The Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs, two storied franchises with passionate fan bases, find themselves at critical crossroads as the 2025-26 NHL season barrels toward its midpoint. Both teams have faced adversity—some of it familiar, some quite new—and their responses could shape the remainder of their campaigns and, perhaps, the future direction of their organizations.
For the Oilers, the latest challenge arrived in the form of a significant injury to newly acquired goaltender Tristan Jarry. During a December 18 clash with the Boston Bruins, Jarry suffered a lower-body injury late in the second period. He was immediately removed from play, ceding the crease to Calvin Pickard. Head coach Kris Knoblauch, addressing reporters ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights, confirmed the worst: Jarry would be sidelined week-to-week, a blow to a team with playoff ambitions and a recent history of goaltending instability.
“We’re going to miss him, there’s no doubt,” Knoblauch said in his pre-game media availability. “But this group’s shown resilience before. We’ll need it again.”
The Oilers wasted no time reacting, placing Jarry on Injured Reserve and recalling Connor Ingram from their AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. The timing couldn’t have been more frustrating. In just 17 games with Edmonton, Jarry had posted an impressive 12-3-1 record, a .906 save percentage, and a 2.76 goals against average. Those numbers, coupled with his veteran presence, had brought a sense of stability to the Oilers’ net—a welcome change after a rocky start to the season.
Jarry’s arrival in Edmonton was itself a headline-grabber. Acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins just over a week before his injury, the trade saw the Oilers part ways with Stuart Skinner, defenseman Brett Kulak, and a 2029 second-round draft pick. The deal also brought forward Sam Poulin to Alberta. Jarry, now in his 10th NHL season, boasted a career record of 100-32-22 with a .909 save percentage and a 2.75 GAA. Playoff success has eluded him so far—he’s 2-6 with an .891 save percentage in eight postseason games—but his regular-season consistency made him a crucial piece for an Oilers squad eager to make another deep run.
Before turning pro, Jarry was a standout for the Edmonton Oil Kings in the Western Hockey League, backstopping the team to two WHL Championships and a Memorial Cup in 2014. His professional journey included five seasons in the AHL, where he posted an 83-53-20 record and a .914 save percentage. For the Oilers, the hope was that Jarry’s blend of experience and local roots (he was born in Surrey, B.C.) would help anchor a team built around superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
As of Sunday night, the Oilers sat at 17-13-6 with 40 points, holding third place in the Pacific Division and sixth in the Western Conference. With Jarry out, the pressure is on for Ingram and Pickard to keep the Oilers in the playoff hunt. The team’s resilience will be tested, but if history is any indication, adversity might just bring out their best.
Meanwhile, in Toronto, the Maple Leafs are wrestling with a different kind of crisis—one rooted in underachievement, aging stars, and the specter of yet another coaching change. The Leafs, led by Auston Matthews and William Nylander, have failed to live up to expectations this season. As of December 22, they were on the outside looking in for a playoff spot, with fans and pundits alike questioning whether head coach Craig Berube’s days behind the bench are numbered.
The Oilers’ own coaching saga provides a cautionary—but also inspiring—tale. Just two years ago, Edmonton parted ways with Jay Woodcroft, their fourth coach in the McDavid/Draisaitl era, after a lackluster start. Kris Knoblauch took over 13 games into the 2023-24 campaign, inheriting a 3-9-1 team. The turnaround was dramatic: the Oilers rallied to reach two consecutive Stanley Cup Finals. Could the Leafs find similar magic with a new voice in the room?
The challenges in Toronto run deep. The roster is one of the oldest in the NHL, with key contributors like Matthews (28), Nylander (turning 30 in May), Jake McCabe (32), Chris Tanev (36), John Tavares (35), Oliver Ekman-Larsson (34), and Morgan Rielly (nearing 32). The only real youth infusion comes from 20-year-old Easton Cowan and 23-year-old Mathew Knies. The team’s window to contend is shrinking, and their draft pick cupboard is nearly bare—first-rounders in 2026 and 2027 are either traded or conditionally tied up.
On the ice, the numbers paint a stark picture. The Leafs ranked dead last in the NHL in offensive zone time at even strength (39.0%), a far cry from their third-place ranking just a few seasons ago. Nylander’s goal drought had reached 11 games, and Max Domi’s had ballooned to 23. For the first time in years, Toronto didn’t have a player in the top 20 of league scoring. Lineup instability has been a recurring theme, with Berube shuffling players in and out—Easton Cowan went from top-line duty to the press box, while Domi bounced from healthy scratch to Matthews’ wing in the span of 24 hours.
“This is the team, more or less,” one local analyst observed. “There isn’t much to sell, and the core is locked in for years to come.”
Still, there’s hope that a new coach could unlock more from Matthews, Rielly, Nylander, and even Nick Robertson. The power play, which once struck fear into opponents, has sputtered. The Leafs have managed just 15 goals in their last eight games, averaging 25 shots per contest. Yet, the Eastern Conference remains wide open, and the possibility of a late-season surge—like the Florida Panthers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final a few years back—can’t be dismissed outright.
Berube’s tenure has already been marked by odd lineup decisions and inconsistent performances. Nine of the 16 forwards who’ve suited up for Toronto this season have been healthy scratches at least once. Matthews, the team’s captain and franchise centerpiece, has had six different right wingers. “It might just take a different coach to unlock it,” mused one columnist, referencing Alex Ovechkin’s renaissance under a new coach years ago.
For both the Oilers and Leafs, the coming weeks will be crucial. Edmonton’s ability to weather the storm without Jarry could determine whether they solidify their playoff position or fall back into the pack. Toronto, meanwhile, faces a reckoning: stick with Berube and hope for a turnaround, or make a bold move and gamble on the fabled “new coach bump” to reignite their season.
As the NHL season grinds on, these two Canadian powerhouses are learning that adversity never arrives on schedule—and that the margin between crisis and comeback can be razor thin. Hockey fans from coast to coast will be watching closely to see who rises to the challenge.
