Connor McDavid says Oilers, ousted by Ducks, were 'average' - ESPN

Although the Edmonton Oilers made two consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final, star center Connor McDavid admitted this season's roster was just «an average team» after being eliminated in the opening round by the Anaheim Ducks.

«It was tough. We were an average team all year. An average team with high expectations. You're going to be disappointed,» he said after the Oilers' 5-2 loss in Game 6 on Thursday night.

Edmonton played for the Stanley Cup in 2024 and 2025, losing twice to the Florida Panthers, the eventual champions. But this version of the Oilers, built by general manager Stan Bowman, failed to advance out of the first round for the first time since 2021. They also had their lowest regular-season points percentage (.567) since the 2018-19 season.

Injury speculation swirled around McDavid all series, as he wasn't his usual dominant self against the Ducks. He tallied six points in six games but scored only one goal. Just two of his points were scored at even strength. In the Game 6 loss, McDavid didn't tally a point and skated to a minus-3, with two giveaways and losing six of eight faceoffs.

McDavid admitted that the Oilers were fighting through injuries.

«Too hurt, too soon. The first round is always tough. It's always chaotic, and it's tough to play through things so early on as many guys did in here,» McDavid said. «That being said, it's not an excuse, either. We expected to have a longer run than we did. It is what it is.»

Oilers star Leon Draisaitl noted that the team's top three centers were all playing hurt.

«At the end of the day, you've got to find ways to win games. Injuries? Yeah, they suck, and it hit us at a bad time. But at the end of the day, they were the better team,» Draisaitl said.

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