The Edmonton Oilers are a tough team to judge in 2025-26. While they have turned things around after what was a slow start to the season, they’ve still yet to look like the true Stanley Cup contender they had in both 2023-24 and 2024-25. Through 56 games, they have a rather mediocre 28-20-8 record, which ranks 13th amongst all 32 teams.
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There are plenty of reasons as to why the Oilers have been just OK this season. They are lacking depth scoring up front, as they are too reliant on the likes of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Zach Hyman to carry the load offensively. There are also questions regarding their blueline and goaltending, but it is that lack of offence we are focusing on today.
Being reliant on the four players mentioned above is nothing new for the Oilers. They’ve struggled to find another top-six winger or two they can rely upon to bring consistent offence. They had it in Evander Kane shortly after he was signed during the 2021-22 season, but his play faded and resulted in him being traded to the Vancouver Canucks.
The Oilers also tried to bring in the likes of Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson ahead of the 2024-25 season, but neither panned out. The same can be said for Trent Frederic, who, after signing an eight-year extension, has three points in 54 games. While he and several others need to be better, the struggles the Oilers have both currently and in the past from some of their forwards are due, at least in part, to a lack of opportunity from head coach Kris Knoblauch.
Oilers Need to Spread Out Ice Time
As is often the case with the Oilers, they have been giving their big guns a ton of ice time this season. McDavid leads the way amongst forwards with a team-high 23:04 per game, while Draisaitl is in second at 22:03. Hyman rounds out the top three with an average of 20:09 per outing, while Nugent-Hopkins is fourth at 19:09. After those four, there is a massive drop off.
Jack Roslovic, who signed a one-year deal with the Oilers in October, has the fifth most minutes amongst Oilers forwards at just 16:06. Others, meanwhile, who the Oilers were hoping to get offensive support from, are barely seeing the ice at all.
Frederic, who fans have really gotten on this season, is averaging less than 11 minutes per game. Andrew Mangiapane, who was expected to earn a top-six role when he was first signed this offseason, is averaging just 12:54. Meanwhile, Matt Savoie is averaging less than 14. The trio have combined for just 33 points.
One former Oiler who would certainly understand how tough it can be to play such limited minutes is Derek Ryan. The recently retired 39-year-old spent the final four seasons of his career in Edmonton, the final two of which came with Knoblauch as his head coach.
Ryan, whose usage declined significantly under Knoblauch, doesn’t appear to see eye-to-eye with his former bench boss. The 606-game NHL veteran joined Bob Stauffer on Oilers Now last week and took some shots at Knoblauch in regards to how he spreads ice time amongst his forward group.
“Yes, but with an asterisk,” Ryan said when discussing the Oilers’ chances of winning the Stanley Cup. “They obviously have the two best players in the world. I would be amiss if I left this show without saying that I think they need to find a way to give these depth players, the guys that aren’t Connor and Leon, that aren’t playing with them, a role and a chance to be successful. Feel like they can contribute, feel like they can have a niche.
“These players, if they’re not given a chance to have that [role], then it just always feels like Connor and Leon’s team, not a team that can win the Cup.”
Ryan Nails His Assessment
Though it isn’t to the fault of McDavid and Draisaitl, Knoblauch and a number of other Oilers coaches have been far too reliant on them over their tenures. While they do have elite offensive abilities that few others in the league possess, giving them such big minutes night in and night out does make it tough on others, particularly newcomers, to get comfortable and feel like they are making an impact.
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McDavid and Draisaitl have been quite clear over the fact that all they want at this point in their respective careers is to win a Stanley Cup. If that means cutting their minutes down the stretch to get others more involved, it feels a safe bet that both will be open to the idea. It’s something that Knoblauch should have already looked to do, but will absolutely need to enforce once this team returns from the Olympic break.
