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Good, Bad, Ugly: Dissecting Edmonton’s rough start to the 2025-26 NHL season

3 9
12.11.2025
I work a part-time job in the evenings now, so I can’t watch a lot of the games. Perhaps that’s not necessarily a bad thing based on what I’ve been reading and listening to lately.

The Oilers are looking grim these days, as they are barely limping along in seventh place in the division at 6-6-4 through 16 games. Although the Anaheim Ducks, of all teams, have started to pull away at the top of the division, I don’t expect that to last long. They are still only a mere two points from second place in the division, so the Oilers are far from too far gone just yet. Funny thing is, a lot of other good teams are struggling too.

The Panthers, Edmonton’s opponent in the Cup Final the last two seasons running and the current champs, are one point worse than the Oilers and also mired in seventh in their division. The Dallas Stars were neck and neck with the Oilers in the other wild card spot until the end of October, when they went on a three-game win streak that pushed them into second place in the Central. The Kings, a playoff contender for a few years now, are only two points better than the Oilers right now and still out of a playoff spot.

The root cause, so the word on the street goes, is that the team has become deflated and devoid of emotion now that they are not playing in high-intensity playoff games anymore, which has led to approaching regular-season games with less emotion. Although if the Oilers’ social accounts are to be believed, that is being remedied as we speak.

There are many reasons for this, as it’s a death-by-a-thousand-cuts kind of situation. It’s now past the time for excuses, so the team needs to perform some introspection and improve. Let’s go through the analysis and see what’s up.

Jan 15, 2025; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl (29) and forward Connor McDavid (97) talk before a face-off against the Minnesota Wild during the third period at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images

The Good

The McDrai duo is still doing McDrai things

The “nuclear” duo is still doing their thing, with Connor McDavid producing 22 points in 16 games and Leon Draisaitl bringing up the second spot on the team with 18 points in 16 games. It is worth noting that this is only good for sixth for McDavid and 22nd for Draisaitl in the entire league. Still, despite the fact that we are unaccustomed to seeing the two of them that far down the league ladder, it is probably a byproduct of other players on other teams stepping up and the rest of the Oilers’ self-inflicted problems. Nonetheless, a team that is having success needs its best players to be its best players, and that is what we are getting right now with McDavid and Draisaitl. Some say McDavid is not scoring enough goals, but that is nitpicking. Who cares how he produces his offense? If it helps a teammate score or he buries it himself, it counts the same. A point for McDavid is a point for the Oilers, and it still drives winning when the supporting cast does its job.

The Nuge has his swagger back offensively

Ever since Ryan Nugent-Hopkins hit 104 points back in 2022-23, his offense has declined, down to 49 points last season. He did crack the 20-goal mark for the first time in five seasons, so it was not a total loss, but everyone knows there is more there. Nuge has the talent to be a first-line center on a lot of teams in the NHL, and he would be on this team too if it were not for the presence of the two best players in the league. If he keeps scoring at this rate, he is on pace for an 82-point season, which would be his best since that 104-point explosion. The hands and vision are still there, the reading of plays is still there, and when he gets into a rhythm on the half-wall with the top unit, he makes everything easier for the other four guys.

The power play is clicking

The power play that set a new NHL record four seasons ago dipped to 12th last year, which felt strange given the personnel. This season, it is clicking at 33.3 percent, second in the league and bested only by the Penguins at 35.7 percent. For years, it was a mystery why a team with this much firepower did not finish first every season. It is nice to see that in the early going, they have a shot at doing exactly that. The puck movement is cleaner, pucks are getting to the interior with........

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