The bracket is set. Matchups confirmed. Regular season done. And playoff hockey starts tonight. The best the sport has to offer, the greatest two months of the year. All in the quest for the Stanley Cup.
For the seventh straight year, the Edmonton Oilers are in the postseason. Despite being technically one of the most successful franchises in the league over that span, they have yet to hoist hockey’s ultimate prize.
Some other Oilers players might have already gotten that chance though. Unfortunately, it came after they had left the organization. Like Dmitry Kulikov winning with the Florida Panthers.
It’s always fun to keep tabs on former members of the organization. After all, Once an Oiler, Always an Oiler.
Let’s take a look at the other teams in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs and find out which former Oilers have a chance to win the Cup!
None: Anaheim Ducks, Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, Vegas Golden Knights
Boston Bruins
Viktor Arvidsson
Remember this name? You should, it’s only been one season since Viktor Arvidsson was an Oiler. One of many speedy, skilled wingers the team has cycled through over the past decade that did not work out. Arvidsson only lasted the one year in Edmonton before being shipped up to Boston following last season’s Stanley Cup Final loss.
After scoring just 15 goals and 27 points in 67 games as an Oiler, Arvidsson has bounced back splendidly as a Bruin with 25 goals and 54 points in 69 regular season games.
Buffalo Sabres
Sam Carrick, Ryan McLeod, Michael Kesselring
The Buffalo Sabres have a variety of former Oilers. Sam Carrick, though he is injured at the moment, was a brief tenured Oiler back in 2024 when he was acquired at the Trade Deadline. He played in 26 games total (regular season and playoffs), recording six points.
Although Michael Kesselring was traded before he made his NHL debut, he was still a rising prospect in the Oilers’ farm system leading up to it. He was included in a trade with the then-Arizona Coyotes, where he broke out as a bonafide NHLer shortly after. Kesslering was traded to Buffalo last offseason.
Ryan McLeod was turning into a fan favourite as an Oiler, though his offence had seemingly plateaued in Edmonton’s system. He was traded for new fan favourite Matthew Savoie, who has broken out with Edmonton in the latter stages of this season. McLeod has turned into a 50-point player with the Sabres.
Carolina Hurricanes
Taylor Hall
The 2010 first overall pick is making another trip to the postseason. After only appearing in the playoffs once in his first nine seasons, Hall has now made the playoffs in five of the past seven years.
Following his six seasons with the Oilers, Hall has turned into a journeyman player, well traveled across the league. He has played with six organizations over the past 10 years.
Colorado Avalanche
Brett Kulak
After playing a crucial role in two consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances as an Oiler, Brett Kulak was first traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier this season. He was shortly after sent to the Cup favourite Colorado Avalanche. Kulak looks to use his steady and reliable presence from the back end to guide the high-flying Avs to another deep postseason run.
Dallas Stars
Adam Erne, Alex Petrovic
Blink and you might have forgotten these two. Adam Erne and Alex Petrovic were both very short tenured Oilers from the past decade.
Erne signed for the 2023–24 season, playing in 24 games and recording two points. Petrovic was traded to the Oilers in the middle of the 2018–19 season, playing in just nine games before leaving as a free agent following that season.
Los Angeles Kings
Cody Ceci, Anton Forsberg
Ken Holland’s attempt at recreating the Edmonton Oilers in Los Angeles was short-lived as he already traded away a couple of the former Oilers that were on this roster. But Cody Ceci remains.
After being traded away following the 2023–24 season, Ceci split the 2024–25 season between the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars before Holland offered him a deal he could not refuse to join the Kings.
Anton Forsberg, interestingly, never actually played a game with the organization after signing as a free agent prior to the 2020–21 season. He was waived and claimed by his previous team, the Carolina Hurricanes, before the season began.
Minnesota Wild
Jeff Petry
It has been a hot minute since Jeff Petry donned an Oilers sweater. As the former Oiler winds down his career, he is getting what may be his final shot at a Stanley Cup. The former second-round pick was traded to Montreal over 10 years ago in the 2014–15 season. He has since played for the Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings, and now, the Wild.
Ottawa Senators
Warren Foegele
Warren Foegele was an important part of the depth of the past couple playoff runs, but he decided to leave the team after the 2023–24 season to sign with the Kings. Although he set career highs offensively in his first season in Los Angeles, this season was a nightmare for him. This ultimately saw him traded to the Ottawa Senators around the deadline.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Stuart Skinner
Skinner is sure to have some fans still cheering him on in Pittsburgh, despite all of the trials and tribulations he went through as an Oiler. He helped backstop this team to two consecutive Stanley Cup Finals, after all. Since being traded to Pittsburgh back in December, Skinner has posted an .885 save percentage and 2.99 goals against average.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Corey Perry
The ultimate runner-up in the NHL is Corey Perry, who has made the Stanley Cup Final in five of the last seven seasons. Perry lost every single one, including both with the Edmonton Oilers. After walking away this past offseason to sign with the Los Angeles Kings, Perry was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a second run with the franchise. Perry previously lost in the Cup Final with the Lightning in 2022. In 2025–26, Perry had 37 points in 72 combined games between the Kings and Lightning.
Utah Mammoth
Kailer Yamamoto, John Marino
The feisty spark plug that looked oh so promising at one point on a line with Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Kailer Yamamoto returns to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since his departure from the Oilers organization after the 2022–23 season. After one year in Seattle, Yamamoto joined the Utah franchise, where he has played the past two seasons. In 2025–26, he recorded 23 points in 59 games.
Marino was a former draft pick of the Oilers that was not inclined to sign with the franchise. That led to him being traded to the Penguins as his rights were expiring. He has turned into a solid NHL defender, relied on by multiple organizations, including the Utah Mammoth that he currently plays for.
Which former Oiler are you cheering for? Drop a comment below!
Photo by Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire
