{"id":708927,"date":"2026-06-02T00:44:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T00:44:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/708927\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T00:44:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T00:44:08","slug":"5-oilers-post-game-quotes-that-caused-a-stir-in-2025-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/708927\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Oilers post-game quotes that caused a stir in 2025-26"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Edmonton Oilers<\/a> had plenty of heated moments on the ice in the 2025-26 season and kept things spicy on the mic after games as well.<\/p>\n

From calls for accountability to moments of deflection, and even praise for opposing head coaches, the Oilers had no shortage of post-game interview spice in 2025-26, and here are five that caused a stir above all others.<\/p>\n

Jarry deflected accountability and pointed fingers at team after Oilers\u2019 loss to the Wild<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s tough. I think the chances we\u2019re giving up, some of the shots. They\u2019re tough. I think it\u2019s a lot of Grade-A\u2019s, a lot of breakdowns, so I think it\u2019s tough to really think about your game at this point, I think it\u2019s a whole team game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also, when asked about what he was seeing in the defensive structure in front of him, the netminder added, \u201cIt\u2019s tough, I think we just have to make sure that we\u2019re managing the puck a little bit better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jarry pulled, 5-2 Minnesota. <\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcf9: Sportsnet <\/p>\n

This came after Jarry allowed five goals on 15 shots<\/a>, with more than half of them, I\u2019d say, being ones he should\u2019ve had, which sparked some buzz that he didn\u2019t fully own up to his poor performance.What\u2019s more, his words were a different tune from what former Oilers netminder Stuart Skinner<\/a> used to say in postgame interviews. More often than not, following losses, Skinner would point to things he could do better, rather than focusing on what the team in front of him could\u2019ve done differently.Nevertheless, there\u2019s no doubting that Jarry\u2019s comments caused a stir, and, likely, his comments didn\u2019t sit right with his Oilers teammates. Just over a month later, Sportsnet\u2019s Elliotte Friedman<\/a> mentioned that there was talk about Jarry having \u201cgot into it in practice with some of his teammates.\u201dLeon Draisaitl said everyone needed to be better, including coaches and goalies, after loss to FlamesFour days after Jarry appeared to take aim at his teammates in his postgame interview following a loss, it was Leon Draisaitl\u2019s turn to stir the pot after a 4\u20133 loss to the Calgary Flames<\/a>.The Oilers were on a two-game losing streak, and just under two minutes after tying the game at 3\u20133, Calgary\u2019s Ryan Lomberg scored the go-ahead goal after Jarry kicked a rebound out to him, which stood as the game-winner. Draisaitl didn\u2019t hold back in the postgame interview, alluding that his netminders needed to be better<\/a>, saying:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt goes hand in hand,\u201d Draisaitl said. \u201cWe got to defend better. We got to make it easier on him, and then I\u2019m sure he can be a little bit better, too. It\u2019s a two-way street, but it starts with us in front of him and then the game becomes a little bit easier for him, but I think there are saves that our goalies need to make at some point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Draisaitl didn\u2019t stop there and spread the accountability around, including toward the coaching staff:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not consistent enough, and this league\u2019s too hard to just lollygag through games and try to get winning streaks going.\u201d He added, \u201cYou need everybody. It starts with the coaches \u2014 like, everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a fiery postgame interview, and while he held his team accountable, he also held himself accountable, saying the leaders needed to be better.<\/p>\n

Leon Draisaitl wants goaltending and team defence to improve after the Oilers gave up 16 goals on their three-game losing streak \ud83d\ude2c<\/p>\n

(via: @EdmontonOilers<\/a>) <\/p>\n

At the time, Draisaitl\u2019s words may have sounded harsh, but in hindsight, he was speaking out because he cares and likely foresaw that issues like defensive breakdowns, inconsistent goaltending, and questionable coaching decisions would become problems down the road \u2014issues that ultimately surfaced at different points in the Oilers\u2019 first-round defeat to the Ducks.<\/p>\n

Connor McDavid praised Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper after a loss to the LightningConnor McDavid has previously played under Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper<\/a> with Team Canada at both the 4 Nations Face-Off and the Winter Olympics. And when the Oilers lost to the Lightning 5\u20132 on March 21, the Oilers\u2019 captain praised Cooper<\/a> in the postgame interview, saying:<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have a great system, they\u2019re perfectly coached,\u201d he said. \u201cThey all know what they\u2019re doing all over the ice. It\u2019s impressive. They\u2019re a great team. They\u2019re extremely well-coached, they\u2019re extremely well-organized. They\u2019re very rehearsed in everything they do.\u201d<\/p>\n

