Today is the day. The opening game for the 2025–26 season. Energy is high in Oil Country, fresh off of extensions to key personnel like Kris Knoblauch, Vasily Podkolzin, and Jake Walman. And of course, the most important extension of all, Connor McDavid.
Expectations are sky high for the team as McDavid put the organization on watch with a short-term extension. A final chance to prove that the Oilers can get him a Stanley Cup. It has been close the past two seasons, but they have been bested each time.
At times, this past offseason was controversial, but largely positive as the fanbase has approved of most of the moves and decisions. But judgement time begins now on just how well these moves will work out. For both individuals, and the team as a whole.
Our team here at The Oil Rig has put together our thoughts on the opening of the season with a roundtable Q&A session with our thoughts on the status of the Edmonton Oilers and their chances this season.
Let’s get the questions started!
1) Are the 2025–26 Edmonton Oilers better than the 2024–25 Oilers?
Tyler Rohleder: Yes they should benefit from a more stable defensive core, and a (hopefully) younger forward core, with plenty more upside. The one thing that does raise some questions is how these younger additions will gel, but on paper it looks like improvements.
Faiz Virji: Honestly, that’s a tough call. Losing Corey Perry and Connor Brown are definitely big hits, and while Evander Kane was not healthy for the season he was still a contributor in the playoffs. Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner were disappointments, sure, but they had their moments. That makes five top-nine (borderline top six) veteran forwards gone, with just Andrew Mangiapane and Curtis Lazar added in terms of NHL experience. There is a bit of a youth injection though (along with a newcomer in David Tomasek), which could help the team get off the ground quicker with their enthusiasm/not being burnt out from a long playoff run.
Also, the defence is better to start the year, with Jake Walman here for a full year along with some real competition for the sixth defence spot between Ty Emberson, Alec Regula and Troy Stecher. Long story short, this year definitely is a more high risk, high reward roster versus a more stable and “you know what you are going to get” one.
Sean Laycock: Last year’s Oilers may have had more of a proven track record compared to this season’s, but I do think this roster is better for a couple of reasons. First, a younger and faster roster seems to be the direction to take right now to help prolong a competitive window. There may be concerns with the size and physicality of this team, but last regular season the Oilers were near the bottom of the league in hits anyways. And second, the depth. We’ve seen through this training camp that the Oilers might have two lines of NHL-calibre replacement players competing for spots even in the AHL. This gives them way more options, even if the replacements struggle to fill the shoes of, say, Zach Hyman.
Erling Lefsrud: Yes, the Oilers are a better team this year, but not by a lot. The additions of Mangiapane, Tomasek, Savoie, Howard, and Lazar as well as full years from Walman, and Frederic outweigh the subtractions. The team is younger and hungrier than last year while Savoie and Howard offer more skill and the possibility of a breakout. That being said, none of the additions are proven, consistent needle movers so I don’t think they can make a huge difference. In the end what matters most is how they fit in with the existing team.
Alex Stewart: I think the Oilers are a better team than last year. Brown, Perry, and Kane while notable names were all on the wrong side of the aging curve, and Arvidsson and Skinner never met preseason expectations. The forward core has alot more young upside with Savoie, Tomasek, and Philp, along with Ike Howard if he sticks. The defence is still in place, barring any injury trouble. The goaltending situation will continue to be the big question, but I think the rest of the roster is good enough to mask some flaws in that department.
Troy Clemmer: Last year, the Oilers were older and slower and were actually considered one of the oldest teams in the league at the time. This year, having younger guys and new upcoming prospects like Matthew Savoie, Issac Howard and David Tomasek, will definitely help Edmonton’s case in that regard. So, to answer the question, yes I do believe that the 2025–26 Oilers are better than the 2024–25 Oilers.
Greg Babinski: The team is definitely better than the start of last season. Jake Walman is a huge reason, bringing the blueline as a whole to an elite level. Having their top two prospects in the mix, and generally some younger options, certainly helps.
Cody Misyk: Yes, I believe the team is better, but time will tell. I like the addition of having more young talent in the lineup. It will bring more energy to the team as a whole. I do think losing guys like Corey Perry and Connor Brown will have some kind of effect. Failing to acquire a better goalie in the offseason also worries me (Ingram is tough to predict as well). Overall, I think the Oilers will outscore their issues in net.
2) Where will the Edmonton Oilers finish in the Pacific Division this season?
