Thursday night was a reminder as to how dangerous the Edmonton Oilers can be when at their best. In what was a very important game against a divisional foe in the LA Kings, the Oilers looked like a truly elite team, walking away with a lopsided 8-1 victory.
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What makes games like that confusing, or perhaps frustrating, is the fact that just two nights prior they fell to the Anaheim Ducks by a 6-5 final. They then gave up five once again on Saturday afternoon in a 5-4 loss to a young and inexperienced San Jose Sharks team.
While the Oilers do sit third in the Pacific Division, that’s more of a reflection of how poorly teams in the division have performed. Through their 61 outings, they have a mediocre-at-best record of 29-24-8. That in and of itself proves that this team hasn’t looked like the contender their fan base has come to expect. It also makes the next week very difficult for general manager (GM) Stan Bowman.
Should the Oilers Be Buyers?
It seems crazy to suggest, but there seems to be some real belief that the Oilers may be better off to stand pat at this trade deadline. Others would scoff at that suggestion given that they may only have a few more kicks at the can with Connor McDavid on their roster.
The issue for the Oilers is that they don’t have many assets to give up. Given that they’ve been contenders for a number of years now, they don’t have many draft picks or prospects at their disposal. They don’t have a first-round pick in 2026, and many are unsure as to whether or not they should be willing to part ways with their first in 2027 or 2028 given how inconsistent they’ve been this season.
Many have pointed toward the fact that the Oilers have always been a team who struggles to put their foot on the gas in the regular season. That is somewhat of a fair statement, though by this time in past seasons they had already picked things up in major fashion. That made buying at the deadline an extremely easy decision both for Bowman and former GM Ken Holland.
That hasn’t at all been the case this season. In fact, the Oilers are just four points up on the San Jose Sharks, who sit outside of a playoff position. The Sharks, meanwhile, have three games in hand. It’s a harsh reminder that the Oilers are by no means locked into a playoff spot.
Next Year Will Be Different
The other issue for the Oilers is that they don’t have a ton of cap space to bring in any difference makers. They attempted to create some room on Sunday by placing both Andrew Mangiapane and Alec Regula on waivers, though even still, things are quite tight.
That may not be the case next season. First off, the cap is expected to jump from the current maximum of $95.5 million to $104 million. That $8.5 million extra will give the Oilers some much-needed relief, though it isn’t the only additional space they’ll be getting.
The Oilers have roughly $6.5 million coming off the books next season with pending unrestricted free agents (UFA). That includes Adam Henrique, who hasn’t come close to living up to his $3 million cap hit. They’re also still looking to move Mangiapane, which would free them up even more space for the 2026-27 campaign.
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On top of all that, based on how the Oilers have performed this season, it wouldn’t come as a major surprise to anyone to see them eliminated early on in the playoffs. That will finally allow some of their top stars to get the true offseason rest they need in order to come back hungry and strong for the 2026-27 campaign. While failing to add much at this trade deadline would be disappointing to some, the bigger picture view shows that it may not be the worst thing for this organization.
