With multiple deep playoff runs in their recent memory, the Edmonton Oilers are in the hot seat to advance further than the Connor McDavid-led core ever has before, the Stanley Cup final. What remains to be seen is which players and staff will be along for the ride.

While the NHL’s 2023 off-season continues, everyone in hockey’s top league feels pressure, no matter what time of year it is. We’re examining those pressures in this ongoing THN.com “Hot Seat” series.

We’ve been looking at teams in alphabetical order, and picking out three-to-four people per team who are on some form of “hot seat”: one NHL player, coach, GM or team owner is on the hot seat as someone dealing with massive pressure to either put up an elite performance in 2023-24 or find themselves in the doghouse; a second player, coach, GM or team owner will be put on the “warm” seat as someone not looking at an imminent firing or trade, but who may see their time with their team come to an end this coming season; and a third player, coach, GM or team owner goes on the “cold” seat, labelling them as extremely likely to stay with their current team until further notice.

Oilers’ Hot Seat: Stuart Skinner, G.

Skinner began the 2022-23 season as Edmonton’s backup goalie, but the struggles of starter Jack Campbell gave Skinner an opportunity to claim the No. 1 job for himself, and that’s exactly what he did, posting solid individual statistics (including a 2.75 goals-against average and .914 save percentage) in 50 regular-season games. However, Skinner’s numbers plummeted in the post-season, as he put up a 3.68 G.A.A. and .883 save percentage in 12 appearances. Now, in combination with Campbell’s improved stats (we’ll get to those below), Skinner will be under the gun to reproduce his regular-season performance or wind up as Campbell’s backup once again.

At 24 years old, Skinner has time on his side, and his salary cap hit of $2.6 million makes him a potentially high-value netminder. But Oilers fans will be wary of him no matter what he does until he manages to thrive in the playoffs. Edmonton is a win-now team, and coach Jay Woodcroft is going to go with the hot hand in net, meaning Skinner has to regain his regular-season form or take a back seat to Campbell. Oilers’ 

Warm Seat: Jack Campbell, G.

In his first year as an Oiler, Campbell was a disaster in the 2022-23 campaign, with his .888 save percentage and 3.41 G.A.A. in 36 games. With Campbell’s cap hit of $5 million, he was one of the bigger under-performers in the league last season, but the 31-year-old did bounce back in the playoffs, amassing a 1.01 G.A.A. and .961 save percentage in four appearances. Campbell was competent enough to solidify a place for himself in 2023-24, but if he reverts to the form he showed in the 22-23 regular-season, Edmonton GM Ken Holland will have a tough decision on his hands.

That decision will be figuring out how to move on from Campbell, either via the buyout of the remaining three seasons left on his contract after 2023-24, or by persuading a different team to take on Campbell’s contract which will almost assuredly cost Edmonton prospects, draft picks, and/or cap space that Holland won’t be happy to part with. But there’s little choice for Oilers brass. They can’t afford another extended slump by Campbell, nor can they accept playoff failure from him. With Skinner pencilled in as the No. 1 goalie for now, Campbell has to improve notably as soon as the season begins. If he doesn’t, he likely won’t be around a year from now.

Oilers’ Cold Seat: Connor McDavid, C.

There is no seat more cold in the hockey business than McDavid’s. He’s the planet’s best player, a point-generating colossus who will never be traded by his team. When his current contract expires in 2026, he will be the highest-paid player in the sport. And, given that the 26-year-old is coming off a career-best season – in which he posted an incredible 64 goals, 89 assists and 153 points, we likely still haven’t seen him at the peak of his game.

McDavid dominates the NHL in a way few players ever have – his speed puts him at another level, and his ability to create opportunities on offense while at top speed is nearly completely unable to be defended against – and he’s the Oilers’ bedrock foundation. There will come another superstar player of his skill somewhere down the line because there is always a new superstar leading every generation to new heights. But, at this moment, nobody is as dynamic as McDavid, and few stars even come close to being the steamroller he is. As long as he wants to be in Edmonton, he’ll be in Edmonton.