The Edmonton Oilers luck has finally run out. That has been the sentiment lately as injuries start to pile up. Playoff uncertainties are starting to emerge, and Connor McDavid and co might be in trouble. Injuries to key guys might move the needle enough for the Los Angeles Kings to steal the series, but anything can happen in the playoffs.
The Oilers have been hit with the injury bug at the worst possible time. Multiple top six guys have missed time in the last two weeks, and now Mattias Ekholm, the team’s bonafide number-two defenseman is potentially out for the remainder of the season. This is a massive blow, as Edmonton is now likely losing their best defensive defenseman. It’s not like the defensive core is healthy outside of Ekholm either, as Jake Walman is also out with an undisclosed injury and has missed the past three games. Walman is hopefully returning before the playoffs, but as people saw with Ekholm reinjuring himself after returning, it’s worrying to have an injury this late in the season.
It’s not all peaches and roses on the offense either. The big hit is Leon Draisaitl, who is still sidelined with an undisclosed injury. Draisaitl has been one of if not the most important players for the Oilers this season, and losing him for any amount of playoff time would be a big blow. He’s only played in three of Edmonton’s last 11 games, and most likely won’t play anymore in the regular season.
Other key depth players have also had their fair share of injuries. Zach Hyman, suffered an undisclosed injury (which seems to be a theme here) against the San Jose Sharks last Friday. A timeline for his return is still uncertain, but with the postseason right around the corner, things aren’t looking great. Trent Frederic (who has only played one game for the Oilers) and Evander Kane have both missed the majority of 2025 due to their injuries. Frederic sustained an ankle injury in February and Kane ripped up his hip.
The big question now is will the Oilers be able to find ways to win without key players throughout the lineup. Some of these players may be able to still return at the beginning or early in the first round, but with how hush-hush NHL injuries are, it’s hard to say exactly when Edmonton will be getting these guys back.
Despite the injuries mounting up, the Oilers are still 5-2 in April. While they haven’t faced the most difficult opponents, finding ways to win in the face of adversity is still important. Backup goaltender Calvin Pickard has been particularly impressive, in the five games he played in April, he didn’t let in more than three goals. Stuart Skinner seems to be fully healed from his own injury and played well against the Winnipeg Jets, but Pickard proved that he could be a potential option come playoffs.
Luckily for Edmonton, the advanced stats favor them heavily over the last ten games. At 5-on-5, the Oilers have an expected goals percentage of 57.8%, which is good for third in the NHL over than span. Unfortunately, this hasn’t converted to actual goals, as Edmonton is bottom five in the league in 5-0n-5 goals with 15 in their last 10. That said, the Oilers have been rather unlucky at even strength. Their PDO is just 94.47, which is second worst in the league only ahead of the Washington Capitals.
What it boils down to is that the Oilers have been extremely unlucky over this ten game stretch. Even with the injuries, the Oilers should be performing even better than they have been. This could mean that as their luck eventually starts to even out, Edmonton could still pose a threat come playoff time, even without key players.
The Oilers have suffered from insanely bad luck over the past month. Injuries and bad puck luck have made them seem like they aren’t the same team as the Stanley Cup runner ups from last year. Diving a bit deeper into the stats, however, and you find a team that is still performing well despite the underlying stats. With that in mind it’s a real possibility that Edmonton could hang on just long enough for big time players to return.
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to our newsletter here. Check out Stadium Rant Original shows on our Youtube channel and subscribe! Give our socials Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok a follow for more great content!
