Edmonton Oilers Can’t Afford Another Slow Start to the Season – The Hockey Writers – Edmonton Oilers

If there’s one trend that new head coach Mike Babcock can change for the Edmonton Oilers this season, its avoiding the slow start. It seems like during the last seven seasons, the Oilers have always seemed to be playing catch-up after falling behind in the early stages of every NHL campaign. They’ve had to rely on getting hot late in the season and that has burned a lot of energy for a team that has had realistic Stanley Cup aspirations the last five or six seasons. Babcock and assistant coach DJ Smith will need a different approach than previous Oilers coaches, especially early on, to get the team off to a good start.

Oilers Slow Starts Have Led to Mid-Season Coaching Changes

The Oilers haven’t had a veteran coach with a Stanley Cup pedigree since Ken Hitchcock took over the head coaching duties back in 2019. Hitchcock’s time coaching the Oilers was limited to just 62 games, so he didn’t really have the impact that the team needed. In the past seven seasons, Dave Tippett, Jay Woodcroft, and Kris Knoblauch have all taken their turns coaching the Oilers, and it seems like every season the Oilers needed a kick in the pants to get their season started. Even if they played well early on, they couldn’t sustain it. The worst example of the Oilers playing from behind was in 2023-24 when Woodcroft was relieved of his duties and replaced by Knoblauch after the team began 3-9-1. If the Oilers have close to this kind of start under Babcock, they are going to be in big trouble.

Holding Veteran Players More Accountable

This season, Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins need to play like they were shot out of a cannon. Pressing the right buttons could be one of Babcock’s most important jobs as new head coach, especially early on.

This team needs to take a page out of great Oilers teams of the past. In the 1986-87 NHL season, the last time the Oilers won their division, the team never had a month when they weren’t playing .500 hockey or better. Part of the reason was head coach Glen Sather knew how to motivate his leadership core of Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, and Kevin Lowe. The same thing needs to happen this season with Babcock. He needs to find a way to get McDavid, Draisaitl and Nugent-Hopkins to buy into his methods early on to avoid yet another come-from-behind March and April.

Goaltending Needs to Be Strong Early On

Looking back at the last seven seasons, the Oilers have lacked the kind of goaltending a team needs coming out of the gate. It was especially evident when Ken Holland was general manager (GM) and signed Jack Campbell as a free agent. Campbell lost his confidence early on in his tenure in Edmonton, and the team had to turn to backup Stuart Skinner to bail them out of jams during the two seasons Campbell wore an Oilers uniform.

Even last season, both Skinner and Calvin Pickard faltered early in the season which led to the controversial trade for Tristan Jarry in December. With current Oilers GM Stan Bowman signing Frederik Andersen and Devon Levi to compete with Jarry, the team might have the right competitive formula to keep their goaltending strong from the start of the season all the way through to the playoffs. Oilers fans should be encouraged to see which goalie emerges from training camp as the starter. The internal competition should ensure that at least one goalie will be playing well right off the bat.

A New Season & New Attitude

The 2026-27 season is one of the most important in Oilers history. So much is riding on the team being successful, especially regarding the future of McDavid with the franchise. It’s hard to predict what could happen if the Oilers get off to a slow start this season. Babcock could be on a short leash and Smith could be behind the bench if the Oilers falter coming out of the gate in late September and throughout October.

However, there’s a different feeling in the air in Oil Country this offseason. Fans will soon see if all of Bowman’s gambles have paid off, especially the hiring of Babcock and Smith, the trade of Darnell Nurse, and the three-goalie system. If the Oilers get off to a solid start, expect them to be among the Stanley Cup contenders come April. It’s going to be interesting to watch, especially early on.