Less than a week later, the Edmonton Oilers’ first-round defeat is still raw.

After back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals, expectations were high in the 2026 postseason. Instead, the Oilers picked up numerous injuries down the stretch and into the postseason, before bowing out after just six games.

The 2025-26 Oilers’ 93 points were the fewest in a non-COVID-impacted season since 2018-19. Their loss to the Anaheim Ducks also marked the first time they’ve lost in the first round since 2021. Back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances are nothing to sneeze at, but when you have the best player of all time on your roster, the Cup is expected.

It’s only going to get harder from here for the Oilers, who have McDavid locked up for just two more seasons. In McDavid’s press conference at the end of the season, he had this to say about the changing landscape of the Pacific Division:

“This year felt like there was a big turnover. Those young teams are not young, you know, losing teams. They’re really good teams with great players. San Jose is the same way. You know, how long before Chicago figures it out? Utah is right there, too. So it was a big, big kind of change over a year, and we got to get going.”

The Ducks, who had a seven-season playoff drought coming into 2025-26, drastically improved this season. They finished third in the Pacific Division thanks to a 43-33-6 record, and were in the hunt for first in the Pacific Division all season long. Last season, they showed glimpses of........

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