“We were an average team all year. An average team with high expectations, you’re going to be disappointed.”

Connor McDavid’s comments cut like a knife when he stood in front of assembled media after his Edmonton Oilers were eliminated in the first round of the 2026 playoffs on Thursday night.

The Oilers had just been dispatched 5-2 at the hands of the Ducks in Game 6, ending another season in disappointment. But this year, the team didn’t seem to have the same jump, lacking cohension.

General manager Stan Bowman agreed with parts of what McDavid said during the team’s exit interviews on Saturday morning.

“Just looking at the way the team played, I think it was one of those years where we were average for a lot of the year. The way I took that comment was, in previous years, we’ve had stretches where we’ve been able to really get our game going and........

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