This in from ESPN hockey analyst P.K. Subban, his critique of the Edmonton Oilers even as they pulled off an astonishing 5-4 comeback victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Said Subban, the former ace defender of the Montreal Canadiens, “Win or lose….Oilers gotta wake up! Too many passengers!! your best players always have to be your best players… but where is everyone else!??? Too many guys comfortable! Oilers gotta get comfortable with the uncomfortable fast! Gotta pay a bigger price to have success! Execution, dzone coverage, managing the clock, the game! Gotta be better! Tough to watch!”

My take

1. To some extent Subban is right, but it’s fair comment to note that until last night’s explosion even Connor McDavid hadn’t always been bringing his “A” game in the past month. He’s been one of many Oilers players who have not looked like their old selves most games.

Against CBJ, McDavid chipped in on 10 of Edmonton’s 16 Grade A shots. For the first time in four games, Edmonton had more Grade A shots than their opponent, 16 to 12 for CBJ.

2. In Edmonton’s win over CBJ, a number of players made the same kind of awful defensive miscues that have cost the Oilers so many games and points in the standings in this still young 2025-26 season. And until McDavid revved it up, the attack was also lacking. The top two lines by McDavid and Leon Draisaitl created Grade A shots on the attack, but the other two lines were silent. Only one player on the bottom two lines made a play to help create a Grade A shot, and that was Curtis Lazar, who chipped in on just one.

3. Edmonton did raise their level of intensity in this game, but the overall battle level of the team still needs work. They’re not doing the hard work taking the body, covering off the slot, back-checking smartly and aggressively, and battling with a ferociously strong stick that is needed to win consistently in the NHL, which is why the team has just seven wins in 17 games.

4. There were a number of good signs in the game against CBJ. Mattias Ekholm continues to trend up again. Jack Roslovic looks like the find of the season for the Oilers, an incoming winger who can actually make plays and put up points with Draisaitl or McDavid. Jake Walman had more good big plays than bad big plays. Stuart Skinner made a huge save in OT, pushing over in the butterfly to stop a 2-on-1 shot instead of diving over, getting beat and landing on his face. And Connor McDavid, for one of the few times this regular season, looked like Connor Freakin’ McDavid.

5. Of course Subban is a constant critic of the Oilers. In January 2024, he ripped the Oil for being soft on defence, saying: “I actually love watching Edmonton play! They are just too easy to play against in their own zone. Too much emphasis on McDavid, Leon etc and the superhero offense to always get it done. You need to win tight games with your defense. You saw what happened last year with Vegas…yes Jack Eichel is a stud and X factor, but defensive structure, goaltending and being hard to play against won them a Cup. Not just talent and skill. 🤷🏿‍♂️ but hey… anything can happen. My expectation like everyone else’s at the start of the season, was for Edmonton to be a contending team for the Stanley cup. That’s how I evaluate them! You have two of the best players in the world who have dominated the league since they have been in it, and they have to accept mediocrity in terms of team success. I’m not jumping on an off the bandwagon because you win a streak of games. It’s a long season folks. No easy games, lots of parity in the league. You need to trust your defensive structure to win you games some nights. I need to see that CONSISTENTLY. How you win matters, habits matter. 🤷🏿‍♂️It’s about the 🏆 (Stanley Cup) not winning streaks.”

Of course, the Oilers didn’t win the Cup in 2024, but got to Game 7 that year, and got to Game 6 in the 2025 Stanley Cup Final.

Right now, Subban makes a good point about the Oilers. This team will only start to win consistently when all of its players put in the hard work and focus to play championship defence every game.

It’s the same for the Oilers every season, it seems. This is a team that wants to coast on its skill too much and win games that way.

But games in the modern NHL are won just as often with strong defence as a brilliant attack.

If the Oilers refuse to commit to defensive excellent, they’ll never win a Stanley Cup.

At the Cult of Hockey

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