The Edmonton Oilers lost their second straight Stanley Cup Final to the Florida Panthers, this time in one fewer game than previously. While losing Zach Hyman to an injury hurt their chances to take down the defending champions, there was still hope they could have a shot at defeating them, but they didn’t do that. Some fans pointed the blame toward their goaltending, some blamed head coach Kris Knoblauch, and some even blamed the lack of defensive awareness, but at the end of the day, they were simply outclassed by a stronger team.
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Unfortunately, it now begs the question: where do the Oilers go from here? They were able to dominate teams for the first three rounds of the postseason, and it seemed like everything collapsed when they faced off against the Panthers. There are a lot of questions that have to be answered this summer, and there are some tough decisions that will have to be made if the Oilers want a third straight shot at winning their first Stanley Cup since 1990.
Do They Make a Coaching Change?
No.
Some fans have read into the comments made by Connor McDavid after Game 6, where it seems as though he points blame toward the coaching staff for “trying the same thing over and over.” However, that shouldn’t call for the Oilers to make a coaching change, and I would be surprised if they even considered it. In two seasons as head coach, Knoblauch has led the Oilers to back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances, and while he didn’t get them over the hump this time around, he wasn’t the key reason why they didn’t win a championship.
Do They Upgrade Their Goaltending?
This is a tough one. It’s hard to place all the blame on the tandem that helped the Oilers get back to the Stanley Cup Final again, but it’s also hard to avoid the fact that neither Stuart Skinner nor Calvin Pickard was able to play strongly enough to steal a game and push them to a Game 7. The main issue with trying to upgrade their goaltending depth is the expected high price of the available trade options around the league, especially if they plan on moving on from Skinner.
Thatcher Demko, Jeremy Swayman, and John Gibson could all be potential trade targets this summer, but would cost a pretty penny. The Vancouver Canucks may be hesitant to move on from Demko, despite his injury issues, making the potential asking price out of the Oilers’ price range. Swayman may not be an option depending on where the Boston Bruins plan to go after a tough 2024-25 campaign, but if he is, the Oilers should be willing to spend big to bring him in. Gibson might be the most logical option, as the Anaheim Ducks will continue to move through their retool and could turn to Lukas Dostal as their future starter.
Either way, they will have to gauge the trade market and see what’s available. I don’t think anyone would be opposed to keeping Skinner as a backup if they find an upgrade, but it’ll be interesting to see what they do in that department.
How Do They Clear Cap Space?
This is an interesting one. There is a belief that forwards Evander Kane and Viktor Arvidsson could come up in trade talks this summer so they can clear some cap space to be aggressive at the upcoming draft and into free agency, but I wonder if they would look at clearing one of Brett Kulak or Mattias Ekholm as well. It will probably be a few days before anything starts to heat up on the trade front, but it will be interesting to see how they find some money.
Also on Oilers, in an effort to create additional salary cap space, I wouldn’t be shocked to see the names of Evander Kane (16-team trade list) and Viktor Arvidsson (full NMC) pop up in the trade market this month.
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) June 18, 2025
They need to try and re-sign Evan Bouchard, who will be demanding a hefty pay raise after an impressive postseason, but they also need to keep enough money available to re-sign McDavid. Kane and Arvidsson had tough playoff performances and will likely be cap casualties, but they could shock the league and make other players available before the draft.
There will be interest in any player the Oilers try to trade, considering they have all proven their worth as playoff performers over the last two seasons, but it’ll be tough to make a hockey trade that both clears the money they need and keeps their depth strong.
If they can re-sign Bouchard on a deal that comes in under $10 million annually, they might be able to spend big in free agency and try to make a splash on a big-name free agent like Nikolaj Ehlers or Aaron Ekblad. They will need to make some changes this summer that make them a deeper team heading into the playoffs next season, and they don’t have much time to create a game plan for the offseason.
Oilers’ general manager Stan Bowman could be aggressive at the draft and make some moves to improve their roster, but time will tell what they decide to do this summer. Hopefully, they don’t have to deal with the same offer sheet drama as last season and can simply focus on putting the best team on the ice as they push for their first Stanley Cup since 1990.
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