For the second year in a row, the Oilers reached the Stanley Cup finals only to be beaten by the Florida Panthers. From inconsistent goaltending to struggles on the penalty kill, the Oilers failed on multiple fronts as a team. What made things even worse for them was that Connor McDavid never got going and ended the series with just one goal to show for 21 shots. “The problem with having the best player in the world is that Connor McDavid looked like he was trying to prove it each and every time he touched the puck,” wrote Edmonton Journal’s Gerry Moddejonge in a June report. Needless to say, head coach Kris Knoblauch has a lot to work on this offseason. Not the least of which is telling his best players ‘what’s what.’ But does he find that challenging?

Well, not really. Appearing on a recent episode of The Jason Gregor Show on the Oilers Nation YouTube channel, Knoblauch told the host that it’s mostly been a “learn as I go” sort of situation, given how he has had the fortune of coaching some really good players for both the Oilers and the Erie Otters. The younger, more inexperienced players, however, are a different ball game altogether.

“I think the biggest challenge is holding young players accountable, while also letting them play. They have to learn and be able to make mistakes and find that fine line of letting young players grow while holding them accountable is hard to find as a coach,” Knoblauch said. He also added that, considering the team dynamics, he believes it’s crucial to allow players to perform to their fullest potential while still holding them accountable to maintain discipline and structure within the group.

However, while Knoblauch may find dealing with the younger lot a bit challenging, Steve Smith, who was his assistant at Hartford, thinks the Oilers head coach is great when it comes to understanding his players. “He’s so good with personalities and getting to know his players and knowing their deeper thoughts,” Smith said earlier this year per NHL.com. Of course, his level-headed thinking also helps. “Even when situations get tough, he stays pretty calm. Obviously sometimes he can do the other side of it … but his presence and his calmness helps when things aren’t going well. That’s one of the big things for him,” said veteran Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who has played under ten different coaches himself.

And now, as the former Hartford coach tries to understand and manage his younger players better to get the best out of them in the upcoming seasons, he might have to have a conversation with McDavid, too. Probably not as much about his performance as his future with the team. Even though GM Stan Bowman has McDavid as his No. 1 priority, the 2024 Conn Smythe winner is yet to give a definitive answer to questions surrounding his contract extension. That being said, the Canadian has said that he will have no problem staying on if he feels “there’s a good window to win” at Edmonton. Well, the Oilers will really have to pull up their socks if they want to ‘win’.

Oilers to get better in penalty kills 

During the 2024–25 playoffs, the Edmonton Oilers’ penalty kill proved to be a major area of concern, operating at a disappointing 67.1 percent success rate. This ranked them 14th out of the 16 teams that made it to the postseason. It is an alarming statistic for a squad that had championship aspirations. The only teams with worse penalty-killing performances were the Ottawa Senators and the Los Angeles Kings. They both exited the playoffs early.

In stark contrast, the Florida Panthers, who successfully defended their title as Stanley Cup champions, boasted the best penalty kill of the postseason. In Game 6 of the Stanley Cup, the Oilers recorded the highest number of penalty minutes. For the Oilers, the gap in penalty kill efficiency not only exposed a critical weakness but also underscored the kind of improvements they’ll need to make. 

When asked about the penalty kill strategy for the upcoming season, Kris Knoblauch said, “There will be changes to our system. We will be doing things a little bit differently…There are a lot of conversations, a lot of analyzing what other teams are doing, and then having those conversations within the coaching staff and moving forward. So, I know Mark Stuart has started that process.” The Oilers went from elite to exposed in a matter of months. Their penalty kill, nearly perfect at 95% during the 2023–24 playoffs, became a glaring weakness early in the 2024–25 season, dipping below 60% and leaving the team scrambling for answers. Now, as the 2025-26 season is on the way, let’s see how the Oilers gonna tackle all the issues they are struggling with.