more “average”NHLers than generational ones. Your argument says that the PA wants to take money away from the rank and file and allocate it to the best players. Why would they want to do that? What logic says let’s take money away from the largest group of players they represent?
In a cap environment, there is a fixed amount of money available. Wanting it allocated to favour to the smallest group of players is not in the PAs best interest.
Full disclosure, I thought getting by LA was a pleasant surprise, so the rest was gravy. The Kings were so strong down the stretch, especially at home, and the Oilers were a banged-up, disjointed mess by the end of the regular season. So I can’t really complain.
I’m looking forward to Stan Bowman getting a full summer to work on the roster. Everything was basically in place when he was hired last year. We don’t have much choice but to start looking forward to next year.
Bowman’s nearly first (official) act was dumping Holloway and Broberg, and thinking that that was a good idea.
You are bright person, you are pointing at the wrong guy again and not acknowledging the situation at the time. Holland and ultimately Jackson own that
No conceivable reason not to match Holloway. It was only $2.3 million.
Broberg was more challenging. Arguably it did not impact this season much, but not matching has severe impact going forward.
He could have with Holloway, Broberg was not signing. But to match DH he would have had to deal a player Jackson just signed or move a player with an NMC. Possible, but what are the chances of that happening when a guy just comes in? It’s not realistic
Good post SS. I think this is the proper reflection on what transpired. Broberg was not signing with the Oilers.
Thx
Still banging on the same old drum.
If I’m GM, and a fringe player signs an offer sheet, I’d wish them luck and to not let the door door hit them on the way out.
Holloway could have taken what the Oilers offered and got another chance to play for the cup, and choose to play hardball for more money instead. Bye, Felicia.
Holloway and Broberg are not fringe players. Broberg is a legit #3D in the NHL. Holloway is close to a PPG power forward.
1 – I was not a fan of the Frederic addition the day it happened, thought it was an overpay even if the player would be healthy within a week or two, and the move was loaded with risk. I was chastised for my pessimism the day it happened but Frederic did not cover the bet and 1 of Bowman’s 2 big deadline acquisitions was a whiff on par with Holland’s trade for Athanasiou.
Those who defend the move on the grounds that Frederic is about to be extended miss the point – the Oilers did not need to trade for an injured, pending UFA to acquire him the next offseason. Expending a 2nd and a 4th to have the inside track on signing a player who has never scored 20 goals is way, way to dear of a price, and the Oilers should’ve used those assets elsewhere or kept their powder dry, and taken a run at him this offseason.
2 –
Henrique and Arvidsson are veterans with full NMCs (right?) who have made millions of dollars and came here for the singular purpose of winning a cup. Since they have to sign off on any trade, that (likely) means that they’d only waive for a trade to a team that they think presents as good as, if not a better, chance at winning a cup next year and that’s a short list (FLA, VGK, DAL, maybe COL, TB, CAR, TOR?). I have a hard time seeing any of these teams willing to eat those cap hits on players who at this point in their careers represent an okay but rapidly aging 3C and a bottom 6 winger with injury issues. Going to be hard for the Oilers to move these players without eating some salary and/or giving up draft picks as sweeteners (assuming they would even want to waive).
3 –
I am not vehemently opposed to bringing Frederic back, but anything more than 2 years at $2.5M is not worth it given the cap crunch the Oilers will be in and Frederic’s abysmal performance this year. I get buying low on a player but I’m not sold that he’ll revert back to being a 15-25-40ish player next year.
I do think it’s time for Evander Kane to sail on, the Oilers need to find more depth scoring and although he’s been a good depth option, he’s one of the few material cap hits that can be offloaded.
