The Edmonton Oilers are finally a contender after years of brutal play on the ice. Edmonton's futility on the ice did parlay into NHL Draft Lottery luck, however. It's why the Oilers have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, undisputedly the two best hockey players in the world.

However, Edmonton just hasn't been able to go all the way. They made the Western Conference Final in 2022 but were swept aside by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche. And this past season saw them also lose to the eventual champion. They fell to the Vegas Golden Knights in a high-octane second-round matchup.

At some point, the Oilers need to finally win the Stanley Cup. If they can't do it with McDavid and Draisaitl, it will go down as a generational failure in the history of the NHL. In saying that, winning the Cup is easier said than done, no matter who you have on the team.

Let's take a look at who Edmonton added this offseason, as well as who they lost. And let's see if we can figure out what the biggest Oilers roster concern is heading into the 2023-24 season.

Oilers departures

The Oilers didn't have many player departures at all, really. In fact, of the three players they lost on the NHL roster, two of them went in one single trade. Edmonton traded forwards Kailer Yamamoto and Klim Kostin to the Detroit Red Wings during the second round of the 2023 NHL Draft.

For what it's worth, the Red Wings didn't keep Yamamoto. They bought out his contract ahead of NHL Free Agency. The 24-year-old returned home and signed a contract with the Seattle Kraken. Meanwhile, the Red Wings took advantage of Edmonton's inability to agree to terms with Kostin, signing him to a two-year contract.

Finally, the Oilers lost a trade deadline acquisition on the open market. Veteran forward Nick Bjugstad left Edmonton in favor of signing a two-year contract with the Arizona Coyotes.

Oilers additions

The Oilers also didn't do a whole lot in NHL Free Agency. Their most notable signing is forward Connor Brown, who signed a one-year contract. Brown, a longtime friend of Connor McDavid, is coming off a torn ACL injury he suffered this past season.

Next, the Oilers brought in center Lane Pederson on a two-year contract. The 25-year-old forward split this past season with the Vancouver Canucks and Columbus Blue Jackets. Before that, he spent a single season each with the Coyotes and San Jose Sharks.

The last of Edmonton's notable signings is veteran forward Drake Caggiula. He signed a two-year, two-way contract with the team. He returns to the Oilers after spending the last four and half seasons bouncing around the league. Caggiula began his NHL career with Edmonton in 2016-17.

Biggest roster concern

The biggest roster concern for the Edmonton Oilers is their blueline. Edmonton did sign one defenseman, Ben Gleason, this offseason. However, he figures to spend a lot of time in the AHL. The Oilers did not sign a blueliner to a one-way contract this summer.

This is a bit of an issue for two reasons. First, their defensive group isn't the best defensively. Now, the addition of Mattias Ekholm at the trade deadline was huge for Edmonton down the stretch. But the team still finished middle of the road in terms of goals allowed per game last season.

Edmonton's offense is just fine. In fact, they scored the most goals per game last season. We all know how good they are offensively. And the rise of Stuart Skinner this past season means they should be just fine in goal. However, if the Oilers want to win that ever-elusive Stanley Cup in 2024, they need to find some way to improve their blueline before the season begins.