Better luck next year: The Edmonton Oilers still have one big question

The Edmonton Oilers are so close, but still have one big potential problem.

Welcome back to Better Luck Next Year, a series that will focus on each team as they get eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff contention and the Stanley Cup Playoffs. What went wrong, why it went wrong, what (if anything) went right, and what is next. We continue today with the last remaining team to be eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs: The Edmonton Oilers.

On one hand, you can not be too critical of the Edmonton Oilers. At least not anymore. They are no longer a punchline in the NHL and have certainly established themselves as a top contender. Back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances is no joke, and they deserve a lot of credit for being able to get there. They’ve won at least one playoff series four years in a row, been as far as the Conference Finals three times and been right on the doorstep of a championship. It’s a huge step up from the early part of the Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl era when just simply making the playoffs was a challenge and not always a given.

That’s the good news.

The bad news, and the continuing problem here, is that McDavid and Draisaitl are now a full decade into their respective careers and are still searching for their first ring and to get their names scratched on the Cup.

Most organizations will go decades, and perhaps forever, without ever having two players this good, let alone at the same time. When you get them, you want to get at least one championship. You want to do everything in your power to give them the best chance to get that championship and surround them with the people that can help them get there.

That is the one big area where the Oilers have failed for the better part of McDavid and Draisaitl’s careers.

In their defense, improvements have been made in recent years. It does not always all come down to McDavid and Draisaitl having to carry the entire franchise on their backs.

But have they done enough? Can more be done? Where can more be done?

Let’s talk about it.