4 – If last summer’s one month of JJ as the interim GM is the price of ensuring 97 re-signs, so be it, but man what a brutal, confusing series of moves that hamstrung this team this year. I hate to beat a dead horse, but the media + fans have to point the finger at JJ for the situation the team finds itself in. Not only were the Arvidsson/Skinner signings and Henrique/Janmark/etc. resignings where everyone got a NMC (and a lot got multi-year deals) ill-advised given the age of the players and how much it boxed-in the team this offseason, but then turning around and trading a valuable, young, controllable roster player (McLeod) for a prospect at least a year a way (Savoie) doesn’t fit with the “all-in, cup or bust” rationale that motivated JJ’s free agency NMC extravaganza. I have high hopes for Savoie and still haven’t made my mind up on the trade, but this year at least the Oilers (especially the PK) missed McLeod’s speed and ability to slide up with 20 when needed.
5 – The Oilers are not a well run organization, and it does not seem to change whoever is in the GM chair. This team consistently bleeds draft picks and young players like the pipeline is self-replenishing, and I can’t remember the last time the Oilers weren’t spending $2-3M of cap on a buyout of some ill advised FA signing. When the playoffs start next spring, 97/29 will be 29 and 30 years old respectively. Nuge will be 33. Ekholm will be 36, Hyman will be 34. The organization’s failure to surround 97/29 with a supporting cast capable elevating this team to a cup is disappointing, and with no impact prospects outside of Savoie on the horizon and most premium draft picks shipped off, Bowman will have to use free agency and trades to cobble together a roster. Brutal
6 – I think it’s clear that the 2024 Oilers were a superior team to the 2025 squad, while the 2025 Panthers somehow got even better than the 2024 squad. I think the 2025 Oilers were more solid on the back end, but the 2025 forward group lagged behind this year, particularly when certain players naturally regressed after career years in 2024.
7 – I’m concerned about Nuge. Age comes for us all and I honestly think he’s better suited as a 3C/PP specialist than a 1LW at this point in his career. The 5v5 offensive issues with 97 are real concerning and I don’t think it’s a one-off.
8 – Last year I felt optimistic and excited about the next season. This year I feel like the current window might be slamming shut and that the Oiler’s next real chance might be 28-29 or 29-30 when they (hopefully) have a cleaner cap sheet to work with and Nurse’s NMC turns into a modified NTC. I will never say never given we’re smack in the middle of the prime years of 97 and 29, but it’s clear as day they cannot will this team to a cup by themselves.
It’s OK to be optimistic and excited for next season.
Frederic at league min, sure. 1M tops. I see a big body who skates and bangs and plays the puck like a grenade. Did he make 1 good play with the puck all spring?
Maybe he was playing through injuries. But I sure didn’t saw him good.
Very disappointing. People will pick this apart tactically, but the key goals I saw in this series each involved one of our D getting turnstiled. We couldn’t play the defensive game we saw in other series when down a goal. It’s cocky to even try it, but I didn’t see our forwards manage this even once.
We also didnt learn to trip the attacking player down the way Florida does. It is the way.
Oilers pp sucked. And the calls rarely game (well never in g6). They should have just drug down sam or marchand… they didnt learn how to play june 2025 hockey!
So, who should go? I’ll start as there’s no time to waste. July 1 just around the corner.
Nurse
S Skinner
Arvidsson
Kane
C Brown
Frederic
Henrique
Janmark
Jones
Perry (he’s got one more in the tank, but they need to move on)
Ryan
J Brown
Stuart Skinner was so kind as to illustrate precisely one of the reasons I believe he will never be a championship goaltender at this level and must be traded in his post game.
I highly encourage you to go watch his interview and pay specific attention to where he speaks about the third goal. BTW – if I had the cash for it, I would rent a digital billboard for the whole summer and play that goal on a loop in front of the Oilers’ offices downtown. Just in case anyone needs reminding of why this can’t be allowed to happen again.
For contrast, the audio of Pickard’s take on the OT stop of Bennett is what you’d want to hear from a goalie.
The playoffs are great for these snippets and windows in because of the extra attention.
Most goalies don’t make themselves available for interviews.
Skinner literally save two Oilers seasons in his rookie and sophomore seasons.
What’s your issue with his comments?
He’s flat wrong about the whole sequence.
