The Edmonton Oilers are entering a crucial season. This could be the last chance they have at winning a Stanley Cup with their current core of players. Connor McDavid is in desperate need of a Stanley Cup, and if the Oilers can’t do it this year, they likely never will.
With that being said, I expect the entire roster to be ready to put up a huge season. Everyone needs to be at their best, from the first game of the season to the last. I believe that the Oilers offence will be ready to explode as the season gets underway.
Let’s take a look at some expectations for the forward group.
McDavid and Draisaitl
This is the year for McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to give everything they have. It is time to get really serious and get business done. Last year was a bit of a fluke, but it pointed the team toward a bounce-back year. I expect these two players will be at an all-time best.
For McDavid, an easy expectation is for him to be the team’s MVP. He has been exactly that ever since he was drafted. The forward is coming off the second-best point-scoring season of his career, in which he scored 48 goals and 138 points. I think that McDavid will be in for another 2022–23 type of season. That was his memorable 64-goal campaign that contributed to a career-high 153 points. Unfortunately, that year came to an end in the second round of the playoffs due to a strong Vegas Golden Knights team. In the end, another 150-point dominant season has to be the expectation for the captain.
This is the year for Draisaitl to hit the 60-goal plateau. He has come very close in prior seasons, scoring 52 and 55, but he has never hit the 60-goal mark. Like McDavid, Draisaitl had his most offensive season in the 2022–23 campaign. Here, he recorded 76 assists, leading to a 128-point season. I think that a great mark for Draisaitl would be to complete a 60–60 campaign, hitting the 120-point mark.
Both of these guys need to continue their offensive drive, but the entire season needs to be taken seriously. With Mike Babcock as the new coach, that is exactly what I expect.
The secondary guys (Nugent-Hopkins, Hyman, and Podkolzin)
All three of these secondary scorers will be just as valuable as McDavid and Draisaitl in 2026–27. Going into the season, some hockey fans have voiced some concern surrounding the Oilers’ forward depth. These three need to show up big and be the main sources of depth behind the big two. Personally, I have some worry about Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, but I think that Vasily Podkolzin is entering the biggest season of his career.
RNH and Hyman are entering their mid-thirties. They are still extremely valuable players, but let’s be honest, their best seasons are likely behind them. The chances of Hyman scoring 50 again are slim to none, and RNH would be lucky to hit 70 points again. Even with their best seasons behind them, I still think that both forwards can produce. A fair expectation for both of them would be to hit the 60-point mark.
Podkolzin is a bit of an outsider. He is not a main point-getter on the team, but he has become a very important piece of the forward core. Podkolzin brings a mix of power-forward and grinder-type play that the Oilers do not have a lot of. He likely will be getting first-line ice time this season, so the sky will be the absolute limit for him. I think an ideal season for Podkolzin would be to break a new career high in points by hitting the 50 mark.
The youngins (Howard and Savoie)
It is tough to set solid expectations for Isaac Howard and Matthew Savoie because so much is unknown going into the season. Savoie is currently dealing with an injury, and Howard is just replacing Savoie at the moment. Savoie is coming off a complete NHL season in which he played in every game last year and recorded the same number of points as Podkolzin. As long as his injury is nothing serious, I think Savoie has the potential to hit the 50–60 point mark. That can definitely be achieved playing alongside McDavid or Draisaitl.
Howard is a bit of a wild card. It is unknown whether he will play in the NHL all season or get some time in the AHL. Either way, I think the ideal goal and expectation for Howard would be to secure a full-time NHL role. As long as he can produce like a middle-six NHL forward, I think this season would be a significant step in the right direction.
The remaining depth
The remaining forward core of the Oilers consists of the following:
- Max Jones
- Alex Formenton
- Trent Frederic
- Kasperi Kapanen
- Colton Dach
- Josh Samanski
- Mathieu Joseph
- Jason Dickinson
- Mattias Janmark
Obviously, not all of these guys will be getting consistent playing time in the NHL. However, I think between all of these options, the Oilers can put together a decent bottom-six. Their main expectation for the upcoming season is to play great two-way hockey that helps shift momentum. Guys like Kapanen, Dach, and Dickinson had some great moments last season and were key members going into the playoffs. The main guy who needs to step up is Frederic. With his awful contract, he is desperately in need of a good season. A goal for him in 2026–27 would be to not get scratched for being unhealthy.
Formenton and Joseph will have to fight their way into the lineup. Both of them can bring some speed to the team and hopefully help out on the penalty kill. Assuming they can make the roster, the expectations for them will be fairly low to start the season.
Do you think these are fair expectations for the Oilers’ forward core?
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
