NHL News: Edmonton Oilers star doubles down on Connor McDavid’s stern wake-up call to the team

Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers have no one to blame but themselves. In the midst of a deflating NHL campaign, the captain in Northern Alberta delivered a straightforward reminder about the team’s struggles. Now, another key teammate has doubled down on that message.

Following Edmonton’s disheartening 8-3 loss to the Dallas Stars, McDavid didn’t mince words on his postgame statement. After both goaltenders, Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard, struggled in net, captain McDavid exposed a deep frustration with the Oilers.

However, instead of pointing the finger at the goalies—who are an easy target for fans and media in the Gateway to the North and a common scapegoat for the Oilers—McDavid admitted that the struggles in net have been a consequence of the poor play in front of them. On that note, Leon Draisaitl echoed his captain’s stance with a vivid admission of his own.

“What are [the goaltenders] supposed to do? They’re part of the team, too. I’m sure they would tell you themselves that they can be better at times. We don’t need to let them out of everything at all times. There’s not much they can do, we’re giving up grade-A look after grade-A look. Can’t expect the goalie to stop every single shot. It doesn’t work like that. We just have to be so much better for them,” Draisaitl told reporters after the game, via OilersNation.

Oilers must address goaltending issue

Coming into the season, the Oilers tried to downplay just how much of a need they had in net. Only one quarter into the 2025-26 NHL campaign, the elephant in the room has grown too big for Edmonton to look the other way.

Regardless, McDavid and company know better than to expect an opponent to come forward and hand them what might just be the final piece to the puzzle for the Oilers to hoist their first Stanley Cup in 35 years. Edmonton’s front office must pick up the phone and make calls. A starting goaltender won’t just fall right into the Oilers’ lap.

McDavid and Draisaitl’s comments are what the Oilers need to hear

Make no mistake, though: McDavid, Draisaitl, and the leaders in the locker room are saying all the right things. They can’t throw their goalies under the bus, as that might as well be waving their season hopes goodbye. Regardless, everybody knows goaltending has been a liability in Edmonton.

That can only change with the brass making moves. Miracles rarely occur in the NHL, and hoping for Skinner and Pickard to find their footing in Alberta is starting to look more like wishful thinking than rational consideration.

Latest rumor in town

“Tristan Jarry is among the goalies drawing significant interest as a potential option for the Edmonton Oilers,” as reported by insider Kevin Weekes. Though Jarry’s production in the NHL has been awfully inconsistent at times, the two-time Stanley Cup champion might bring some winning experience to the locker room, along with much-needed winds of change.

It’s still early in the season—though fans in Edmonton feel as if the clock is breathing down their necks—and the Oilers will weigh all their options. Coming into this season, it seemed reasonable for them to wait until the trade deadline. However, given the way things have gone lately, staying off the market until March may prove too late for McDavid and company to right the ship.