Edmonton Oilers may have huge advantage in Western Conference next season
Photo credit: USA Today Sports
The Edmonton Oilers didn't add many high-profile pieces to their roster this season, but they may have some advantage with the rest of the Western Conference declining.
The Oilers lost a number of veteran players this offseason, and have replaced them with a number of rookies. Given the scoring projections for both groups, the Oilers actually added points this offseason.
Rest of Western Conference did not improve chances at Stanley Cup, leaving path still open for Oilers
A recent article from Tyler Yaremchuk at OilersNation evaluated the offseason from every other Western Conference Team, and found that no team significantly improved their chance at the Stanley Cup.
The list of Cup contenders in the Western Conference is exactly the same as it was a year ago and none of those teams appear to be any more threatening than they were in 2025-26.
That bodes well for the Oilers, who are clearly trying to get younger and extend their Stanley Cup window well beyond just the 2025-26 season.
- Tyler Yaremchuk
That bodes well for the Oilers, who are clearly trying to get younger and extend their Stanley Cup window well beyond just the 2025-26 season.
- Tyler Yaremchuk
The biggest threats to the Oilers in the Western Conference are the Dallas Stars, Vegas Golden Knights, Los Angeles Kings, Colorado Avalanche, and Winnipeg Jets.
Dallas, Vegas, and Colorado essentially are running back a similar team next year. The Stars will have a full year of Rantanen, the Knights added Marner but lost Pietrangelo, and Colorado just kept Brock Nelson. The Los Angeles Kings and Winnipeg Jets may take a step back after losing some players.
Yaremchuk's only team that he seemed as improving for next season is the Utah Mammoth, but they're still not ready to contend for a Stanley Cup. Neither are the remaining teams like Calgary, San Jose, and Anaheim.
The Edmonton Oilers may have some growing pains themselves by relying on some rookies in key roles, but they're still running back the key pieces of their roster with their superstars.
The path is once again wide open for the Oilers, and if their rookies can meet expectations, they'll be in a great position to get back to the Final.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 25 | 339 ANSWERS Edmonton Oilers may have huge advantage in Western Conference next season Do you think the Western Conference got worse this offseason? | ||
| Yes | 198 | 58.4 % |
| No | 141 | 41.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
TRENDING NOW