First, he talks about squeezing the puck in his arm, when any other goalie simply catches the puck and takes the whistle.
Second, “he shot it at the blocker side, which was smart”, but he didn’t play it that way.
Third, he “put it in a spot that he thought was going to be okay”, indicating he had little to no awareness of the play.
And then a bunch of helpless extra commentary.
He could have controlled that play at multiple junctures. He didn’t. He could have been aware of what was likely to happen. He wasn’t. He could have showed some intensity and gotten in position after he muffed the “nothing shot”, he didn’t.
FWIW Henrik Lundqvist on the US broadcast said if it was him he would not have reached across his body with his glove to try and catch it, and that he would have tried to squeeze it with his blocker side arm.
I’m not a goalie expert but if Hank is saying that trying to reach across his body and catch it isn’t the play, I’m inclined to agree with him.
Guess you weren’t listening to the U.S. broadcast when King Henry said he wouldn’t have tried to catch it.
The bigger issues are:
1 – why was Skinner so unprepared?
2 – why was Verhaeghe so wide open?
3 – why could Nurse not contain Reinhart?
edit – see ATI already posted Lundqvist’s comments.
I didn’t like the play and agree the comments didn’t make much sense but I have to give the guy a break. He has an incredibly hard job on the team, does his best and has great character.
If this organization was smart they’d publicly back him right away, then bring him back and let him continue to improve. For me he’s part of the core. In the same boat as Nurse and Nuge, too many miles together, now I don’t want to win it without them.
I know we are all scared… but skinner isnt why we lost g6.
That said i do agree that they will change up the goaltending. Though based on past oilers assessment of goalies that makes more afraid than hopeful!
The Oilers need to stop talking about themselves so much. The philosophizing makes me ill because it’s the wrong mindset for sports. You don’t hear the Panthers doing it. Don’t talk about it, do it
Yes it’s boring hearing cliches from players, but if that helps the cause I’ll be bored
I want at least one super-confident player on the roster.
Enough of this “glory in being the underdog” crap.
The 80s Oilers were the big bad monsters who were going to run right over you, and knew it. That’s the attitude they need and they just don’t have it.
Rob Brown said the team takes on the coach’s demeanour and I agree. Look at the Panthers and their coach. Cooper is similar to Maurice if less greasy. Super confident, no excuses
The third goal didn’t really matter. Oilers only scored one goal. It may have had more to do the play of his opposite number on the other side, who probably should have won the Conn Smythe.
The third goal was an absolute dagger.
According to puckopedia, the goaltending FA/UFA market is cowdung. Don’t see anything there after Dostal, and he’s UFA. I also think 25-26 could/should/will be a last chance for this group as constructed. For 26-27, the Oilers have Drai, Zack, Nuge and Mattias at forward. At defense it’s Nurse and Emberson. That’s before the next month’s events, like Bouchard and Connor signing long term. So we should/could/will see a very different team in the 2026 fall.
This is a league that just gratified Bennet after injuring two opposing goalies. That’s before looking at the Ecblad PED’S and a few other officiating “miscues”. But that’s all in the past now.
Gotta move forward. Once an Oiler, ALWAYS an Oiler.
I keep saying it will be Carter Hart. Makes too much sense and there have of course already been rumblings.
well of course there have (eyeroll)
Given the outrage at Bowman being hired, I think the possibility of that is about zero. Not to mention he’s not clear of things
The Oilers hired Bowman knowing there would be blowback, I don’t think the “outrage” has turned them off, particularly when within a year most of the fanbase has a pretty positive view of Bowman after the Podkolzin/Walman acquisitions.
If the Oilers think Hart is an upgrade (and Hart is found not guilty), and he would represent a low-cost upgrade in net, I think the Oilers would make that signing thinking that no one would care if a year from now the Oilers won a cup in net with him as the starter.
You never know with these Oilers
May as well sign Dube and McLeod while we’re at.
I’d pass, the Oilers need a goalie not mediocre bottom 6 forwards
The only rumblings I’ve heard are from you….?