BLOG: Oilers 'setting egos aside' to build strong start to regular season

EDMONTON, AB – Hockey season is ‘unofficially’ back, but there's nothing to debate about the eagerness within Oil Country to get this new season started the right way.

We’re still a week away from the start of Oilers Training Camp, but the weight of a longer summer than usual for the Blue & Orange was lifted off their shoulders on Wednesday as the familiar sounds of skates digging into the ice and the clashing of sticks returned during an informal skate at the Downtown Community Arena.

“Enough time to miss the game for a while,” Oilers captain Connor McDavid said of his summer break. “And that’s a good thing.”

An early playoff exit last season set the stage for a longer summer than what the Oilers became accustomed to following two straight trips to the Stanley Cup Final in 2024 & 2025 – a busy schedule that caught up to them with a slow start to the 2025-26 regular season and injuries in the playoffs capping off a disappointing finish to the year.

While their preference would’ve been for an immediate return, the extended break provided the group the opportunity to recover from the physical bruises of last season and build plenty of excitement for this coming campaign, which came out in full force on the ice over a three-period scrimmage during Wednesday's informal skate.

“You miss playing and being here with the guys, and that brings energy," McDavid added. "You can feel energy around the room. It's all been positive.”

The Oilers will look to get their returning players & fresh faces acclimated quickly under new Head Coach Mike Babcock, hoping to find an early rhythm and start the regular season stronger than last season after being 11-10-5 and sixth place in the Pacific Division at the end of November.

One of the biggest takeaways from last season for Edmonton's leadership group was that they couldn't build their game over the 82-game regular-season schedule, which helped lead to their first-round downfall against the Anaheim Ducks when injuries made things harder against a young and energetic Pacific Division opponent.

McDavid says the intent and approach on display during Wednesday's informal skate was the first step toward the Oilers being better prepared to build their identity over a long, gruelling regular season and prepare themselves for the playoffs.

"I don't want to say we took it for granted or were complacent," McDavid said. "You go to the Cup Final two years in a row, and you feel pretty good about your group. You feel pretty good that when it matters, you're gonna be able to turn it on.

"Without injuries, maybe we could, but we'll never know. The league's too good. Teams are too good to not go through the checkpoints that you have to go through in a season, and I think you see it here today. Guys are already digging in hard and getting ready for camp. We want to hit the ground running this year."

One thing that the captain & his teammates want to see more of is consistency in the line combinations, which could go a long way in helping the Oilers get off to a fast start by helping players establish their roles and develop chemistry early.

That's something that could be taking shape already at informal skates before the start of Training Camp after McDavid was partnered up with Leon Draisaitl and Vasily Podkolzin on Wednesday.

The process of figuring out the best way to maximize the roster will fall to Babcock and his coaching staff, and early injuries already announced for the likes of Matt Savoie, Frederik Andersen, Alec Regula and Mattias Janmark that will keep them off the ice until after the regular season begins will make for a competitive environment during Training Camp.

McDavid understands that lineup decisions will ultimately fall to the coaches, but there's a definite feeling of alignment from management down to the locker room when it comes to doing what it takes to deliver a Stanley Cup to Edmonton.

"We've asked a long time for some consistency throughout lines and building chemistry. It's not easy just to kind of jumping around from spot to spot, switching positions and having guys playing up and down the lineup," McDavid added. "It's hard mentally. It's hard to understand what your job is, so I think we're looking for some consistency throughout the lineup in terms of where guys are playing."

As for their ambition, No. 97 affirmed that nothing has changed on that front.

"We still haven't started, but the comfort in the room seems good," he said. "Guys have really put their egos aside, and guys are here to win, and that's what we want."