The Edmonton Oilers have been one of the best teams in the league for the past few seasons, reaching the finals for the last two seasons. But despite their dominant run, the Oilers could not capture the Stanley Cup.
In their last two finals (2024 and 2025), the team lost to the eventual winners, the Florida Panthers. However, while the franchise is looking to start its latest season with high hopes, one former Oilers legend has a brutal take on the current roster.
Oilers Icon Craig MacTavish Gets Brutally Honest About Current Squad
The Oilers were simply dominant this past season. With 100-point seasons from both Connor McDavid, the team whizzed past the regular season and had dominant playoff series wins against the likes of Vegas and Dallas.
But in the Finals, the Panthers’ offensive firepower combined with the Oilers’ goaltending woes, and Edmonton fell in six games as Florida secured its second straight Stanley Cup. Now, with a new season on the horizon, the franchise remains confident in its chances.
But Oilers legend and four-time Stanley Cup champion Craig MacTavish isn’t completely sold on the current roster. Appearing on the latest episode of “Oilers Now with Bob Stauffer,” the former forward shared his thoughts on McDavid and the team’s outlook.
When asked if McDavid and Draisaitl should play on the same line instead of being split up, MacTavish said he sees no reason to make that change. He added that he’s perfectly satisfied with how head coach Kris Knoblauch is deploying the two stars.
But he also mentioned, “When you’re in a game and you’re down by a goal or down by two goals and those lines aren’t getting it done individually with Connor on one and Leon on the other, then you absolutely have to try to put them together because they’re so dynamic and so many times they have turned it around.”
Still, MacTavish argued the Oilers haven’t done enough to ease the burden on McDavid and Draisaitl. “I think they’re in worse shape offensively with the supporting cast than they were last year,” he told Stauffer. Last season made it clear that McDavid and Draisaitl were carrying the offense.
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Outside of McDavid, Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard, who posted 67 points, none of their other top players cracked the 50-point mark. Speaking on the Oilers’ current offensive game, MacTavish noted, “When you look at the way Leon and Connor drive offense and create offense, it’s a lot of work. They expend a lot of energy.”
He added that their approach is unlike that of many of the other players in the league’s top 11 scorers. MacTavish stressed that winning games shouldn’t fall solely on McDavid and Draisaitl, saying the rest of them need to carry more of the load.
He admitted he doesn’t see where that offensive relief will come from, predicting the burden will once again fall on McDavid and Draisaitl. In fact, MacTavish warned the duo could be under even more pressure this season than in years past.
