Oilers at Risk of Falling Behind an Improving Pacific Division

It may have happened already. The Edmonton Oilers window to win the Stanley Cup might have closed when they lost their 2026 first round Stanley Cup playoff series to the Anaheim Ducks. And the window might’ve been shut even tighter during the 2026 draft weekend when the San Jose Sharks won the draft and walked away with an even better team than last season. Have the Oilers been surpassed? Maybe. Maybe not.

Oilers Experience Might Be The Difference

The Oilers’ battle-tested experience might help them hold off Pacific Division rivals Anaheim and San Jose but for how much longer? After an early playoff exit in 2026 and a dysfunctional start to the offseason amid coaching drama, the Oilers might have more questions than answers as they slowly gear up for the 2026-27 NHL season. The good news is the Oilers will be going into the new season healthy and rested, and considering their experience, that could take the team a long way. However, other questions remain such as what will happen with Darnell Nurse, what about the goaltending and how will new head coach Mike Babcock work out?

Sharks On The Rise

With the Sharks walking away from the 2026 NHL Entry Draft with Ivar Stenberg, Keaton Verhoeff and Ryan Lin all in the first round, they’re set up to win now and down the road. Stenberg already looks like a can’t miss prospect after representing Sweden at the 2026 IIHF Men’s Hockey World Championship. He scored an unbelievable goal against Team Slovakia that left many scouts wondering if he shouldn’t be the number one pick in the draft. He’s NHL-ready now, and if he develops chemistry with wonderkid Macklin Celebrini, look out. The Sharks also drafted highly touted defenceman Verhoff, who at one time was projected to go in the top three. They got him for a steal in the ninth position. And Lin, who plays defence for the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League, will also help bolster the Sharks blueline in the not-so-distant future. Overall, the Sharks are a young up-and-coming team that got even better. Whether they have enough to get by the Oilers remains to be seen.

Ducks May Have Already Surpassed the Oilers

The Ducks might be even closer than the Sharks to being the team to beat in the NHL’s Pacific Division. After their impressive first-round series win in six games against the Oilers, and then taking the Vegas Golden Knights to six games in the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, you know those experiences are going to pay off. The Ducks were able to trade Mason McTavish to the St. Louis Blues for two first-round picks (#15 Nikita Klepov and #28 Marcus Nordmark) in this year’s draft. They also sent veteran defenceman John Carlson to the Carolina Hurricanes for defenceman Kyle Masters and a sixth-round pick. Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek made their young team even more youthful without touching a talented core of young stars led by Leo Carlsson, Beckett Sennecke and Jackson LaCombe.

Oilers Still Barely Ahead of Other Pacific Division Rivals

With an aging roster, questions often arise as to when the Oilers’ quality of play will fall away. In terms of their roster, you can still expect great seasons from Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard. However, veterans such as Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins are getting older and you have to wonder how much gas is left in the tank.

The talent and desire are still there in Edmonton; that’s why you can expect them to most likely finish ahead of the rebuilding Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames. It’s hard to say how good the Seattle Kraken, the Los Angeles Kings and the Vegas Golden Knights will be in the 2026-27 NHL season, but as it sits right now, Edmonton is in a better position, roster-wise, to stay ahead of the Kraken, the Kings and the aging Golden Knights. That is unless Vegas’ general manager Kelly McCrimmon can pull another rabbit out of the hat.

The Oilers Will Be Interesting to Watch in 26-27

The way things have gone in Edmonton this past season and early in the current offseason, you have to wonder whether the Oilers will succeed or implode. I think they’re still too talented to overlook especially because they’re led by McDavid and Draisaitl. If Oilers general manager Stan Bowman, can somehow lock down a legitimate starting goalie the Oilers might really be in business. The pressure’s on Bowman this offseason to get a good return for Nurse and bolster the Oilers roster rather than have it regress. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens once Free Agency season opens in just a few days.