February 22, 2026: Connor McDavid 97 of Canada during the Mens Ice hockey, Eishockey Gold Medal game between Canada and USA held at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Games, Olympische Spiele, Olympia, OS in Milan, Italy. MilanoCortina2026 Milan Italy - ZUMAc04_ 20260222_zma_c04_161 Copyright: xDanielxLeax

Connor McDavid Echoes Leon Draisaitl’s ProblemsOver Edmonton Oilers' Struggles

May 10, 2026, 9:34 PM CUT

Leon Draisaitl chose an unfiltered approach while talking about the Edmonton Oilers' concerns following their early exit from the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. And recently, Connor McDavid also shared a similar opinion about the issue.

Draisaitl was more direct when discussing his team’s performance and their inability to maintain consistency. He admitted his concerns about the side being on the wrong trajectory, stating that the Oilers had taken "big steps backwards," which led to such a miserable result this year.

Subsequently, McDavid, who also experienced the failure first-hand, consented to Draisaitl's observations. He said, "Yeah, I feel the same way. You know, it’s only a couple of days ago I made those comments. Obviously feel the same as I did a couple of days ago and agree with Leon that the organization as a whole is taking a step back."

Connor McDavid — April 21, 2025, Los Angeles, California, USA: CONNOR MCDAVID of the NHL, Eishockey Herren, USA s Edmonton Oilers skates during warmups before a game against the Los Angeles Kings in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Quarter Finals at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California on April 21, 2025 Los Angeles USA - ZUMAc239 20250421_zsp_c239_016 Copyright: xAlexxCavex

However, he didn't blame anyone else except the players, intending to do better. "And that starts with me. Starts with me, starts with Leon. We all can be better, and we all need to be better.” But Draisaitl said a lot more than just highlighting that the Oilers were on the wrong path.

The Oilers' No. 29 emphasized performing on bigger stages, saying, "We didn’t do a good enough job of properly winning games. I don’t like saying we didn’t take the regular season seriously, because we do. But you have to form habits in those [big] moments and get comfortable in them, and we didn’t."

However, despite the pessimism, neither player suggested any plans directly on leaving the Oilers, but their comments did add to the growing speculation.

Draisaitl also stressed the need for improvement across the roster moving forward.

McDavid and Leon’s Role in the Oilers’ Future

Connor McDavid is the captain of the Edmonton Oilers and is widely popular as one of the best players in the NHL.

He is well-known for his speed and his offensive ability. The player has won multiple Hart Trophies as one of the leading players on the team and has remained the leading scorer. During the 2024-2025 season, he took his team to the finals for the Hart Memorial Trophy.

Leon Draisaitl is also one of the top forwards from the NHL and has been a part of the Oilers, along with McDavid, for several years now.

The German player is known for his scoring ability and passing. He played a major role in the team, making them a regular contender at the Stanley Cup event.

But this time, the Oilers lost to the Anaheim Ducks in Game 6, 5-2, in the first round of the Western Conference. The Ducks won the series and advanced to the next round 4-2.

There were a lot of expectations around the Edmonton Oilers after their performance in the previous two seasons, reaching the Stanley Cup Final.

But now that they have failed, the best they can do is get back to the drawing board and make sure that the future looks better.

Do you think that the Oilers will perform better next season?

Written by

Aadhya Nalla

Edited by

Souvik Roy