3 questions facing Edmonton Oilers

NHL.com is providing in-depth analysis for each of its 32 teams from Aug. 1-Sept. 1. Today, three important questions facing the Edmonton Oilers.

1. What impact will Mike Babcock make as coach?

Mike Babcock is viewed as the right coach at the right time for the Edmonton Oilers by their star players.

The 63-year-old was lured out of retirement to take over a team that still believes it’s a Stanley Cup contender.

Babcock has not coached a game in the NHL since he was fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Nov. 20, 2019. He departed from the Columbus Blue Jackets before the 2023-24 season started after reports surfaced he asked players to share personal photos on their private mobile devices. The situation was investigated by the NHL Players' Association before Babcock and the Blue Jackets on Sept. 17 agreed to begin the process for him to step down.

After being cleared by an NHL investigation, Edmonton hired Babcock on June 23 to try and get the Oilers over the finish line and win the Stanley Cup. Babcock will be Connor McDavid’s sixth coach in Edmonton and Leon Draisaitl’s eighth.

“We see a great opportunity to be coached by someone who’s coached in every single big game there is to coach in and who’s been successful, won Cups, gold medals, you name it, he’s done it,” McDavid said on July 27. “It’s a great opportunity for us players to be coached by somebody like him and learn off him with where our group’s at and what we’re looking for. He’s the perfect fit.”

McDavid, Draisaitl and forward Zach Hyman (who played for Babcock in Toronto) all met prior to the hiring.

“I think it’s just the time that we’re all in in our career, I guess the age that we’re at, and I think he’s the right guy to get us to where we want to get to,” Draisaitl said. “Obviously it’s a different look, a change in personality, but I’m very excited to learn from him, very excited to work with him, and yeah, like I said, very excited to get going.”

2. How will the Oilers three-goalie rotation hold up?

An issue that has seemingly been plaguing Edmonton for years was addressed with the additions of Frederik Andersen and Devon Levi, who will team with Tristan Jarry in an expected three-goalie rotation to start the season.

Jarry was acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 12, 2025, sending Stuart Skinner back the other way, but lost the No.1 job to Connor Ingram by the end of last season. Jarry was 9-6-2 in 19 games (16 starts) with the Oilers with a 3.86 goals-against average, .858 save percentage and one shutout. He started one of six Stanley Cup Playoff games in a first-round loss to the Anaheim Ducks.

Levi was acquired in a trade from the Buffalo Sabres on July 1 after the 24-year-old spent last season with Rochester of the American Hockey League. He was 17-17-2 in 39 games (36 starts) with Buffalo since 2022-23 with a 3.29 GAA and .894 save percentage.

Andersen, who won the Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes last season, signed a one-year, $2.8 million contract with the Oilers on July 1. The 36-year-old was 16-14-5 with a 3.05 GAA and .874 save percentage in 35 regular-season games (all starts), then went 13-2 with a 1.89 GAA, .910 save percentage and three shutouts in 16 playoff games.

Andersen had success playing for Babcock in Toronto, but he doesn’t expect a similar workload in Edmonton.

“Speaking of my time with ‘Babs,’ I think I played 66 games a couple of years, and I think those days are probably over,” Andersen said. “But I’m definitely happy to be part of a good goalie rotation and I think we can get a lot out of each other.”

3. Can they improve defensively?

The Oilers traded Darnell Nurse to the San Jose Sharks on July 1, breaking ties with one of their more experienced defensemen. Edmonton acquired Shakir Mukhamadullin in the trade and also signed Ryan Shea to a five-year, $20 million contract ($4 million AAV).

Nurse checked a lot of boxes for the Oilers over his 11 full seasons with them, and his role will have to be filled collectively by a blue line that also includes Evan Bouchard, Jake Walman, Connor Murphy, Mattias Ekholm, Spencer Stastney, Ty Emberson and Mukhamadullin.

Edmonton was 25th in goals against last season, allowing an average of 3.23 goals per game. It then gave up 4.33 goals per game in the playoffs, which was the highest among the 16 teams that qualified.

“I think we got outplayed in a way that we did give up a lot of goals and a lot of them were breakdowns for us giving up a lot of Grade-A chances, and our penalty kill not performing very well and giving up a lot of goals that way too,” Murphy said. “That is a priority for any team, I don’t think that’s something that’s hard to figure out that needs to be a priority of our as players as staff, as everyone.

“I think just moving forward, having a lot of time to sit on it and kind of feel that pain of being out so early as a group, brings back that motivation and health for everyone to come in and make sure the team puts our best foot forward and realizing what hasn’t worked in the past and what’s going to work going forward.”