The Edmonton Oilers finished a lengthy homestand last night against the Toronto Maple Leafs. This was a team the Oilers beat solidly on their ice a couple months ago. The Leafs have also been decidedly not-very-good this season. Another win wouldn't be too difficult, you would think. However, that is forgetting one key thing. Groundhog Day was a couple of days ago, for the folks who forget about its existence.

Teams within the system are performing at all levels with the Edmonton Oilers second in their division, the Bakersfield Condors third in theirs, and the Fort Wayne Komets second in theirs. There are standout prospects across their pipeline, too, with Quinn Hutson in AHL rookie of the year conversations, and breakout years from Tommy Lafreniere and David Lewandowski. Let’s take a look at everything within the Oilers system from this past week.

As the league prepares for the long Olympic break, the trade market will freeze. A return to action will see a race towards the trade deadline, forcing teams to decide on the direction of their franchise. Let’s take a look at what the buzz surrounding the Edmonton Oilers is in this week’s rumours roundup. Pickard waived and clears Finally the Oilers have brought an end to their three pronged goaltending situation, sending longtime backup Calvin Pickard down to the AHL.

It has been a stressful 24 hours. The Edmonton Oilers placed goalie Calvin Pickard on waivers yesterday, and at noon, it was announced that he had cleared waivers. The Oilers now have the option to send him down to the Bakersfield Condors or to have him remain in Edmonton. What does this mean for the Edmonton Oilers? The Oilers definitely didn't want to lose Calvin Pickard for free.

For Connor McDavid, the wait is finally over. After a 12-year absence of NHL players from the Olympic stage, hockey's greatest talent will finally get his chance to represent Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan this February. McDavid was just 17 years old when NHL players last competed at the Olympics in Sochi 2014. Now, at the peak of his powers and widely considered the best player in the world, he'll finally step onto the Olympic ice wearing the maple leaf.

Voting for NHL awards is often a funny thing. Some awards, like the Art Ross Trophy, are simple and objective. Others are more subjective, like the Norris Trophy or the Selke Trophy. There is no clear formula for these subjective awards, more often an exercise in cherry picking stats to support a narrative. There is not much surprise here, but these narratives can help or hurt the cases for players.

Fresh off securing their first winning streak of the season, the Edmonton Oilers played host to the Minnesota Wild last night. This is a team that has haunted the Oilers since their inception in the 2000–01 season. And so far, the Wild have won both games they have played against the Oilers this season, in different ways. In goal for Minnesota was familiar face…

The trade deadline is closer than most people realize. The Edmonton Oilers last game before the March six deadline, will be on March three versus the Ottawa Senators. With the Olympic Break in February, the Oilers only play five games that month. So, they are seven games away from the most anticipated day of the regular season. The Oilers desperately need a left winger with some speed, offensive potential and forechecking ability to play in the top-nine.