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For the second straight season, the Edmonton Oilers came oh-so-close to winning a Stanley Cup. And for the second straight time, it's heartbreak for Connor McDavid and his teammates.
The Oilers were beaten 5-1 by the Florida Panthers in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday night, one less game than it took for the Cats to dispatch the Oil in 2024. It's another lost opportunity for the game's best player — and as all NHLers know, getting to the Finals isn't something you can ever take for granted.
But despite another hugely disappointing ending, Matthew Tkachuk — who now has back-to-back championships — believes McDavid will eventually get one.
“When you have a player that good and that talented, he's going to win the Stanley Cup one day,” Tkachuk said on Tuesday night, per The Athletic's Chris Johnston. “Wherever it is.”
McDavid is the heart and soul of this Oilers team, but he doesn't have a contract after the 2025-26 season. The 28-year-old will make $12.5 million next year before testing unrestricted free agency if he doesn't re-sign in Alberta.
While that's probably the last thing on the Richmond Hill, Ontario native's mind right now, he's probably wondering if this roster has what it takes to win it all after another brutal ending.
Still, the Oilers were undoubtedly the best team in the Western Conference, dominating two excellent squads in the Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars en route to the Stanley Cup Final.
Edmonton was just beaten by a better team, a true Florida dynasty — and McDavid gave credit where credit is due afterwards.
“We lost to a really good team,” the captain admitted, per NHL.com's Derek Van Diest. “Nobody quit, nobody threw the towel in, but they’re a heck of a team. They’re back-to-back Stanley Cup champions for a reason. We kept on saying we want to try and win a 2-1 game and we never found a way to do that, obviously. They have great players. How many guys had 20-plus points in the postseason (six)? They’re as deep as it comes.”
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Oilers have some big decisions to make this summer
Although Edmonton should again be a Stanley Cup contender next year — any squad that boasts McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will be — this roster could look quite a bit different in 2025-26.
There are six unrestricted free agents on the team, including Corey Perry, Jeff Skinner, Connor Brown, Kasperi Kapanen, Trent Frederic and John Klingberg.
Evan Bouchard is also a restricted free agent, and will be due for a massive raise this summer. With only $12 million in cap space to work with, it'll be impossible to retain all of those players.
And, of course, McDavid will be getting a significant raise on his next deal, which will begin in 2026-27. There's no guarantee he re-ups in Alberta, and that'll be an intriguing storyline to watch this summer. But he's already looking forward to getting another chance next spring.
“We still have a lot of confidence and belief,” McDavid said, per Van Diest. “I don’t think people thought we were going to make it this far. We believe and we came up just short again.”
It'll be interesting to see if McDavid can finally get over the hump next season — and whether or not that ends up being the best player in the world's final campaign in Edmonton.
