5 Reasons for Edmonton Oilers to Be Better in 2025 – 26 – Hockey Writer – Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers have two very good seasons in a row, and this statement is obvious because they have already played in the Stanley Cup final. That said, the entire season hasn’t been completely smooth sailing, especially in the past season, where they stumbled so badly in the face-to-face breakouts of four countries that they have some questions about whether they will make the playoffs.
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Injuries played a big role in the struggle late in the 2024-25 season, but they still hope to get more consistency in the regular season. Of course, they also hope to have a greater success in the Stanley Cup final, where they were under-scored against the Florida Panthers twice. Oilers fans can rest assured that this 2025-26 team may be able to do it at the same time, and there are five reasons.
Youth insertion lineup
The Oilers entering the 2024-25 season revolve around one criticism is their age. They are the oldest team in the NHL, and in a league that is getting faster and faster every year, it feels like the secret to disaster.
It didn’t affect the Oilers much, although some of their veterans did seem to be tired in the Cup final against the Panthers. Oilers Management may have noticed this as they part ways with Corey Perry, Viktor Arvidsson, Jeff Skinner and Evander Kane.
Of course, some of these moves are coming because of their limiting situations, but removing these players will allow them to add some young people to the roster. Isaac Howard and Matt Savoie are both two 21-year-olds with offensive potential and are expected to undermine the roster this season. Injecting that young man into the roster would be a big driving force for the Oilers.
The aggressive Connor McDavid
As of July 1, Connor McDavid was able to sign an extension with the Oilers. The fact that he hasn’t done so yet should not be seen as a major issue in the fan base, but the fact is that as of now, his future in Edmonton after the 2025-26 season has surfaced.
McDavid has won many personal honors since entering the NHL, but has not won the trophy he really follows. He just wanted to do this in the city because he has been called home so far throughout his NHL career. You can guarantee that he will do his best to bring Edmonton to the championship before he may leave somewhere else.
Mangiapane provides Draisaitl with legal top wingers
The entire hockey world hasn’t attracted much attention, but the Oilers may have signed a very wise signing on Andrew Mangiapane, who struck a two-year, $7.2 million deal the day the free agents were open. In a short period of time, the $3.6 million block shot hit a lot.
When placed in the right position, Mangiapane can score goals. As a member of the Calgary Flames, he will have a chance to compete with the Oilers in a career-high 35 in 2021-22. Leon Draisaitl has been in need of a true top six winger for years and it’s no secret that Mangiapane gave him that. The duo will play a major role in the success of the Oilers next season.
Healthier version of Ekholm
We may have seen some of the best Mattias Ekholm. The veteran was a rock for the Oilers throughout his tenure until he missed a lot of time due to injury until he returned late in the playoffs. Unfortunately, he struggled a lot after he returned.
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What many people forget is that Ekholm once again had a very good season before his injury in 2024-25. His struggles in the playoffs do not indicate signs of aging, but rather that he is poor from health. It would be huge for him to take a break throughout the offseason and recover from anything he has dealt with, and getting him back to health and dominance will help this oil team get better.
New voices from Skinner and Pickard
Given that we are almost in August, it seems that they are not getting their wishes in terms of changes between pipelines. Despite its shortcomings over the past two seasons, it seems that management has once again combined with the duo of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard. This is not ideal, although there are not many goals to pursue.
But what Oilers Management has done is a decision not to provide extensions to goalkeeper coach Dustin Schwartz. This is also something the fan base has been clamoring for quite some time, as there are a lot of goalkeepers staggering under Schwartz’s guidance. Whether this change actually benefits the Oilers goalkeeper remains to be seen, but it certainly won’t make the situation worse.
Another great oiling season for the shop
It’s not easy feat while returning to the Stanley Cup final of the third straight win, but the Oilers are a very special group. Yes, a lot of that is due to having two of the game’s greatest stars in McDavid and Draisaitl, but they also have a solid support lineup that isn’t always recognized as it deserves. The team will be good again in 2025-26 and have a great chance to finally end their long cup drought.
