Leon Draisaitl stirred things up in Oil Country after their recent game by criticizing the coaches, and he’s sticking to his words today.
Draisaitl pointed out serious issues in the Oilers locker room, mentioning their defense, goaltending, and coaching as problems. It’s pretty rare for a player to criticize the coaching staff openly.
We can’t defend well. Our penalty killing isn’t very good.
We need to defend more effectively and help [Jarry] out, and I believe he can perform better too. … There are saves our goalies should be making.
We require the whole team. It all begins with the coaches. We won’t succeed with only 4 or 5 players contributing. The improvement starts at the top. We can all do better, especially our leaders.
– Leon Draisaitl
“Just not good enough right now.”
Leon Draisaitl shares his thoughts after the #Oilers defeat in Calgary. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/PUJgUlly5Y
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) February 5, 2026
Leon Draisaitl addresses coach criticism at the Olympics
In a chat with TSN insider Ryan Rishaug at the Olympics, Draisaitl didn’t back down from his comments. He emphasized again that everyone in the Oilers needs to improve, including the coaches.
Clearly, there was high tension after losing three games in a row. Ultimately, I’m saying that we all need to perform better.
I mentioned in the interview that our leadership group must improve, and since I’m part of that group, I know I can do much better too. This applies to our coaches and everyone in our organization. We all need to step up together.
– Leon Draisaitl
It seems there won’t be any changes to the coaching staff following Draisaitl’s statements, but his message has been understood throughout the Oilers organization.
When a star player publicly calls out the entire team, other players in the locker room are bound to feel the impact.
After the break, they’ll have a chance to respond, and hopefully, the Oilers can elevate their game as the season continues.
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