The Edmonton Oilers limped into the Olympic break on a sour note, dropping three straight games and raising serious questions about their consistency. After the skid, Leon Draisaitl didn’t shy away from the issues, pointing to coaching and overall team accountability.
Now that he’s back with the team, Draisaitl has addressed the growing chatter surrounding his earlier remarks.
Leon Draisaitl Sets the Record Straight
Before the break, Edmonton fell 7-3 to Minnesota, 5-2 to Toronto, and 4-3 to Calgary. Defensive struggles have plagued the team, with the Oilers ranking 25th in the NHL in goals allowed per game (3.29) and 26th on the penalty kill at 76.9 percent.
Following the final loss before the pause, Draisaitl said accountability “starts at the top,” including the coaches. He stressed that the leaders, the group as a whole, and even the goaltending needed to be better. “It’s not good enough right now,” he said at the time.
Speaking to the team media after rejoining the club and skating in Anaheim ahead of their matchup with the Ducks on Wednesday, Draisaitl stood by his words. “We just have to be better. I stick to what I said,” he said. “Players have to be better, we all have to look in the mirror. It starts from the top and goes all the way down. It just the way it is.”
“It is not a knock at everyone. I wasn’t throwing anyone under the bus by any means. If anything, I usually throw myself under the bus first,” Draisaitl explained.
Draisaitl made it clear that the team simply has to raise its level and make adjustments. With a little over 20 games remaining and the playoff race heating up, “We can’t be cruising around like maybe years past, we got to get going. I stand by what I say, I think everyone will probably agree with that,” he added.
Oilers’ Coaching Change During the Break
The Oilers also made a significant move during the Olympic break, bringing HOF Paul Coffey back behind the bench, a decision the team confirmed last week.
His return comes as Edmonton looks to clean up its defensive play. In his previous run with the coaching staff from 2023 to 2025, the Oilers gave up just 2.78 goals per game. The fifth-best mark in the league over that stretch. Since then, Coffey had been working as a special adviser to ownership and hockey operations.
Whether coincidence or response, the message from Draisaitl and the organizational shift point toward the same conclusion: urgency.
Despite the recent slide, the Oilers remain second in the Pacific Division and are looking to regroup quickly as the stretch run begins.
