Edmonton was ranked as the sixth most tortured fanbase among all of the Canadian teams, finishing one spot ahead of the least suffering of those north of the border in the Canadiens. Placing one spot ahead of the Oilers are their provincial rivals, so fans can rest easy knowing the Flames have it worse than them right now.

Three of the top five teams in Daily Faceoff’s list are from Canada, with the Leafs unsurprisingly sitting at the very top of the food chain unanimously, the Canucks ending up in third, and the Senators finishing fifth. Rounding out the list of Canadian teams in this endeavour are the Jets in eighth, and the least tortured fanbase in the NHL is the Golden Knights.

While 12th may seem high for the Oilers given they are fresh off a memorable playoff that got them within a goal of winning the Cup and completing the 3-0 series deficit comeback, it is the collective history of the team that has them finishing in the upper half of the NHL in terms of pain and suffering.

Edmonton last won the Cup in 1990 and has made two Finals appearances since (2006 and 2024), with both instances ending in them losing in Game 7. In between both births were years of ineptitude and playoff runs that fell well short returning to the summit that they took up residence in five times during their glory days of the 1980s.

You have a four-year playoff drought that came after two consecutive appearances in the Conference Finals after their last Cup win, facing the Stars in the playoffs six times in seven years and only winning one series, and a decade without playoff hockey after their miracle run to the Finals in 2006. Those ten years in the wilderness did help them build the nucleus of their current roster, but even the likes of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisatil could not prevent a few extra seasons with Edmonton on the outside looking in.

The Oilers have since regained their consistency and are now in the middle of a five-year playoff streak, but the heartbreak remains with each playoff shortcoming being more painful than the last. While the team is riding off the high of their most recent shot at the Cup, the uncertainty past the 2024-25 campaign means it is possible that the scar from failing to knock out the Panthers in Game 7 could linger for years to come if they fail to build off of last season.

Luckily for them, they are well-positioned to make the most of this upcoming season. Edmonton had a great free-agent frenzy by all accounts, they will be getting a new GM to work in tandem with CEO Jeff Jackson, and the returning players are motivated to get back to the Finals and reach the summit this time. If they have a solid year while also getting extensions done for McDavid and Draisaitl, they can set themselves up to make this latest heartbreak a stepping stone to achieving immortality.

All of which is to say the Oilers could find themselves either higher or lower on Daily Faceoff’s torture list next summer depending on how things shake up for the team. So finishing outside the top 10 in 2024 seems fair, especially since they have it better than the Flames.