The Edmonton Oilers bowed out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a whimper this week, setting in motion the most important offseason in franchise history.

After back-to-back defeats in the Stanley Cup Final, the team entered the 2025 offseason in a tough spot. McDavid’s contract was one year from expiring, and Edmonton’s roster was the oldest in the league.

They had to walk a delicate line between retooling for the future and icing a contender, all while navigating limited cap space and a thin prospect pipeline. Replacing key veterans without many internal solutions left management with limited ways to improve the team.

McDavid signed a two-year extension in the fall, which bought the organization more time, but he can’t be happy with how this season went. The Oilers were never the same juggernaut of the Western Conference that they had been in the previous few years. They couldn’t even win the Pacific Division pillow fight.

The big win streaks and dominant runs never came. The underlying numbers never looked as strong. The goaltending never got hot. They were painfully average.

Not all hope is lost, however. Edmonton still has the most star power at the top of their lineup, and this summer, they have the cap space to fill a lot of holes.

On a recent episode of The Sheet, NHL insider David Pagnotta shared his thoughts on their 2026 offseason. “I think the Edmonton Oilers are going to go very bold this summer,” he said. “This summer is as important as ever with respect to the longevity of McDavid’s future in Edmonton.”

Remodelling a group of underperforming depth players can be done quickly with smart, aggressive moves. Look no further than the Colorado Avalanche, who entered last season as a shell of their 2022 Cup-winning team. Just a year and a half later, they won the Presidents’ Trophy and are favourites heading into the second round of the playoffs.

The question isn’t whether it’s possible for the Oilers to extend their window and return to the Final. It’s whether their management group can be trusted to get it done. If they are going to make the right moves, they need to identify the correct priorities. Let’s look at the key areas the Oilers need to focus on if they want to get back into Cup contention next season and beyond.

Make coaching changes

Kris Knoblauch’s time with the Oilers has likely come to an end, and that’s for the best. That may feel harsh for a coach who reached back-to-back Finals, but the underlying trends point in the wrong direction. Edmonton’s even-strength play has declined each year since they fired Jay Woodcroft and replaced him with Knoblauch in the fall of 2023. The more time Knoblauch has had to exert his influence, the less dominant they have become.

The consistent decline in 5-on-5 possession and scoring chance metrics across Knoblauch’s........

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