Tyler Rohleder: It would be surprising if they weren’t in the one or two seed in the Pacific. Vegas looks to be their biggest inter-division competition.
Faiz Virji: My heart says first but my gut says second. Vegas is Vegas and while losing Alex Pietrangelo is certainly a blow, adding another bona fide superstar in Mitch Marner somewhat negates that. At least L.A. got worse on defence, so that should help the Oilers get back to home ice advantage.
Sean Laycock: Second is the most likely outcome, behind only the Vegas Golden Knights. Regular season is not the Oilers’ strong point and the strength of Vegas’ roster over the rest of the division and league will earn them more points than a typically sluggish-to-start and streaky Oilers team. Below them, the Los Angeles Kings did not seem to improve and I don’t see any other team competing for a divisional playoff spot.
Erling Lefsrud: I’d place them third in the division this year, even though the Kings and Golden Knights both fell to the Oilers last year in the playoffs. Vegas is always solid and with the addition of Marner I can’t see them getting worse, their offence will be a powerhouse. I could see L.A. taking the division this year. After the addition of Kuzmenko, the Kings had three unique lines in the top 11 in GF% in the NHL, over 200 min. played. All three lines were over 70%. While it is unlikely they could keep that up for an entire season it is extremely worrying.
Alex Stewart: I think they’ll finally win the Pacific. Vegas is the only real candidate to challenge them in my eyes. Even with their addition of Mitch Marner, the Golden Knights’ defence lost a massive piece in Alex Pietrangelo, and I don’t see Brayden McNabb picking up the slack.
Troy Clemmer: I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that the Oilers will finish third in the Pacific Division behind the Vegas Golden Knights and the Vancouver Canucks. Depending on how the addition of Mitch Marner plays a factor for Vegas, there definitely is a world where Edmonton could finish first in the Pacific.
Greg Babinski: The main competition in the division is the Vegas Golden Knights. The Los Angeles Kings had an outstanding regular season to barely pass the Oilers last season. The Oilers clearly save their best for the playoffs, and so might not be as motivated to chase results in the regular season. Let’s call it second place in the division.
Cody Misyk: I believe the Oilers will finish in second place, just behind the Vegas Golden Knights. The acquisition of Mitch Marner will no doubt provide the Golden Knights with a huge boost offensively. However, if the Golden Knights struggle in any way, I could totally see the Oilers winning the division. It will be close.
3) Who will lead the Edmonton Oilers in goals in the 2025–26 season?
Tyler Rohleder: I’ll guess Leon Draisaitl, he’ll finish with another 55ish goal campaign, but it’s not far fetched to say McDavid will be the overall points leader.
Faiz Virji: McDavid mentioned he wants to score more goals again, so it’s kind of hard to bet against him when the last time that topic came up he scored 64, even though Draisaitl is the reigning Rocket Richard winner. I’m going to go out on a limb and say he scores 70 this year, because how many other “first player to do x since 19yy” are there left for him?
Sean Laycock: It sounds like Connor McDavid decided over the offseason that he likes to score goals and wants to get back into scoring form. So with Draisaitl wanting to focus on his Selke Trophy campaign after he got a Rocket Richard last season, I think the path is wide open for another 50+ goal season for McDavid to lead the team.
Erling Lefsrud: You know I have to say McDavid. We know what he is capable of when he wants to shoot the puck and he has stated recently that he is looking to score more goals this year. I would love to see him outscore Auston Matthews, if only so I could verbally abuse Toronto fans.
Alex Stewart: I think it’ll be McDavid. He’s mentioned more than once about wanting to shoot more and be a bit more selfish, and he scored 64 goals in 2022–23. I could see another monster year as the Oilers push for the division.
Troy Clemmer: I know that Connor McDavid had mentioned that he wants to score more goals this year and prove that him getting 50+ goals was not a fluke, but Draisaitl has the edge right now and I think that he will be leading the way in terms of team goals. It will be closer than people think though.
Greg Babinski: Draisaitl. It’s an obvious pick. McDavid and Hyman will have more goals than last season to make it close. All three hit at least 30 goals. There should be multiple other players reaching the 15 goal mark, including Evan Bouchard, Andrew Mangiapane, Matthew Savoie, and Isaac Howard. Both Trent Frederic and Vasily Podkolzin will be positioned to reach new career highs in goals in that range as well.
Cody Misyk: I think McDavid will have another huge scoring year. After back-to-back losses in the Stanley Cup Final, I think hockey fans are in for a treat. McDavid mentioned that he wants to start scoring again, so I find it hard to bet against him on that.
