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The Day After 41.0: Three New Year’s resolutions for the Oilers in 2026

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So long, 2025.

It was a long, difficult year, and that’s something the Edmonton Oilers can surely attest to after a second straight Stanley Cup Final loss.

They close out the calendar year with a middling 46-32-8 record for a .581 points percentage — the 14th best mark in the league. They closed out last season with a 26-17-2 record for a .600 points percentage, and have kicked off the first half of this season going 20-15-6 for a .561 points percentage.

Another loss for the Oilers came Wednesday night, dropping a 6-2 decision to the Boston Bruins that, to a certain extent, was a perfect encapsulation of their year. Poor defence, an offence that couldn’t click when they needed it to most, and not pushing back until it was too late.

It’s also exactly what needs to change heading into 2026.

Resolution one: defensive improvements

Make no mistake, the Oilers have not been a good enough team defensively this calendar year. They gave up 3.2 goals per hour this season, the eighth-worst mark in the league, and while a portion of that has been due to the fifth-worst team save percentage, there have been far too many blunders from the players in front of the goaltenders.

Wednesday night was another great example of it, highlighted by the Bruins’ fourth goal, which saw Alec Regula make the wrong read, and be stuck on his stomach while Jonathan Aspirot scored........

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