'Worst feeling in the world': Have Edmonton Oilers run out of key ingredient to chase Stanley Cup?

Ottawa Citizen

12 hours ago

Do the Edmonton Oilers have the juice, the motivation, the burning desire to fight through and win the Stanley Cup in 2026? I wonder. I have some doubts. Do you share them?
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In a 32-team National Hockey League, it takes a lot going right for any one team to win the Stanley Cup, especially with a salary cap in place. For example, the Florida Panthers were given a huge boost when Matthew Tkachuk suffered a major injury in the Four Nations tournament one that sidelined him for the rest of the regular season and gave them the cap space to bring in Seth Jones and Brad Marchand. Without that injury, would Florida have had the juice for a second Cup run? I doubt it.
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The Edmonton Oilers have come close two years running, going to Game Seven against Florida two years ago and two Game Six this past June. It's been a monumental achievement for the Oilers, but to get back there a third time, and this time win against Florida and whichever other teams gets there seems like a brutal ask to make of the Edmonton squad.
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They almost came back in miraculous fashion in the 2024 playoffs, which evidently filled the Oilers with hope and fighting spirit for the 2025 playoff campaign, when the Oil looked like world-beaters in dispatching excellent Vegas and Dallas teams. But their Stanley Cup Final against Florida was a disaster. They lose their cool in the face of poor refereeing. They failed to impose their speed on Florida, who got stronger as the series whent along. The Oilers essentially caved in the final two games. It was a dispiriting, discouraging, embittering loss, and it has me and others wondering if the Oil have now run Cup in 2026.
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Los Angeles podcaster Dan Powers recently addressed this same issue on his Empty Netters, harkening back to the famous clip from the Oilers dressing room after the team lost in 2024 to Florida, and Zach Hyman promised the team they'd get back to the Final in 2025.
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'There's that clip,' Powers said. 'I don't know if you've seen it. They kept playing it this year of Hyman in the locker room after the last year where he's like, 'bBys, this is the worst feeling in the world. I'm telling you, we're going to be right back here.' And they did get back to the Cup and they lost in one less game.'
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Powers where the Oilers would now find the motivation to fight their way back. 'It's like, 'Yeah, we were right back here. And you wonder if you're that team, how do you sit there right now and go, 'We're going to be right back here.''
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Former NHLer James Wisniewski agreed with Powers, noting the Oilers must be physically drained with so much hockey the past two ywears. 'We're talking about rest, too. Like, don't forget, like, these guys played the f*cking balls out until June something. And then (they're) not riding in the high. The Florida Panthers are (getting) $500,000 (bar) tabs picked up. These guys are like, 'Oh no. Lost again.''