Your bag is empty.
The Edmonton Oilers were close to completing a 3-0 comeback in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, then they got blown out in the Final the next year, and now they’re out in round one. They were so close to winning the elusive title with Connor McDavid, but they’ve only gone backwards since then.
With McDavid’s looming free agency, their inability to get it done on the biggest stage(s) may come back to haunt the Oilers. If he doesn’t see himself winning a Cup in Edmonton, he very well might seek it out elsewhere.
Edmonton Oilers crash out of first round
The Edmonton Oilers were back-to-back Western Conference champions. Despite falling short twice and struggling at times in the regular season, they were still a very formidable foe. The Anaheim Ducks didn’t think so, though.
After the game, which ended in a 5-2 loss that wasn’t terribly close, Connor McDavid didn’t mince words. “It was tough. We were an average team all year. An average team with high expectations. You’re going to be disappointed,” he said.
This is the first time the team has failed to advance out of the first round since 2021. Edmonton also had its lowest regular-season percentage (.567) since 2018-19. They’ve been much better than this for a long time, but it all came crashing down in 2025-26.
Many speculated whether or not McDavid was healthy. He wasn’t dominant like he virtually always is. Edmonton may wilt when the lights are bright, but McDavid typically doesn’t. However, he had just one goal in six games.
Injuries not an excuse
Connor McDavid didn’t say he himself was hurt, but he did say that the Oilers were dealing with a few nagging ailments. Fellow Oilers star Leon Draisaitl, who returned from a long injury layoff for this series, said the team’s top three centers were all injured.
“Too hurt, too soon. The first round is always tough. It’s always chaotic, and it’s tough to play through things so early on as many guys did in here,” McDavid said. “That being said, it’s not an excuse, either. We expected to have a longer run than we did. It is what it is.”
Draisaitl followed up, “At the end of the day, you’ve got to find ways to win games. Injuries? Yeah, they suck, and it hit us at a bad time. But at the end of the day, they were the better team.” Now comes the hard part: figuring out how to rebuild without losing McDavid.
What’s next for Connor McDavid?
When the Edmonton Oilers lost in seven games in the Stanley Cup Final, people wondered about Connor McDavid’s future. When they lost in six games (and got blown out in all four losses), people wondered. Now, they’re wondering again. What’s next for McDavid?
Last October, McDavid reiterated his commitment. “I obviously said I was committed to winning here, and I meant that when I said that, and two years makes a lot of sense,” the forward said. “It gives us a chance to continue chasing down what we’ve been chasing down here with the core guys we have in here, and we have a little bit of money to work with, too.”
He also signed an extension, but he is an unrestricted free agent in 2028. Before then, he could very well demand a trade. He signed the extension to give them a chance to build in the next few years, but he probably didn’t envision such a disappointing season immediately after. McDavid may well change his mind.
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