The Edmonton Oilers’ season has looked different from the last two years, leaving the team searching for consistency. Each game feels like a new test, and the answers haven’t always come easily. The group knows it can score and stay competitive, but the rhythm it needs keeps slipping away.
It has created an unusual mix of optimism and frustration inside the room. That blend sets the stage for a recent moment where one player spoke plainly about the pressure surrounding the team and how close everything still feels, even when the results say otherwise.
Adam Henrique Cuts Through the Noise as Oilers Battle Pressure
Adam Henrique, one of Edmonton’s veteran voices, didn’t try to dress up the situation when speaking after practice. The Oilers are hovering around the middle of the Pacific Division with an 11-10-5 record, and while the standings show they’re still very much in the mix, the path hasn’t been smooth. Their uneven play, especially in their own end, has opened the door to the kind of questions players never want to answer.
Henrique acknowledged the standings are tight, but he also made it clear that this season feels different.
“It seems like it’s one of those years where everybody’s good,” he said, noting that even teams coming out of rebuilds are pushing hard. That parity has kept the Oilers from falling out of the race even during stretches when, as he put it, it can feel like “the world’s caving in.”
The veteran centre, now in the final year of his contract, has been steady in a depth role. He’s appeared in 26 games this season, posting 7 points while averaging just over 14 minutes a night. Much of that production has come when Edmonton finds its game; in wins, he has contributed five points. But like many on the roster, he’s felt the sting of the inconsistency that runs through this year’s group.
Henrique also didn’t shy away from the tricky question: why does it always have to be this hard for the Oilers? His answer landed with a smile, but said plenty about the mood around the team.
“Well, we like to give you guys lots to write about,” he joked. “Figure you guys like that. You know, it makes your job easier.”
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That bit of humour didn’t soften the underlying truth. Edmonton’s goaltending remains inconsistent, and defensive breakdowns have become a recurring problem. Losses to teams like Colorado and Washington demonstrate the high cost of those lapses. Stuart Skinner has put together strong outings, but early goals and uneven nights still surface. Calvin Pickard has also struggled to find steady form. As a group, the Oilers sit at a .873 save percentage, a number that explains why they often chase games rather than control them.
Even with all that, Henrique stressed the importance of focusing forward instead of staring too long at the standings or listening to the noise around them.