(Preface: CFB Wainwright, you are in our thoughts and well-wishes. It is incredibly tough to think about anything else currently, but my hope has always been to offer some light comfort in my writing. Even if only momentarily, I hope this can accomplish that. -LM)
It has long been a fact that the Edmonton Oilers are a good team. In fact, they might rival the turn-of-the-millennium Detroit Red Wings if they just had some darn-tootin’ goaltending. At least, that’s been the most common refrain, 2024 notwithstanding.
Lo and behold, the Oilers are 6–1–1 to start the year, and goaltending since the Vancouver Canucks games has been stellar. They just had their longest unbeaten (in regulation) streak to start a year since the NHL100 Greatest Team Oilers. The depth scoring might leave something to be desired, but everything else is paying dividends.
Amidst this torrid pace, the usual suspects dominate. But there’s surprises to be found, too. And we put it to you, the fans, to figure out which surprise has been the most prominent on this Oilers team. Who, outside of the stars, has blown you all away the most?
Want to take part in Sunday Census polls? We send them out every week on our Twitter at @oilrigEDM. Follow along or send in ideas for the next poll!
Levi’s (performances) look great on this team
It’s hilarious to think that, in the offseason, Devon Levi was signed as a perceived third-string goalie. Ideally, he would be learning under the tutelage of two veterans with Stanley Cup rings. Yes, Tristan Jarry has a 2017 Cup ring because he played his first NHL games for the 2016–17 Penguins.
With Frederik Andersen on the shelf and Jarry stumbling at first, Levi has delivered some clutch performances. His first game, against the Vancouver Canucks, was absolutely not a Picasso. But since then, he’s been nigh unbeatable.
A plurality of voters, nearly 40% all told, saw that fact and gave him their “Biggest Surprise” vote. Nobody expected a Devon Levi who spent the entire Buffalo Sabres’ magical 2025–26 season in the minors, to turn into the Oilers’ starter. In other news, goaltending is voodoo.
Not every forward is a factor, but Podz & Michaels sure are
About the only valid criticism of the Oilers so far is that, Canucks fireworks displays notwithstanding, scoring isn’t balanced. Sure, scoring is plentiful, but take a look at why that is. When Evan Bouchard is in the Rocket Richard Trophy mix and Connor McDavid is doing more things not seen since 1995–96 Mario Lemieux, that tells it all.
Two forwards were included in this poll, for different reasons. Vasily Podkolzin was included because he has gone from solid middle-six tag-team option to top-line stud. Featuring alongside McDavid, and Leon Draisaitl, Podkolzin already has 11 points (seven goals and four assists). The Canucks drafted him top-10 for a reason, after all.
Owen Michaels, bearing the same name of the craft shop where this observer goes for Halloween supplies, has done well in his own right. Undrafted and unheralded, Mike Babcock did right by him, and gave him a fair chance. He’s put it all together, and been one of the better depth options so far this season on this team.
Fittingly, each of them got over a quarter of the vote, to tie for second place in this poll. They’re like works of art: they come to be surprises on this team in different ways, yet they’re both cool to observe. And all the same, they’re helping the Oilers to at least try and keep the scoring balanced.
Some love for Ryan Shea, who has fit in well on the back end
Lost in the weeds to start the campaign, Bouchard aside, is the defence. Given how much discourse and dinner-table debates have been devoted to that corps in the past however many years, the fact they’re not being talked about might actually be a good thing. But it does make it surprising, still, how well one new addition has adapted.
Just over 7% of voters picked Ryan Shea as the biggest surprise, unsurprisingly given what you just read. However, it is worth pondering how the defence has suddenly stabilized. True, some of it is Babcock’s doing, but Shea, along with Connor Murphy, have been added consciences.
Shea has so far been a steady second-pairing defenceman, posting an expected goals-for of 53% and actual goals-for of 70%. His contributions in 22:44 average of ice time may not be sung the most praises by Oil Country. But sometimes, low-key is better, and the Oilers have that in spades defensively now. Amen.
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