The scene at practice this morning for the Edmonton Oilers was a little more intense than usual. There were no pocket skates or one-on-one drills to tire out the players after a 9-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche Saturday night, but there was an aura of frustration in the air.
Stuart Skinner appeared to be having a heated argument with a couple of strikers. Then Connor McDavid had a clear conversation with his defenders, appearing to single out Evan Bouchard. This all stemmed from Jake Walman and Trent Frederic seemingly being annoyed with each other on the previous skate.
TSN’s Ryan Rishaug has footage of the exchange between McDavid and his men.
The conversation starts off a bit tense and eventually resolves – remarkable but normal things for a frustrated group. pic.twitter.com/76pdlmudQt
— Ryan Rishaug (@TSNRyanRishaug) November 9, 2025
From the video, things didn’t seem overly heated, but it seemed clear that McDavid was giving it a bit to his blueliners, and Bouchard’s response was one of both defensive explanation and attempted understanding.
The key for the oil companies is to keep talking through this crisis
McDavid was asked about the conversation follow the skate and said that getting back on the right page starts with talking. He noted, “I’ve said it before, enough is enough here.” He took responsibility for being a leader and for not bringing enough energy to the team, noting, “We have to find a way to bring some of that into play.”
He added:
“Everyone has more to bring to the table, so you’re starting to see some of that in practice. It has to translate into games. It’s normal to have conversations with guys about different things that we see out there. The game felt disorganized and out of sync at times, so the only way to fix that is to talk and communicate with your teammates, so you’ll start to see some of that.”
Head coach Kris Knoblauch admitted there is frustration on the ice and in the locker room, but he’s not too concerned because the guys are still talking. He noted:
“…a lot of communication – coaches sharing what they see, but also players sharing with the coaching staff what they see and where they need a little more clarity, and what they do when they’re on the ice. I think that’s a strong part of it, and then I like the enthusiasm on the ice. There wasn’t a lot of talking, but I thought there was a lot of focus and everyone was working hard…”
He added: “I’ve seen teams that are struggling and they give up hope and make things a little bit harder for themselves. But yes, there is frustration, but there is still that confidence.”
Knoblauch said he thinks guys have picked up their past mistakes and learned from them. That doesn’t happen that often this season. It certainly won’t happen for Bouchard. “The standard is not being maintained well enough and now that we have played so many matches, that standard absolutely needs to be raised,” the coach said. “…the expectation is for everyone to get better and you know, that starts with myself and holding guys accountable because things haven’t progressed as much as in previous years where we did go through a bad patch and things have improved…”
McDavid has emphasized that communication has been a major problem for the Oilers, and his concern is that the team is not on the same page. He said after practice that it starts with him being the leader, and if that means scolding teammates in practice and making sure the message gets through, then that’s a positive sign. “Last night was a great warning to the group about what happens when you’re not ready to go.” He added: “You can only find out by talking and communicating with your teammates.”
Frustration is a good thing when it comes from a place where teammates care about each other and trust each other to get better. When there is apathy, things start to go off the rails.
The intensity and frustration on display Sunday were not about conflict, but about commitment and responsibility. This is exactly what a struggling team needs to find its rhythm again.
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