4) Will Isaac Howard or Matthew Savoie finish the 2025–26 season with more points?
Tyler Rohleder: This is tough because the main elements of Howard’s game is his scoring, but Savoie is much more complete player in senses, compete, and puck skills. I would have to guess Savoie, largely because overall he’s a bigger asset to the team once you take into account his three zone game.
Faiz Virji: Points I think goes to Savoie, given he is more of a playmaker and has more pro experience which I think means he will get more opportunity than Howard. But, assuming they get around the same amount of ice time/quality of linemates, I think Howard will likely score more goals since that is his thing.
Sean Laycock: I’m going to go with Savoie here simply because it seems more likely that he is in the lineup all season than Howard. The latter has been talked about starting the season in the NHL, but a lack of adjustment to the pro game and the completeness of his game could see him sent to the AHL by November. Whereas Savoie has a complete, two-way game more likely to remain rostered all season.
Erling Lefsrud: I’m going to vote Savoie. I believe he is more of a playmaker than Howard and will be more likely to succeed at this point in his career, especially if they are both in the bottom six.
Alex Stewart: I’ll go with Savoie. I think he’ll be a bit more NHL ready and get more playing time, although if Howard pans out in the long-term I believe he’ll eventually surpass Savoie in the goalscoring department.
Troy Clemmer: Matthew Savoie has been in the NHL picture for a few years now and will finally get his moment. Savoie is more NHL ready than Howard is and should be leading the way in terms of points between the two.
Greg Babinski: Again I will express belief in Savoie’s game. Perhaps being more well rounded might see Savoie alongside lesser linemates, as playing on a scoring line might help Howard’s production. Savoie is ready for regular minutes in both offensive and defensive situations. He should be the favourite here, but might be the more effective player even without outscoring Howard.
Cody Misyk: I think Howard has a lot more scoring upside. Not so sure about that this season, though. I think Savoie will score more simply because he already has some AHL experience and will likely get more playing time. Howard may need a bit of time to get settled in the organization. I do not think Savoie will score all that much, maybe around 30–40 points at max. From what I have seen, I still think he needs to get stronger on the puck.
5) Will the Edmonton Oilers see an improvement in goaltending this season?
Tyler Rohleder: What’s the saying? The definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over again and expecting different results? This is a make or break year for Skinner, so for Oilers fans one can hope. Ultimately, I would be surprised if it’s better than last year, probably around the same.
Faiz Virji: Yes, but only because it can’t get any worse, right? Although Skinner set a career high in shutouts, so I guess it can. But it probably won’t. I hope.
Sean Laycock: I’ll be hopeful that a new goalie coach and training regimen can help Skinner find a new level of play. But at this point it seems somewhat unlikely. The acquisition of Connor Ingram might be an improvement over Calvin Pickard, however, making the overall goalie situatuon improved on.
Erling Lefsrud: Apparently Skinner has lost some weight and is more agile side-to-side so hopefully he can improve upon last year. A lot of goalie success comes from good defence, and I think that the Oiler’s defence is better than lasts year, so I do think they will have better goalie stats this year.
Alex Stewart: I would like to hope so. The Oilers don’t need Skinner to be Vezina calibre—merely .905 would be more than adequate. The Ingram acquisition is a worthwhile bet, so maybe he’ll eventually force his way into the conversation.
Troy Clemmer: Stuart Skinner put in some work in the off season and was able to shed 15lbs. One would hope that the lost weight makes him more agile and speed in the crease is usually beneficial for goalies as well. We will see what happens, but with the addition of Connor Ingram, there should be some improvement in the Oilers goaltending this year.
Greg Babinski: Yes, Skinner is a good goalie. He should bounce back a bit from last season. Will he be a Vezina Trophy candidate, or a top ten goalie league-wide? Probably not. Still, he is a capable tandem option and a great value contract. He has an impressive resume already and is still young enough to have lots of time in front of him. Connor Ingram is a much needed addition, if only as a third option, but he might even challenge for the starting reins at some point.
Cody Misyk: This is tough to predict. I would say yes, just to remain positive, but quite frankly, I still do not have faith in Skinner. Hopefully, Connor Ingram can find his game again and become the new number one goalie in Edmonton.
6) How often should Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl be used on the same line at even strength?
Tyler Rohleder: Ideally never. When you have both of those big guns on the same line that means the opponent has a bit more of an open season when any of those other three forward lines are on the ice. Might as well make life harder on the opponent and spread the wealth around a bit more.
