This is the Pacific Division Off-Season Preview, where we’ll look at what the other seven teams in the Pacific Division did in the off-season. The question for the Oilers is how they get over the hump to get Connor McDavid his first Stanley Cup?

Let’s find out how their season went, as well as what they’ve done so far this off-season.

How the season went

For the second consecutive season, the Oilers had a tough start to the year, albeit not as drastic as the 2023-24 season. They eventually got hot and even had a chance to finish first in the Pacific Division heading into the 4 Nations Face-Off break, but then the injury bug impacted the team.

McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Mattias Ekholm, and others missed numerous games, resulting in a mediocre finish to the season. In the end, the Oilers finished third in the Pacific Division, setting up another first-round matchup against the Los Angeles Kings, albeit the Kings had home ice advantage this time around.

It looked as if it was going to be a quick series after the first two games, as the Kings dominated the Oilers. However, the Oilers tied Game 3 late in the third, and a resulting challenge led to an immediate goal for the Oilers in an eventual win. In Game 4, Quinton Byfield didn’t clear the zone with the Oilers’ net empty, leading to a game-tying goal to send it to overtime. There, the Oilers tied the series on the penalty kill.

From there, the Oilers took over, defeating the Kings in the next two games to win the series in six. The Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars didn’t stand much of a chance either, as the Oilers won both series in five games.

Then, the Oilers met their match, as the Panthers dominated all six games in the Stanley Cup Final, defeating the Oilers once again to win the Cup. It was a disappointing end to the Oilers’ season, as they went back to the drawing board.

Drafted players

Thanks to trading their 2025 first-round pick for the 32nd overall pick in the 2024 draft, as well as both seconds they had, the Oilers’ first pick was the 81st overall selection. They selected Tommy Lafrenière in the third round.

After that, they selected German David Lewandowski with the 117th overall pick, Asher Barnett with the 131st overall pick, Daniel Salonen with the 191st overall pick, and Aidan Park with the 223rd overall pick. Park happened to be at the draft when he was selected with the penultimate pick, a pretty cool moment.

Overall, this draft won’t matter a whole lot, and if it does, it won’t be a factor in the Oilers’ plans for quite a while.

Trades

The Oilers have made numerous trades since the start of the off-season, clearing cap and taking a bid on a highly touted prospect. Their first trade was on Jun. 25, moving Evander Kane to the Vancouver Canucks for a fourth-round pick. They also moved their 2026 fifth-round pick for selecting Asher Barnett.

On Canada Day, the Oilers moved more cap, sending Viktor Arvidsson to the Boston Bruins for a 2027 fifth-round pick, clearing $4 million in salary. To replace him, the Oilers sent 2024 first-round pick Sam O’Reilly to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Isaac Howard.

Free agent signings

The Oilers didn’t do a whole lot in terms of signing free agents. They extended a handful of players, including Trent Frederic, Kasperi Kapanen, Noah Philp, and Evan Bouchard. The Oilers also added a handful of European players, including the Swedish Hockey League point leader, David Tomášek. Expect them to extend McDavid, as well as a few other players, before the start of the 2025-26 season.

On the opening day of free agency, they added minor league depth in Riley Stillman and Matt Tomkins. However, their biggest addition saw the Oilers sign former Flame Andrew Mangiapane to a two-year deal worth $3.6 million annually. They also signed Curtis Lazar the following day, before signing Howard to his entry-level contract.

Departures

Although the Oilers got younger with Howard, they lost a lot of their depth that helped them reach the Stanley Cup Final. Connor Brown signed a four-year deal with the New Jersey Devils, Corey Perry headed to the Oilers’ rivals, the Los Angeles Kings, and both John Klingberg and Jeff Skinner found their way to the San Jose Sharks.

Time will tell how the Oilers do in 2025-26, but as it stands, they are weaker than they were last season.

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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