His comments drew attention across the league, with many believing McDavid was indirectly criticizing then-head coach Kris Knoblauch.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I\u2019m not taking shots. It\u2019s just everybody can be better, myself included. Everybody can be better,\u201d he told reporters. \u201cIt was more just complimentary of a great team in this league that came in and played a good game. Nothing more than that.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the time, it was a little peculiar for a player to be complimenting the opposing head coach, and with Knoblauch now relieved of his head coaching duties, perhaps it may have been an early sign of a potential rift.<\/p>\n

Nurse gives short answers after being asked about poor play in loss to San Jose<\/p>\n

Darnell Nurse had a tough night in that game. He was a -1 in plus\/minus on the night, had three giveaways, got caught out of position on a couple of scoring chances against, and screened his netminder on a goal against.<\/p>\n

In contrast to other players mentioned in this piece who caused a stir by speaking more freely in their postgame interviews, Nurse\u2019s comments after the game got people talking because of how short his responses were.<\/p>\n

When asked in the postgame to assess his play, and after Sportsnet\u2019s Mark Spector suggested that he was fighting the puck that night, Nurse gave a sharp reply, simply saying<\/a>, \u201cGood analysis.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked if the leaders on the team have to clean up their mistakes, Nurse responded with a spicy tone, saying, \u201cYeah, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

That said, I was on the \u201cOilersnation Afterdark<\/a>\u201d show with Aaron Bordato and, immediately after producer Brett Holden played the clip of Nurse\u2019s response, our initial reaction was that Nurse needed to take accountability and that his response came off as \u201cchildish.\u201dHowever, a couple of days later, Nurse did take accountability. At the morning skate before the Oilers took on the Ottawa Senators, he mentioned<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we\u2019re going to reach the goal we want to reach, I have to step up for sure, and there\u2019s a lot of hockey to be played. I think that\u2019s the excitement and the opportunity and the accountability. I owe that to the guys in the room. That\u2019s it. No one else. Showing up each and every day and giving what I have, and enjoying it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Credit to Nurse, he took responsibility for his poor play, and while his game improved late in the season alongside Connor Murphy, defensive lapses still surfaced against the Ducks in the playoffs. Now, there\u2019s speculation that he could be on the trade block<\/a> this offseason.Connor McDavid calls Oilers \u201caverage\u201d after first-round loss to DucksWhen the Oilers were eliminated from the playoffs by the Ducks in Game 6, McDavid had some candid things to say about his team. He started by talking about the injuries players were playing through and turned heads when he said<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were an average team all year. An average team with high expectations, you\u2019re going to be disappointed. We just never found it.\u201d<\/p>\n

When a captain of any NHL team calls their team \u201caverage,\u201d it\u2019s going to make headlines, and when the best player in the world does it<\/a>, it gets amplified, and it was, with his comments making waves for days.<\/p>\n

Yet, plain and simple, the Oilers were \u201caverage\u201d in 2025\u201326. It took them until the end of January to put together their first three-game winning streak, and they finished with 93 points, their lowest point total since 2018\u201319.<\/p>\n

When the best player in the world calls the team \u201caverage,\u201d that should be a message to many, especially management, that big changes are needed. A big shakeup has already happened, with Knoblauch and assistant coach Mark Stuart<\/a> relieved of their duties on May 14, which may set the tone for what should be a big offseason for the Oilers.PRESENTED BY SOUTHVIEW ACURA\"\"<\/a>At Southview Acura, luxury isn\u2019t just what you drive, it\u2019s how you\u2019re treated. Family owned and operated, we\u2019re proud to offer an exceptional selection of new and certified pre-owned Acuras, backed by a service experience built on trust and precision. Whether it\u2019s your first visit or your next, our team is committed to excellence every step of the way. Visit Southview Acura today or online at www.SouthviewAcura.com<\/a>, where luxury meets reality.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Edmonton Oilers had plenty of heated moments on the ice in the 2025-26 season and kept things…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":451241,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[433],"tags":[49,48,448,82],"class_list":["post-708927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nhl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/708927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=708927"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/708927\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/451241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=708927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=708927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=708927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}