It was a huge disappointment because of how they were built. How the Golden Knights are seemingly always built.

Which is to say a team capable of making deep playoff runs.

A team capable of winning it all.

But it wasn’t to be again this season, the Knights falling to Edmonton 4-1 in a best-of-seven second-round series.

The Knights having been shut out the final two games.

The Knights not being able to generate much offense at all.

The Oilers were just better, is all. Made more plays when winning was on the line. Earned every bit of the series victory.

“We have a good team, and when you don’t win, it’s because you didn’t score enough,” general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. “I feel the team was good enough to win.

“We were a good offensive team all year. We were fifth in the NHL in goals scored. I don’t think it was a chronic issue that we expected would lead to our demise in the Stanley Cup playoffs.”

Ice cold

It has to be the most frustrating of all things. To go — no pun intended — ice cold when it matters most. To watch as your top five goal scorers in the regular season manage zero over five games.

But that’s what happened. That’s the reality of it. The Knights just didn’t play well enough.

From players to coach Bruce Cassidy to McCrimmon the past few days, the explanation for such a drought never changed.

That playoff hockey is different.

That teams are more tuned in defensively, far more willing to block shots. That the opportunity for power plays is limited as fewer calls are made. That getting to the inside proves more difficult than throughout an 82-game regular-season schedule. That things are far more competitive from shift to shift.

And you saw that in both a Minnesota series the Knights won and the Edmonton series they lost. Same for all teams. The Oilers just overcame it at a more consistent rate.

“There’s a lot more to it than taking a stat sheet at the end of the night and just looking at it,” McCrimmon said. “There’s a lot more to it as to who you can trust in the playoffs, who understands what it takes in the playoffs, who can handle it physically, who can get to the interior ice, who will do what needs to be done to win.”

You figure, though, the Knights will be right back here next season and good enough to defend their Pacific Division title. Fifteen of 23 players on the active roster are under contract. The Knights have locked up several of their most significant pieces and one (center Jack Eichel) is sure to be handsomely compensated when the calendar hits July.

It has never been an issue, the Knights doing what is needed to upgrade certain spots. It has never been a problem, making decisions — tough or otherwise — that lead to the overall pursuit of a championship.

They have fallen short the past few seasons. That’s on them.

“I like our team,” Cassidy said. “ I don’t have a problem with one player in that room. They’re great teammates that care about one another. I’ve never been that guy — I coach and don’t manage. We’ll probably have to look at some areas because we’re not the last team standing. We’ll go through the process.

“I didn’t walk away from Edmonton saying we had no chance or they’re just better. I didn’t feel that way. I felt we needed to execute better in a few games.”

‘Not a wasted year’

They all hurt when eliminated. Only one team really ends the season happy. Knights center William Karlsson even went as far to say losing as the team did felt like a “wasted year.”

“That’s somewhat raw emotion,” McCrimmon said. “Clearly, it’s not a wasted year in any sense of the word. But it’s disappointing that we didn’t get to where we wanted to go. For me, it feels like a missed opportunity. That’s my take on it. I’d never call it a wasted year. I felt our team was good enough to win it.”

It’s how they are always built.

It’s what the expectations should be around here.

Droughts are hard to see coming when you really haven’t experienced one all season.

You just can’t predict not being able to score.

Which, of course, is sort of important in the big picture.

Ed Graney, a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing, can be reached at [email protected]. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on X.