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5 Oilers post-game quotes that caused a stir in 2025-26
Edmonton Oilers Tristan Jarry
Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Sean Panganiban
Jun 1, 2026, 14:00 EDTUpdated: Jun 1, 2026, 14:06 EDT
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The Edmonton Oilers had plenty of heated moments on the ice in the 2025-26 season and kept things spicy on the mic after games as well.
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.

Jarry deflected accountability and pointed fingers at team after Oilers’ loss to the Wild

In a 7–3 loss to the Minnesota Wild on January 31, Tristan Jarry started the game, but was replaced by Connor Ingram after surrendering five goals.
But when Jarry was asked to assess his performance after the game, his comments drew some attention as he didn’t own up to the poor outing, saying:
“It’s tough. I think the chances we’re giving up, some of the shots. They’re tough. I think it’s a lot of Grade-A’s, a lot of breakdowns, so I think it’s tough to really think about your game at this point, I think it’s a whole team game.”
Also, when asked about what he was seeing in the defensive structure in front of him, the netminder added, “It’s tough, I think we just have to make sure that we’re managing the puck a little bit better.”
This came after Jarry allowed five goals on 15 shots, with more than half of them, I’d say, being ones he should’ve had, which sparked some buzz that he didn’t fully own up to his poor performance.
What’s more, his words were a different tune from what former Oilers netminder Stuart Skinner 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’ve done differently.
Nevertheless, there’s no doubting that Jarry’s comments caused a stir, and, likely, his comments didn’t sit right with his Oilers teammates. Just over a month later, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman mentioned that there was talk about Jarry having “got into it in practice with some of his teammates.”

Leon Draisaitl said everyone needed to be better, including coaches and goalies, after loss to Flames

Four days after Jarry appeared to take aim at his teammates in his postgame interview following a loss, it was Leon Draisaitl’s turn to stir the pot after a 4–3 loss to the Calgary Flames.
The Oilers were on a two-game losing streak, and just under two minutes after tying the game at 3–3, Calgary’s Ryan Lomberg scored the go-ahead goal after Jarry kicked a rebound out to him, which stood as the game-winner. Draisaitl didn’t hold back in the postgame interview, alluding that his netminders needed to be better, saying:
“It goes hand in hand,” Draisaitl said. “We got to defend better. We got to make it easier on him, and then I’m sure he can be a little bit better, too. It’s 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.”
Draisaitl didn’t stop there and spread the accountability around, including toward the coaching staff:
“We’re not consistent enough, and this league’s too hard to just lollygag through games and try to get winning streaks going.” He added, “You need everybody. It starts with the coaches — like, everybody.”
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.
At the time, Draisaitl’s 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 —issues that ultimately surfaced at different points in the Oilers’ first-round defeat to the Ducks.

Connor McDavid praised Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper after a loss to the Lightning

Connor McDavid has previously played under Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper with Team Canada at both the 4 Nations Face-Off and the Winter Olympics. And when the Oilers lost to the Lightning 5–2 on March 21, the Oilers’ captain praised Cooper in the postgame interview, saying:
“They have a great system, they’re perfectly coached,” he said. “They all know what they’re doing all over the ice. It’s impressive. They’re a great team. They’re extremely well-coached, they’re extremely well-organized. They’re very rehearsed in everything they do.”
His comments drew attention across the league, with many believing McDavid was indirectly criticizing then-head coach Kris Knoblauch.
However, the captain cleared the air a couple of days later, mentioning that he was surprised the comments were interpreted as taking shots at Knoblauch:
“No, I’m not taking shots. It’s just everybody can be better, myself included. Everybody can be better,” he told reporters. “It was more just complimentary of a great team in this league that came in and played a good game. Nothing more than that.”
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.

Nurse gives short answers after being asked about poor play in loss to San Jose

The Oilers lost 5–4 to the San Jose Sharks on February 28, marking their fifth loss in six games at the time.
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.
In contrast to other players mentioned in this piece who caused a stir by speaking more freely in their postgame interviews, Nurse’s comments after the game got people talking because of how short his responses were.
When asked in the postgame to assess his play, and after Sportsnet’s Mark Spector suggested that he was fighting the puck that night, Nurse gave a sharp reply, simply saying, “Good analysis.”
When asked if the leaders on the team have to clean up their mistakes, Nurse responded with a spicy tone, saying, “Yeah, for sure.”
That said, I was on the “Oilersnation Afterdark” show with Aaron Bordato and, immediately after producer Brett Holden played the clip of Nurse’s response, our initial reaction was that Nurse needed to take accountability and that his response came off as “childish.”
However, a couple of days later, Nurse did take accountability. At the morning skate before the Oilers took on the Ottawa Senators, he mentioned:
“If we’re going to reach the goal we want to reach, I have to step up for sure, and there’s a lot of hockey to be played. I think that’s the excitement and the opportunity and the accountability. I owe that to the guys in the room. That’s it. No one else. Showing up each and every day and giving what I have, and enjoying it.”
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’s speculation that he could be on the trade block this offseason.

Connor McDavid calls Oilers “average” after first-round loss to Ducks

When 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:
“We were an average team all year. An average team with high expectations, you’re going to be disappointed. We just never found it.”
When a captain of any NHL team calls their team “average,” it’s going to make headlines, and when the best player in the world does it, it gets amplified, and it was, with his comments making waves for days.
Yet, plain and simple, the Oilers were “average” in 2025–26. 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 2018–19.
When the best player in the world calls the team “average,” 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 relieved of their duties on May 14, which may set the tone for what should be a big offseason for the Oilers.

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