Oilers' Trades Flop, Stanley Cup Hopes Dim

0:00This is Corey with NHL News Today, powered by the Daily News Now. Subscribe for daily updates on your team. Conor McDavid sent a strong message of urgency to the Edmonton Oilers when he signed his two-year extension back in October. Since July 1st, 2025, General Manager Stan Bowman made seven trades involving 13 players and five draft fix. But so far, these moves have not boosted the team's performance. The biggest puzzle is in goal. The Oilers traded Stuart Skinner to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Tristan Jerry. Skinner had a 0.891 save percentage and 2.83 goals against average in 23 games before the deal. Jerry has struggled worse with a 0.864 save percentage and 3.85 goals against average in 12 games since. That trade also cost them top defender Brett Kulak, who Pittsburgh quickly flipped to the Colorado Avalanche. Meanwhile, Edmonton picked up Conor Murphy from the Chicago Black Hawks to shore up defense. They ranked 7th in goals allowed per

1:03game league wide. Bowman targeted the third line center hole with Jason Dickinson, also from Chicago. But it costed a top 12 protected first round pick in 2027. Chicago took on Andrew Mangapani's $3,600,000 cap hit at 50 percent retained. These changes look like lateral moves at best. The Oilers have no first round picks over the next two seasons, just $475,000 in cap space and little top talent added. Playoff results will decide if they can still contend for the Stanley Cup. The Daily News Now is presented by our sponsor, LinkedIn the description. You know it is better than ear buds in bed. No ear buds at all. S-O-L-L-I solely pillow dot com.