5 Edmonton Oilers players and personnel detrimental to roster retool after another SCF loss feat. Stuart Skinner

The Edmonton Oilers ended their remarkable 2025 playoff run with another heartbreaking loss to the Florida Panthers, this time in six games.

The end of the line for the Oilers means that this summer will be filled with question marks as the club must figure out how to retool in order to finally get over the hump and bring home the Stanley Cup.

With that in mind, here’s a look at five Edmonton Oilers team members who are detrimental to the team’s retool this summer.

#5 Connor McDavid

Connor McDavid is hardly a problem for the Edmonton Oilers. But his looming contract extension could be. Many of the decisions this summer will be predicated on McDavid’s extension.

The Oilers captain is entering the final year of his current eight-year, $100 million deal. He’s eligible to re-sign on July 1 but may choose to delay his decision.

If that’s the case, the Oilers could be in tough as they have a handful of key free agents on the board, along with RFA Evan Bouchard.

McDavid could surpass teammate Leon Draisaitl’s $14 million AAV. That situation means Oilers GM Stan Bowman will need to be very careful in how he manages the cap situation so the team has enough room for McDavid’s next contract.

#4 Evan Bouchard

Evan Bouchard is another contract the Oilers will need to fit under the cap ceiling. He’s coming off a two-year bridge deal with a cap hit of $3.9 million.

That’s a steal given Bouchard’s overall production and performance in the postseason. Bouchard could easily top $7 million per season on a max-term eight-year deal. However, Bouchard may opt for another short-term deal as he’s only two seasons away from unrestricted free agency.

Perhaps Bouchard and the Oilers go that route and kick the can down to road to a point where the team may have more cap space to play with.

#3 Kris Knoblauch

Kris Knoblauch has been a solid coach for the Edmonton Oilers. He’s led them to back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances, though that is little consolation for the crushing defeats.

Knoblauch has come under fire for the way he managed his goaltending in the Stanley Cup Final. His flip-flopping between Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard, while hardly his fault, put him in a tough situation.

Moreover, Knoblauch’s predictable plan to shorten his bench and stack his top line with Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid was easy for the Panthers to neutralize.

While Knoblauch is far from being in the hot seat, he’ll need to figure out a new strategy to help the Oilers overcome the team that has now become their archnemesis.

#2 Stan Bowman

Oilers GM Stan Bowman has done a stellar job in building a contender despite an air-tight cap situation. He re-signed Leon Draisaitl without any drama, plus he’s managed to keep the team competitive by leveraging injuries to his advantage.

This offseason will undoubtedly be Bowman’s most challenging. He’ll have to navigate re-signing free agents with less than $12 million in cap space, plus stare down McDavid’s new contract.

But the biggest challenge facing Bowman will be solving the team’s goaltending situation.

#1 Stuart Skinner

Stuart Skinner, and Calvin Pickard by extension, have been arguably the biggest drawback for the Edmonton Oilers this season. His subpar performance, particularly in Game 6 against the Panthers, showed how Skinner doesn’t seem to be the solution for the Oilers’ crease.

Both Skinner and Pickard are in the final year of their current deals. That situation poses a challenge for the club. Do they let Skinner and Pickard run out the clock or does the team look for a permanent solution this summer?

Either way, the Edmonton Oilers will have to find a way to unload Skinner at least.

If the Oilers can’t, the team will be limited in what it can do to solve the goaltending issue.

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Edited by Nestor Quixtan