The Edmonton Oilers are going to be rolling into the 2024–25 season with a roster that is likely very similar to that which lost in the Stanley Cup Final to the Florida Panthers last season. But there will be a few changes in some key positions.
Outgoing are defenders Cody Ceci, Vincent Desharnais, and Philip Broberg. As well as forwards Warren Foegele, Ryan McLeod, and Dylan Holloway.
Incoming are forwards Viktor Arvidsson, Jeff Skinner, Matthew Savoie, Vasily Podkolzin. And defenders Josh Brown and Ty Emberson.
In this week’s Sunday Census, we asked Oil Country which new Oiler they are most excited to watch this upcoming season.
Want to take part in Sunday Census polls? We send them out every week on our Twitter at @oilrigEDM. Follow along or send in ideas for the next poll!
The newest addition to the Skinner collection
Winning this week’s poll as the new Oiler fans are most excited to watch is Skinner 2. Jeff Skinner collected 44.2% of the vote to run away with the competition.
His selection in this poll makes sense. Skinner has been a prolific scorer at times in his career, known for his agile footwork and top tier shot.
He is a six-time 30-goal scorer, hitting a career high 40 goals in 2018–19. Additionally, he has hit 60 points in a season five times with a career high of 82 in 2022–23. And so far in his career, he has not played with anyone of Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl’s calibre.
Expectations will be high for Skinner as he tries to find a place in the lineup. But with his niche skillset, he should find some specialized utilization in score-now situations, or to bolster an already historically dominant powerplay.
If ya can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em
Finishing second in this week’s Sunday Census is former Los Angeles King Viktor Arvidsson with 27% of the vote. After the Oilers defeated the Kings in three consecutive postseasons, he jumped ship to the other side in this budding rivalry. It was essentially a one-for-one trade, Arvidsson for Foegele. And these two will be an interesting matchup to follow moving forward.
Arvidsson is an energetic, tenacious forward with a scoring touch. He has a versatility that will render him extremely useful within the Oilers’ top-nine forwards.
Additionally, Arvidsson is defensively responsible enough to be trusted without the puck. A trait that is very much needed within that group.
One of his most appealing strengths is his shot. He has a deceptively quick release that has gotten him some success throughout his career. A career high 34 goals in 2018–19 proves this. He may have trailed off in recent seasons due to injury issues, but Arvidsson is confident that is behind him and he is ready to help guide his new team to victory.
Ty Emberson: the unknown on the defence
In a much anticipated trade earlier this offseason, the Oilers sent Ceci and a third round draft pick to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Ty Emberson. The newcomer on defence finished third in this week’s poll with 17% of voters being most excited to see him play.
Emberson is a relative unknown around the league. He just played his rookie season last year on a very bad Sharks team.
And all-in-all, he had a great season. 10 points in 30 games while averaging 18:33 in ice time per game. He was not receiving the usual rookie defender treatment with less than 15 sheltered minutes. He had a sizeable role on the Sharks.
Expectations are difficult to place on him for this reason. How will his game translate to the Oilers? Will he be able to jump into Ceci’s role on the second pairing?
Regardless, the mystery around his floor and ceiling is intriguing. And if Emberson can turn into a solid regular and contributor within the Oilers’ lineup, even going so far as to solidify the second pairing right defender role, it would be a major headache relieved.
New top prospect
In a surprise trade early in July, the Oilers acquired the touted Savioe from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Ryan McLeod and Tyler Tullio. Savoie immediately became the top prospect in Edmonton’s pipeline. And he comes with a lot of excitement surrounding his potential, however with it being unlikely he secures a permanent spot in the lineup this season, he finished last in this week’s poll with just 12.2% of the vote.
That, however, is not an indictment of his skill or talent (or potential future excitingness). Savoie is an incredibly talented player with an extremely high potential. He just might not be there this season, whereas players like Skinner and Arvidsson are definitely going to be making an impact on the NHL team in 2024–25.
Savoie is a highly talented, offensively minded forward who can make plays, shoot, shoot for volume, and has recently been developing his defensive skills to a point he is one of the more reliable defensive forwards in the WHL. There is not a lot of bad to say about his game.
But it may be another season or two before he would win this poll.
Which new Oiler are you most excited to watch this season? Drop a comment down below!
