Stuart Skinner was solid in the playoffs save for the Vancouver series and enters the season as an undisputed No. 1 goalie for the first time in his career. He should be primed for a breakout campaign. With a Stanley Cup-contending team in front of him, there’s no reason to think that shouldn’t happen.

At long last, the pre-season is over, and the next Oilers game will count in the standings. Hopefully, after a pre-season in which they only garnered one regulation win, the Oilers can turn it on now that there's something on the line.

As Edmonton prepares to make another run at the Stanley Cup, the Oilers went 3-5-0 while being outscored 36-19 during the 2024 NHL preseason.

As the regular season approaches, the urgency to improve is increasing for the reigning Stanley Cup finalists.

The Edmonton Oilers can take comfort in knowing that their disjointed efforts in preseason may not and do not have to translate to the regular season. Edmonton lost another game, this time 4-1 to the Vancouver Canucks,

In their eighth and final pre-season game, the Oilers lacked finish, had a disjointed power play, defended no better than OK, and generally looked like a team playing to about 50 or 60 per cent of its potential.