The air around this iteration of the Edmonton Oilers was sweet and hopeful prior to the start of the 2025/26 season. With Connor McDavid committing his immediate (albeit short-term) future to the franchise with a heavily discounted deal, the consensus was that Edmonton would fire on all cylinders to start the year.
So far, however, the jury’s out on what the Oilers’ identity is this year. A Saturday night loss to the Seattle Kraken only heightened the sense of panic among fans, with McDavid in particular struggling to jumpstart the offense.
Alarming Connor McDavid Stat Paints Oilers’ Worries In Full
The Kraken haven’t exactly been pushovers this year, but many still expected the Oilers to register a win on Saturday night. Those expectations were buried pretty quickly as Jordan Eberle and Tye Kartiye (who scored his first goal of the season) ensured the Oilers were beaten 3-2.
While Leon Draisaitl managed to dish out two assists, McDavid blanked on the night. As a result, the Oilers captain registered just his sixth time with zero shot attempts in a game in his entire career.
Connor McDavid has 0 shot attempts in a game for just the 6th time in his career
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) October 26, 2025
In nine games so far this season, McDavid has just one goal, though he does have 10 assists to his name. The expectation this season was that the Oilers captain would revert back to being a 50-goal scorer after functioning as a jack-of-all-trades forward these last two years.
Given the Oilers have a 4-4-1 record heading into Sunday’s meeting with the Vancouver Canucks, the focus will be on McDavid to come up with the goods.
Fans on social media also highlighted the fact that head coach Kris Knoblauch has done Edmonton no favors by constantly juggling his lines. Over the first eight games, Knoblauch has thrown out 21 different line combinations, giving Edmonton no sense of stability.
All too often, Knoblauch has hit the panic button too early, reverting to lines featuring McDavid and Draisaitl. While that may have been the answer in seasons gone by, the Oilers consciously made a decision to add some depth to this team.
Complaints have also emerged over the contribution of Jack Roslovic, who belatedly signed with Edmonton after a rough free agency where takers were few and far between.
