Moments after the Florida Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers for the Stanley Cup this past June, Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk told ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, “It’s unbelievable, back-to-back two-time Stanley Cup Champions…a DYNASTY.” Last time I looked, a dynasty meant at least three Stanley Cups in a row, or like the Oilers of the 1980s and early 90s, five Stanley Cups in seven years. Maybe Tkachuk should go check the Hockey Hall of Fame website for their official list of NHL dynasties. If the 2025-26 version of the Oilers want to derail the Panthers and win a Stanley Cup during the Connor McDavid/Leon Draisaitl era, they’re going to have to dig deep and look at getting a new starting goaltender by the time the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs begin.
They should also study history and brush up on what Winston Churchill said: “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” I’m not talking about Oilers history with Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier, but this current version of the Oilers remind me a lot of the New York Islanders dynasty of the early 1980s.
Many Great Teams Have To Learn To Lose Before They Can Win
The Islanders, similar to the Oilers of today, were a great up-and-coming team of the mid to late 1970s. The team was destined to knock off those great Montreal Canadiens teams for NHL bragging rights. In the 1975 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Islanders came back from being down 3-0 in two series to force Game 7 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, which they won, and against the Philadelphia Flyers, which they lost. The loss to the Flyers, the eventual Stanley Cup champions in 1975, put the league on notice that the Islanders were for real. The Islanders, like the Oilers, built the core of their team from the draft with Hall of Famers Denis Potvin, Bryan Trottier and Mike Bossy, all drafted by then-general manager (GM) Bill Torrey.
Related: The New York Islanders Franchise Four
Even though the Islanders lost to the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Canadiens, in 1976 and 1977, by the 1977-78 season, they were starting to get picked as the team most likely to eventually unseat Montreal. In 1978, the Islanders lost to the upstart Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the playoffs, and fans and pundits alike were starting to question their ability to win.
In 1979, the Islanders lost in the second round to the hated cross-town rivals, the New York Rangers, and it looked like the dynasty was over before it started. But in the spring of 1980, the Islanders made a crucial decision in Game 3 of their first round series against the Los Angeles Kings; they chose to start Billy Smith in goal over fan favourite Glenn “Chico” Resch, and they rode Smith all the way to victory and their first Stanley Cup on May 24, 1980. The Islanders had finally made it to the top after years of near misses and heartache. Sound familiar, Oilers fans? After two straight Stanley Cup Final appearances, you have to wonder if the Oilers have what it takes to make it back and finally break through for the Stanley Cup victory many are expecting from McDavid.
What Can Today’s Oilers Learn From the Islanders’ Dynasty Teams?
Despite what people say, the team has to believe in itself. This is the deepest team of the McDavid era with Draisaitl in his prime and veteran forwards such as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman (if healthy), and newcomer Andrew Mangiapane expected to make big contributions.
Related: Oilers’ Andrew Mangiapane Could Have a Big 2025-26 Season
The Oilers also need Trent Frederic to step up, and if youngsters Matt Savoie and Ike Howard can play well, the forward group should be in good shape. The defence led by Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm, and Jake Walman is solid. The only question, once again, is in goal. I’m a fan of both Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard, but a new goalie coach this season is not going to put this franchise over the top. Sorry. Oilers GM Stan Bowman has to get creative this season and pull a rabbit out of the hat and find a bona fide starting goaltender before the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs begin.
Maybe McDavid not yet committing to a new contract this offseason is a sign that he’s waiting to see what can be done, especially in goal. Like the Islanders’ dynasty years, where the goaltending of Smith won them four straight Stanley Cups, the Oilers need to find similar magic between the pipes. I know there are salary cap restraints, but that’s what Bowman and his staff are being paid to do – find a solution. Otherwise, there’s a good chance that the Panthers will win their third Stanley Cup in a row and can officially be crowned a dynasty.
