3 most disappointing Edmonton Oilers players from 2025 Stanley Cup Final ft. Stuart Skinner

The Edmonton Oilers ended a terrific season in bitter disappointment, following yet another defeat at the hands of the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final. This time, the Cats got the job done at home in Game 6 with a resounding 5-1 win.

The loss leaves the Oilers facing another summer of head-scratching and soul-searching as the club tries to figure out what went wrong.

But as far as the 2025 Stanley Cup Final is concerned, three players stand out as the most disappointing in the series.

3 most disappointing Edmonton Oilers players from 2025 Stanley Cup Final

#3 Evander Kane

Evander Kane scored only once in the Cup Final - Source: Imagn

Evander Kane totaled six goals during the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs. But only one of them came in the final.

Kane was largely silent offensively throughout the series. He scored once in the 5-4 double-overtime loss in Game 2. From there, Kane racked up 32 penalty minutes, including 16 in the messy Game 3 affair.

The Edmonton Oilers expected more from Kane as his depth scoring had come in handy during the first three series. Unfortunately, it dried up against Florida.

#2 Trent Frederic

Frederic's rough-and-tumble style did not help the Oilers get past the Panthers - Source: Imagn

Trent Frederic was brought in at the trade deadline to provide toughness and physicality, with a touch of scoring to boot.

Frederic, however, provided little to the Edmonton Oilers’ overall game plan. He did not register a point in the Stanley Cup Final series against the Panthers while racking up 14 penalty minutes in the chaotic Game 3 mess.

While Frederic wasn’t acquired at the trade deadline for his goal-scoring prowess, his inability to chip in offensively or defensively put the Oilers in a tough spot.

#1 Stuart Skinner

Stuart Skinner failed to be the goalie Edmonton needed to win - Source: Imagn

So much has been said about Stuart Skinner. Last spring, he was a quiet force behind the Oilers’ juggernaut team that seemed destined to claim the Cup.

This season, unfortunately, Skinner was much more of a liability than an asset. His first two starts in the Stanley Cup Final were wobbly, but serviceable. It was his game 4 nightmare of a game that got him yanked.

Calvin Pickard picked up the pieces in Game 4, keeping the Edmonton Oilers alive in the series. But as Pickard hit the proverbial wall in Game 5, the Oilers had no other recourse but to go back to Skinner for Game 6.

Fatal error.

Skinner crashed and burned, with the Panthers’ third goal of the game a poignant example of just how poorly Skinner played in the series.

It’s easy to speculate that if the Oilers had gotten solid goaltending, they could have unseated the Panthers. But that didn’t happen. The reality is that Skinner and Pickard faltered, and the Oilers are now once again on the short end of the stick.