The Oilers Know the Clock Is Ticking on Connor McDavid

The Edmonton Oilers took what Connor McDavid called a step backward last season. That's putting it pretty mildly. After reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2024 and again in 2025, Edmonton was knocked out in the first round last spring by the Anaheim Ducks. McDavid didn't try to dress it up afterward. The Oilers had fallen short, and something needed to change.

The Oilers have made some huge changes.

Chris Knoblauch was fired in May, and Edmonton brought Mike Babcock back to the NHL in June. Before taking the job, Babcock met with McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman. Whatever was discussed in those meetings, the message seems pretty clear: this team isn't interested in wasting another year.

The roster has changed, too. Edmonton traded veteran defenseman Darnell Nurse to San Jose, opening up some salary-cap room. The Oilers used that space to re-sign Kasperi Kapanen, add defenseman Ryan Shea and bring in two new goaltenders, Frederik Andersen and Devon Levi.

That's a fair amount of change for a team that was in the Stanley Cup Final just a year before last season's playoff disappointment. But there is a reason for all of it.

The clock is ticking on the Oilers’ Stanley Cup window.

McDavid is entering the first year of a two-year contract that carries a $12.5 million cap hit. That's actually below his market value, and it gives Edmonton a pretty valuable window. It also creates some pressure.

There isn't much point in talking about building for three or four years down the road when the best player in the world is already here, and the clock is already running. That's why this summer feels different.

The Oilers aren't rebuilding. They're trying to make the roster around McDavid better right now. And maybe that's the biggest question facing Babcock.

What does Mike Babcock have to do to put this Oilers team over the top?

He has to bring structure to a team that needs it. But he also has to make sure that structure doesn't slow down the best offensive player of his generation. Edmonton has changed the coach, the blue line and the goaltending. Now it has to prove those changes actually make the team better.

The window is still open. But it isn't getting any wider.