Why the Edmonton Oilers need to win now and are not as good as they were last year
The Edmonton Oilers entered the 2024-25 season with high expectations after adding elite forwards Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson to their roster.
Following a heartbreaking Game 7 loss in the Stanley Cup Final last season, many fans believed these acquisitions would help put the Oilers to the top. However, their bad beginning of season have raised concerns that offseason losses may be hurting them more than expected.
The Oilers lost three notable forwards from last season in Ryan McLeod, Warren Foegele and Dylan Holloway. Ryan McLeod who is a fast and reliable bottom-six player was traded to the Buffalo Sabres to relieve cap pressure, while Foegele signed a three-year for $10.5 million deal with another team. Both McLeod and Foegele provided Edmonton with speed and depth that is sorely missed as of now and is making the current roster slower and less dynamic.
Dylan Holloway whose potential was just beginning to shine, signed an offer sheet with the St. Louis Blues that the Oilers couldn't match and further depleting the team's speed and offensive depth.
On defense, the Oilers lost Cody Ceci, Vincent Desharnais and Philip Broberg which all of whom played important roles last season for the team. Ceci was the team's second-best right-handed defenseman and logged important minutes. Vincent Desharnais was a physical presence on the third pairing and Phil Broberg, who also joined the Blues via an offer sheet, showed immense promise during last year's playoffs.
The Oilers attempted to replace these players with Ty Emberson, Travis Dermott and Josh Brown but the drop-off in talent has been noticeable in the last games. Edmonton's defensive core is now weaker and with less physicality and fewer options for handling top-four minutes.
They are far from out of the race, but the path ahead is more uncertain than it seemed after their promising offseason.
Source: The Hockey Writers
Oilers Are a Worse Team Than a Season Ago