Faiz Virji: Everyone talks about how you shouldn’t be loading up your top line, but Boston had their three best players together on the Perfection Line, for instance, and that worked out for them. Yes, having McDavid and Draisaitl on different lines means one of them can get away from the other team’s best defenders, but at the same time McDavid and Draisaitl on the same line means the other team’s best defence doesn’t really stand a chance. I don’t mind trying it out of the gate, since the Oilers have started awful every year anyway. If you can find a second and third line that can compete without either of them, then all of a sudden you have the cheat code permanently.
Sean Laycock: As little as possible. It decimated the team’s depth by stacking these two on one line and should be avoided at all costs so they can spread offence around the lineup to feast on the opposition’s inability to defend three high end scoring lines. But, need a late goal? Need a spark in a sluggish game? Send them out together for a couple shifts at even strength to make a push.
Erling Lefsrud: I would prefer to see them separate as much as possible. I think it is more effective to stretch out a defence than to pack one really strong punch. Nugent-Hopkins-McDavid-Hyman is already hard enough to defend but a team can never ignore Draisaitl. When needed, the last seven minutes is when I would unleash McDrai.
Alex Stewart: Purely when needed. It makes the Oilers too easy to defend when you’ve got the top line stacked, as talented as they are. If you’re hunting a goal in the dying minutes? Sure, let them go. Otherwise, it’s best to keep them on separate lines.
Troy Clemmer: Using the two superstars on the same line was supposed to be a tactic thing and when people least expect it. The power play is the only exception. If the Oilers want to improve the depth of their lineup, they will play McDavid and Draisaitl separately and won’t have them play in the same line, until it is absolutely necessary.
Greg Babinski: Ultimately the team is probably more well balanced with them separated, but we are removed from the original iteration of this question. At one point the Oilers were consistently outplayed without them on the ice, but the roster has grown a lot since then. Knoblauch will be blending the lines, and there will always be situations where they are deployed together. Perhaps playing them together will help the rest of the lineup to find some identity or chemistry without relying on them.
At this point it is hard to question Knoblauch’s line juggling, and it is a long season for Knoblauch to poke and prod around what might work. Ideally the Oilers are deep enough to find success either way, freeing the team up to deploy their superstars how they wish instead of separating them out of necessity.
Cody Misyk: I would say only at times where they are in desperate need of a goal. Maybe late in games. They need to spread out where the superstars play so they can have multiple dangerous lines. Playoffs may be different, as that is when the big guns need to shine their brightest.
7) Is this the year the Edmonton Oilers finally win the Stanley Cup?
Tyler Rohleder: I’m not quite sure the fan base could take another non-cup season. For Edmonton’s sake it would probably feel good to be one of the possible opponents to end a Panthers dynasty, in the event that the teams do meet for a trilogy.
Faiz Virji: Oh god I hope so.
Sean Laycock: In a slight retool season shifting the direction of the roster composition after two very long seasons, it seems unlikely that the Oilers can find a way to make the Stanley Cup Final a third year in a row, nevermind manage to win. But for the sake of the mental health of Oil Country and the ability to keep Connor McDavid in Edmonton, they better find a way to make it happen.
Erling Lefsrud: Even though I do think Edmonton is better this year, I don’t think this is the year for them. I am still far too concerned about goaltending.
Alex Stewart: I think so. The West runs through Edmonton until someone takes it from them. Plus with Florida’s injuries, I don’t see them being able to return to the Final. So long as the Oilers stay healthy, they should be able to finally slay the dragon and bring Lord Stanley home.
Troy Clemmer: Unfortunately not. The Oilers did get a little bit better, I give them that, but with the other teams across the league on the climb, it will be very hard for the Oilers to make it to back-to-back-to-back Stanley Cup Final. Well I do not think that they will win the Cup this year, is this the year that we finally see the 2006 rematch between the Carolina Hurricanes and Edmonton Oilers? Time will tell.
Greg Babinski: Why not? The trips to the Stanley Cup Final in back-to-back seasons should not be taken for granted, nor should the three trips to the Western Conference final in three of the past four seasons.
Cody Misyk: I do not think this is the year. Their goaltending is still a primary issue, and there are a lot of uncertainties going into the season. No one really knows how guys like Savoie, Howard, Mangiapane, and Tomasek are going to perform. Comparing the current Oilers roster to the previous Panthers winning teams, I think they still have some work to do.
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