The Edmonton Oilers are currently facing a 3-2 series deficit against their Pacific Division rivals, the Anaheim Ducks, in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In the first five games of this series, multiple glaring holes have become apparent. Their goalie tandem of Connor Ingram and Tristan Jarry is incredibly weak. Depth pieces like Kasperi Kapanen and Jason Dickinson, who they relied on in previous seasons, have lost a step on the ice.
Defenseman Darnell Nurse is not performing up to his $9.25 million per year contract that lapses in 2030. Superstars Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard are still producing at an elite level, but it is evident that their supporting cast is struggling to keep up. The organization is definitely in a dilemma, and it will be interesting to see what they do next.
The 2026 Offseason Is A Huge Deal For The Edmonton Oilers
Twelve players on Edmonton’s roster are set to become free agents this summer, and with a multitude of issues, it will be difficult to decide on where to start. They may want to begin taking a chance on a veteran goaltender to give a short-term solution to their netminder problem. Someone like Vitek Vanecek or Ivan Fedotov would put the issue at bay for a season until a better free agent goalie class becomes available in 2027.
The depth pieces that they lose in Connor Murphy, Adam Henrique, Dickinson, and Kapanen can be supplemented by picking up Jamie Oleksiak, Vincent Desharnais, Danton Heinen, and Teddy Blueger. Each of whom will fit in their projected $16.4 million in cap space for the upcoming offseason. Trading Nurse in a contract dump style move would be crucial as well for more cap space. The issue will be trying to find someone interested in his skill set and willing to take on his bulky contract.
How the Oilers fill those spots will be key to the future of the organization, as many of their prominent players have expiring contracts in the seasons to follow. None of those is bigger than the contract of Connor McDavid, who signed a two-year, $25 million extension before the start of the 2025-26 campaign to continue with Edmonton until 2028
