There was plenty of turnover to the Edmonton Oilers’ forwards over the offseason. Some key members of the group and team’s identity were traded or let go, such as Warren Foegele and Ryan McLeod. That left some room for new faces to fill spots and hopefully propel the Oilers to the ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup, one which they fell just one goal shy of last season.
The acquisitions were primarily focused on increasing the quality of the winger depth. Providing Leon Draisaitl with consistent, high-calibre, scoring wingers was a primary goal to give him the support he needs. Finding ways to get more offence out of the third and fourth lines to help counter when Connor McDavid is being stifled by suffocating defence.
Generally, these new players have not quite lived up to expectations offensively. Slow starts from some of the key players brought in had left fans wondering if there were better options they could have acquired, or if they should have stuck with the players they had instead.
Slowly but surely, these players have begun to find their place in the lineup. And now, at the halfway point of the season, we wanted to take a look back and ask the fans which new forward has been the most impressive thus far!
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We’re almost at the halfway mark of the 2024–25 season and the #Oilers are flying high. Which one of the newest forwards are you most impressed by?
— The Oil Rig (@oilrigEDM) January 9, 2025
Was there any doubt who the favourite is?
It appears the fans were nearly unanimous in their vote for the most impressive new forward. Vasily Podkolzin has done a magnificent job at endearing himself to Oil Country with his aggressive, tenacious play and high event style. He is by far the most noticeable new forward and 80.4% of the voters see him as the most impressive new forward.
There is little doubting the impact he has had on the team and the effort he puts in to his game. Regularly, Podkolzin is caught out practicing well after everyone else has left the ice. His effort and dedication to improvement and learning the system quickly got him in the good books of the Oilers’ coaching staff as he rose through the lineup extremely quickly.
Although the offence has not quite followed him yet as much as would be hoped or expected, it is not from a lack of trying. Podkolzin’s on-ice impact is among the best on the team, and even before he had contributed offensively, he was still positive and near the top of the team rankings in nearly every single category.
Now, his effort and resilience has been paying off. Podkolzin has regularly been playing in the top-six at even strength and is currently averaging the most ice time per game of his career. Although he only has four goals and 16 points in 42 games, his positive impact on the team’s play is noteworthy. Podkolzin leads the team in expected goals for percentage at 62.3% and his 58.8% goals for percentage is fourth on the team amongst lineup regulars.
Needless to say, Podkolzin as found an important place in the Oilers’ lineup this season.
Not bad for a waiver pickup
Expectations were reasonably low for Kasperi Kapanen after he was claimed on waivers from the St. Louis Blues earlier this season. In what was initially seen as a joking revenge move for the offer sheet fiasco last offseason, Kapanen has entered the Oilers lineup and shown incredibly versatility and an offensive touch that works well almost anywhere in the lineup.
Kapanen has done well enough in his time as an Oiler that he earned 11.2% of the fan vote this week as most impressive new forward, finishing a distant second behind Podkolzin.
In his 22 games with Edmonton, Kapanen has found himself playing on nearly every line, even seeing time with McDavid. Although he does have just four goals and six points, his impact has been felt with his utilization of his speed and offensive instincts to generate chances and drive play away from his own net. And he does possess a decent nose for the net, as well, and has found himself creating second chances on a regular basis.
Time will tell just where Kapanen will fall in the Oilers’ lineup. But as a player who can add a new dimension of speed to the team, a trait that has often been lacking this season, he should have a fairly specialized usage longer term.
Viktor Arvidsson looks good, when he is in the lineup that is
Viktor Arvidsson was the most anticipated signing of the offseason. His offensive energy and scoring touch were exciting traits to be able to slot in with Draisaitl on the second line. So far, he has not quite lived up to those expectations in a few ways.
Overall, the impact he has had on the lineup has not really been felt, which is why he finished third in this week’s poll with just 6.5% of the vote.
Arvidsson, like the whole team in front of him, had a very slow start offensively. He did not record a point in his first seven games until a three assist outing in the eighth game versus the Pittsburgh Penguins. His first goal came in game 11.
One of the biggest concerns about the signing was Arvidsson’s health. He has missed significant time in recent seasons due to injury, and although he insisted he was healthy and felt as good as he had in recent years, the concern was always present. Sure enough, he got hurt in the middle of November and missed an entire month of play until just before the holiday break.
To his credit, Arvidsson has been significantly better since returning from injury. He has three goals and eight points in 10 games compared to two goals and five points in the 16 games prior. Hopefully, this is the sign of Arvidsson settling in with the Oilers and preparing to unleash his talents for the stretch and playoff run.
Jeff Skinner has, unfortunately, not worked out
Fresh off of a buy-out from the Buffalo Sabres, Jeff Skinner was brought in to help provide another scoring threat to the Oilers winger team, hopefully fitting in with the top-six and second powerplay unit. So far, that has not been a fruitful decision as Skinner has struggled mightily to fit in with this team. As a result, he finished last in this week’s poll with just 1.9% of the vote.
Skinner’s role in the lineup has been unclear, uncertain, and slowly dwindling as the season progresses. He started off alright, with two goals and four points in his first five games. But after that, he had a 31 game stretch with just four goals and eight points. During this time, he fell farther and farther down the lineup until he was barely averaging more than 10 minutes of ice time per game and even found himself as a healthy scratch.
There is an argument to be made about him not possessing a bottom-six skillset and he should get more ice time with better players to utilize what he can do. But when there are other players outplaying him in most categories, such as Podkolzin, it is hard to justify giving Skinner the ice time.
With a recent stretch in which he has had three points in his last five games, there may be signs of life for Skinner to work his way back up into a bigger role for the second half.
