NHL News: Oilers HC Kris Knoblauch makes something clear about Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl to rest of the team

Inconsistency is putting the Edmonton Oilers’ 2025-26 NHL season in jeopardy. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl know all hope is placed on their shoulders, being asked to steer the organization to safe harbor. However, head coach Kris Knoblauch has now issued a stern message to the rest of the team.

For as long as McDavid and Draisaitl have wreak havoc on the ice for the Oilers, Edmonton has seen its production become one-dimensional. It’s perhaps the most obvious two-edged sword across the NHL. While Connor and Leon can produce just as many points as any other player, relying on them constantly is far from a recipe for success.

For fans in the Gateway to the North, it’s becoming a tale as old as time. Some may think it’s an overreaction, but living and reliving Groundhog Day in the NHL is making fans in Edmonton anxious. The rest of the team must step up, and Knoblauch didn’t mince words on that.

“We need to have secondary scoring,” Kris Knoblauch admitted, via NHL.com. “We can’t rely on Connor and Leon or whoever’s playing with them. We need some bottom-six contributions. Tonight we got some of that, which is good.”

Head coach Kris Knoblauch of the Edmonton Oilers

A pending task for the Oilers

For a very long time, the Oilers have vied to build a contending roster around their two centerpieces. However, the offense is still being carried entirely by McDavid and Draisaitl. Day has followed night, night after night, and the Canadian-German duo remains the only source Edmonton turns to for answers.

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Edmonton is currently 9-9-4 on the season, sitting in the middle of the pack in the Pacific Division with 22 points. However, to truly be seen as a contender, the Oilers must get everyone in the lineup involved. If their back-to-back defeats in the Stanley Cup Final serve as any reminder, McDavid and Draisaitl can’t do it all themselves. To reach the promised land, Edmonton needs all hands on deck.

McDavid and Draisaitl’s numbers

To no one’s surprise, McDavid and Draisaitl sit atop the stats leaderboards. The former first overall pick in 2015 is second in scoring around the league with 32 points—9 goals and 23 assists. As for Draisaitl, the German star has recorded 26 points (14 goals and 12 assists) through 22 games in the 2025-26 NHL season.

The duo has combined for 58 tallies so far this season. With Edmonton registering 181 points across its lineup, McDavid and Draisaitl account for roughly 33% of Knoblauch’s total offensive production. And while the numbers suggest they make up just one-third of the squad’s output, in reality the duo is virtually the whole team.