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Oilers Thoughts: Draisaitl’s passionate interview highlights his leadership, Kapanen’s momentum, Mangiapane’s first-period fire, and Jarry’s accountability
Edmonton Oilers Kasperi Kapanen
Photo credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Sean Panganiban
Feb 6, 2026, 11:00 ESTUpdated: Feb 6, 2026, 11:41 EST
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The Edmonton Oilers are now on their Olympic break, and for some players, whether they’re travelling to a sunny destination or not, I’d imagine they’ll be tuning in to watch their leaders — Connor McDavid for Team Canada, Leon Draisaitl for Team Germany, and Josh Samanski, who will also be representing Germany — compete in the best-on-best Olympic hockey tournament.
But before those three Oilers suit up for their respective countries, let’s dive into some Oilers thoughts: reflecting on Draisaitl’s fiery postgame interview, Kasperi Kapanen’s momentum, the Oilers’ PK woes, Andrew Mangiapane’s recent play, and Tristan Jarry’s accountability.

Draisaitl’s fired-up interview highlights his leadership and commitment to the team

The soon-to-be Olympian Leon Draisaitl wasn’t holding back after the Oilers’ 4–3 loss to the Calgary Flames last game. On a night when the Oilers centerman scored two goals, he was fired up during his post-game interview, in a way that some would say sounded like he was calling some people out.
He spoke about his team giving up chances, his netminder needing to make saves, and even mentioned the coaches in his fired-up speech. When discussing his netminder, Tristan Jarry, he said, “We can make it easier on him, and I’m sure he can be a little bit better, too.” He added, “I think there are saves our goalies need to make at some point.” He also mentioned:
“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.”
He also stated that the leaders, including himself, need to be better too.
Saying that the goaltenders need to make some saves and mentioning the coaches in his fiery speech speaks volumes about the current state of the team. Whether anything comes of it remains to be seen, but zeroing in on the comments itself and the fire behind it — I absolutely loved it.
Why did I love it? Because it shows his heart is all in for this team and just how much he cares. It was almost like he was struggling for words or holding back deeper things he wanted to say. Above all, for a guy who was recently named a flag bearer for Germany at the Olympic opening ceremony, and who is soon heading off to a once-in-a-lifetime, best-on-best tournament that hasn’t featured NHL players since 2014, his mind easily could have already been there.
It would’ve been easy for him to give a prototypical interview and say, “Not our night — we’ll work on it when we get back.” Instead, he stood there and expressed his emotions, wearing his heart on his sleeve because he gives a damn. Some may not like Draisaitl doing that, but to me, that’s a leader. And once again, it’s a reminder of how lucky Oilers fans are to be in this era, with both him and Connor McDavid leading the team.
Hopefully, Draisaitl’s candid postgame interview gives the people he referred to something to reflect on and work on over the next couple of weeks. As for the soon-to-be Olympian, all fired up after the Oilers’ poor performance, that could be good for Team Germany — they might be getting that “pissy” version of him who usually rises to the occasion.

Can Kapanen keep his momentum going after the Olympic break?

One of the most consistent forwards heading into the Olympic break was Kasperi Kapanen. In back-to-back games leading up to the break, he scored the tying goal, only for it to be erased in both losses.
I recently picked the brain of Vasily Podkolzin’s skills coach, Ned Lukacevic, on what he sees in Kapanen’s game this season. He alluded that the forward may have relied too much on skill throughout his career without putting in the hard work, but now he’s doing both. The hard work and effort show, as he’s thrown 10 hits over the last five games while flashing his skill, tallying three points in that span.
Hopefully, the Olympic break doesn’t derail Kapanen’s momentum. He’s been a very solid option in the top six and one the team can count on when he’s in the lineup, as his 52-point pace over a full season shows. That said, I feel he’ll pick up right where he left off, because each time he’s been out of the lineup due to injury this season, it’s almost like he hasn’t missed a beat, coming back like he was shot out of a cannon, each time.

