The Edmonton Oilers have been one of the most interesting teams to keep up with recently. After a tough stretch, the Oilers are still in a playoff spot, but the fight down the stretch could be a bit more interesting than they would’ve liked.
Related: Oilers’ McDavid Seemingly Calls Coach, Team After Tough Loss to Lightning
In the previous two seasons, the Oilers have made the Stanley Cup Final both times, coming up short against the Florida Panthers each time. Now, they are hoping they will be able to finally win their first Stanley Cup since 1990, albeit, on what seems to be a tougher path than in the last two campaigns.
In this edition of Oilers News and Rumours, we take a look at some comments from Connor McDavid that caught the attention of fans. We also take a look at the bizarre first NHL goal for Joshua Samanski, and lastly, we give an update on some players on the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Bakersfield Condors.
McDavid’s Comments After Loss Weren’t “Taking Shots” at Coach
After the Oilers lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning, McDavid had some high praise for the way the Bolts were coached, which made some people, including myself, question if he was taking an indirect shot at his own head coach, Kris Knoblauch.
However, he denied that, explaining he wasn’t taking shots at his own coach.
McDavid today regarding his post game comments on Cooper and Draisaitls comments before the Olympics.
— Ryan Rishaug (@TSNRyanRishaug) March 23, 2026
“We’re not taking shots. It’s just everybody can be better myself included. Everybody can be better. It was more just complementary of a great team in this league that came in…
“Not sure how it was taken that way, it wasn’t supposed to be that way,” McDavid said. He continued: “I understand obviously, I understand how people could look at it that way, but it’s not what I was intending to do at all.”
It seems as though everyone is on the same page and admits they need to be better down the stretch, but it also seems like the team still has confidence in Knoblauch.
Josh Samanski Scores First NHL Goal
Josh Samanski was finally rewarded after having played extremely well over the last little while, scoring his first NHL goal in the Oilers’ loss to the Lightning.
If anyone asks, he sniped it top shelf 😌@LegacyHCYeg | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/Zb4CGsVEHY
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) March 22, 2026
Jokingly, the Oilers made light of the Lightning’s mistake, but they scored on their own net, with Samanski being the last Oiler to touch the puck before it bounced into their own net.
The Oilers play the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday (Mar. 24), where Samanski will be looking to build off of that. Even though he didn’t technically shoot the puck into the net, knowing he has his first goal in the NHL has to be a bit of a weight off of his shoulders, and moving forward, should have some extra confidence offensively.
Mini Condors Update: Howard, Hutson, Akey
Ike Howard continues to be a strong offenisve producer with the Condors, and in his previous 10 games, he has scored four goals and added three assists for seven points. He remains over a point-per-game this season.
Quinn Hutson has also been strong, scoring three goals and adding five assists through eight points in his previous 10 games.
Beau Akey has continued to play well at the AHL level, and while he hasn’t registered a point since January 16th, his defensive game continues to improve.
Howard and Hutson are projecting to be full-time NHL players next season, while Akey might be another full season away. All three of them are developing well, and are extremely fun to watch at the AHL level.
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