There was a time when half of the fun of the preseason for the Edmonton Oilers was seeing which fringe NHLer would have four good games and then get himself a contract along with a chance to start the season on the top line with Connor McDavid. Luckily, we do not have to go through that process and the false hope it provided anymore. But it was fun while it lasted.
Nowadays, those top spots are all but secured. There are actual NHL players like hard worker Zach Hyman and unsung hero Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to play in those roles.
But just for fun, lets take a look back at the past decade at some of the biggest preseason heroes for the Edmonton Oilers.
2014–15 Viktor Fasth
The goaltending position was an absolute fiasco for a solid 15 years for the Oilers. The endless revolving door of random goalies never instilled much confidence in anyone, despite the odd incredible performance like Ben Scrivens‘ amazing 59-save shutout.
One of the goalies to make an appearance in this time period was Viktor Fasth. He entered Edmonton with some promise. His debut season in the NHL was solid with a 15–6–2 record, a .921 SV%, and a 2.18 GAA while also winning his first eight NHL starts. But his second season was a bit of a regression and he ended up getting traded to the Oilers.
In seven games post-trade, he recorded a 2.73 GAA and .914 SV% on the third-worst team in the league. Not bad, right?
He got even better the following preseason. In three games, Fasth saved 44 of 45 shots for a save percentage of .978 and a 0.56 GAA. The extremely small sample size, in hindsight, shouldn’t have put much of a spotlight on him. But with how poor the Oilers were in net in this period, any glimmer of hope was worth attaching to.
Unfortunately, it was short-lived. Fasth’s regular-season stat line was awful. He ended up with 26 games played, a 6–15–3 record, a .888 SV%, and a 3.41 GAA. This season was capped off with him yelling at teammates on the bench after yet another bad team performance.
2015–16 Anton Lander
Anton Lander was a prospect that just could never find his game at the NHL level. Every year he was tentatively slotted in in bigger roles with the Oilers but could never quite break through.
Until the 2015–16 preseason, that is. Or so we thought.
Lander had the best regular season of his career in 2014–15 with 20 points in 38 games. He was finally producing as the middle-six forward he was projected to be, so hopes were high heading into the next season.
And in the 2015–16 preseason, Lander had what looked to be a breakout. He scored five goals and had six points in six games, rocking a 41.67 shooting percentage. Which we all know is extremely sustainable.
Unfortunately he fell off almost immediately. The 2015–16 season was one of his worst with just three points in 61 games. Lander would play one more season split between Edmonton and the Bakersfield Condors before going to play in the KHL.
2017–18 Jussi Jokinen
Jussi Jokinen was someone the Oilers brought in who was supposed to improve the depth in so many ways. A responsible two-way forward who had scored 30 goals in a season in the past and regularly had 40+ points would, in theory, be a great add.
And his debut in the preseason indicated he should provide most of what was expected and be a solid contributor with and without the puck. Two goals and five points in four preseason games. He won 12 faceoffs while only losing two. And overall all positive possession metrics including a 60.12 expected goals for percentage.
That, however, ended then and there. Jokinen proceeded to have one of the worst seasons of his career en route to playing with four teams in a single season. His tenure in Edmonton ended after 14 games in which he had just one assist before being traded to the Los Angeles Kings.
2018–19 Ty Rattie
Ty “The Answer” Rattie lives in infamy in the minds of Oilers fans everywhere. He was the ultimate inspiration for this entire post. Rattie, before joining Edmonton in 2017–18, had four goals and 10 points in 35 career games in four seasons between the St. Louis Blues and Carolina Hurricanes.
He joined the Oilers organization for the 2017–18 season where he spent most of the season with the Condors, but played 14 games in the NHL in which he beat his career goal total with five and nearly his point total, ending with nine points.
So for the 2018–19 preseason, The Answer was looking to build on that. And he most certainly did. In four preseason games, Rattie scored seven goals and added another four assists. It looked like the Oilers found their winger for McDavid.
Unfortunately that did not last. Rattie scored four goals and 11 points in 50 games that season, was waived by the end of January, and out of the NHL at the end of the season.
2021–22 Brendan Perlini
The next version of The Answer came just a few seasons after the enigma that was Rattie. Brendan Perlini came to the Oilers with just a little bit more pedigree and experience in his career, having been a 30-point scorer in the past. But a similar playstyle that led many to think he would be a good fit on the first line with McDavid.
Early results were incredibly promising for his fit on the team. His debut preseason ended with five goals and one assist in five games. Just what the team needed to add scoring depth on the wing.
But once again as the trend in this post, that was short lived. Perlini never really played in that top line role, averaging just eight minutes of ice time per game in his season in Edmonton. And the production seen in the preseason was never even close to being matched in the regular season. In fact, he scored more in the preseason than the regular season. Although he only played 23 games that year, he had four goals and one assist for five points.
Who was your favourite preseason hero? Drop a comment down below!
All preseason stats from NaturalStatTrick