A change that could improve the Oilers’ penalty kill

The Oilers have given up nine power-play goals in their last five games on 14 attempts, which is quite abysmal. They need to work on the attention-to-detail stuff over the break — one obvious area being to cut down on shorthanded breakaways, like the goals they gave up against the Wild and the Flames.
The unit needs to be better and has taken a hit ever since Adam Henrique, a key member of the PK, went down with an injury on Jan. 7. Since then, Mattias Janmark (six goals against) and Matt Savoie (five goals against) have been the forwards who have been scored on the most during that time frame.
The Oilers will certainly work on the X’s and O’s of the PK while the Olympics are on, but if I were to make a change coming back, I’d increase Vasily Podkolzin’s minutes on the PK.
Podkolzin has played the fifth-most minutes among forwards since Henrique went down with an injury. His skills coach, Lukacevic, recently praised his PK work, noting that he breaks up a lot of plays because he’s so good with his stick. Moreover, he’s second on the team in blocks with 28, behind Henrique. Call me old school, but I think that’s an element missing on the PK — someone willing to throw their body on the line the way former Oiler Matt Hendricks used to.

Oilers could use that first-period Mangiapane we saw against Toronto

Before the season started, I outlined what a successful season would look like for Mangiapane, mentioning that he needs to play his tenacious style with a touch of pest. When he played with the Flames, he was a thorn in the Oilers’ side with how pest-like he played, but for some odd reason, that part of his game has been M.I.A. for most of the season.
Yet, against the Toronto Maple Leafs, after being out of the lineup for ten days, it seemed like Mangiapane played like a man possessed in that first period. He was making plays, stirring things up, snowed Anthony Stolarz, started scrums and created a breakaway opportunity for himself.
Perhaps his motivation for that game was in the form of “take me on the plane back with you, Toronto,” with recent trade rumours circling. But whatever the case, despite a turnover that got him sat for a period, that motivated Mangiapane carried his momentum into the next game against the Flames, where he rattled off a good shot for a Grade-A scoring chance in the first period.
Nevertheless, the Oilers could use that type of pest-like, inspired play — the kind they thought they’d be getting more of when they signed him. If he keeps that up after the Olympic break, they very well might hang onto him, because that Mangiapane, could be a valuable piece in the playoffs.

Tristan Jarry’s accountability stands out amid rough night

I recently asked whether Tristan Jarry would bounce back before the break, after his poor performance in the 7-3 loss against the Minnesota Wild on Jan. 31, where he gave up five goals. The answer was clear — nope. The Oilers’ netminder gave up four goals in the loss to the Flames, and if we can pull a silverling from it, it’s that he’s starting to take accountability.
After his rough outing against the Wild, he somewhat pointed fingers at his teammates instead of fully taking ownership, following the team giving up 21 high-danger chances, saying:
“The chances we’re giving up, some of the shots, they’re tough. Like, 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.”
Jarry sang a different tune after the Flames game. He gave up a few goals — including the first shot he faced and a fourth where he kicked a rebound right onto Ryan Lomberg’s stick, who scored the game-winner and later called him “Swiss Cheese.” This time, however, Jarry owned the loss in the postgame interview:
“I think I could’ve made some more saves. I think, ultimately, if I can keep that game at two, we come out with a better outcome. I think I could’ve played better to start, and I think that’ll be [it] moving forward.” He added, “I think I could be more accountable, and I think I could play better. I think if I play better, stand in there strong for these guys, I think we’ll have some better outcomes. I think it starts with me, and I think I just have to be better moving forward.”
The team in front of Jarry didn’t exactly paint a Picasso defensively, but while giving up only six high-danger chances against the Flames — significantly fewer than the 21 allowed against the Wild — it’s nice to see him holding himself accountable, something I’d imagine the guys in that locker room want to hear as well.
Since returning from injury on Jan. 13, Jarry has played in eight games, posting a .864 save percentage (SV%) and a 3.85 goals-against average (GAA), both of which rank 58th among goaltenders in the league during that span.
Those numbers aren’t good, but the truth is, it’s not all on him. The team in front of him also needs to take accountability, as Jarry has faced the 10th most high-danger shots (63) since Jan. 13. That said, this 20-day break couldn’t have come at a better time for the Oilers — it’s a perfect opportunity for the team to reset, do some soul-searching, and come out swinging for the playoff push.

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