The Edmonton Oilers have long been known for their powerful attack. From the dynasty years of the 1980s to the Connor McDavid era, scoring goals was never a problem for the oilers. On the way to the NHL season 2025-26, the team will again expect large numbers from McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and possibly Zach Hyman when he returns from an injury.
Which players will perform afterwards and add secondary scoring? That was the question former oilers coach and general director Craig Mctavish posed to Bob Stauffer On 880 oilers from Ched now. It is a legitimate question. Here are five players who have to get up in 2025-26 or have breakthrough seasons to be successful.
Trent Frederic
Trent Frederic will probably start the season on the top line of the oilers with McDavid and Draisaitl. Based on that alone, the patient winger should be able to get close to his career of 40 points, scored with the Boston Bruins in the 23-24 NHL season.
However, Frederic can be delayed by all the persistent effects of the high ankle sprain he sustained last season. He was healthy enough to adjust for the oilers in the play -offs of 2025, but he was not 100%. If Frederic is completely healthy this season, he could best surpass his career.
Andrew Mangiaipane
The oilers signed Andrew Mangiapane this summer in the hope that he would return to the player he was with the Calgary Flames in 2021-22, when he scored 35 goals and 55 points. Mangiapane, who played with the Washington Capitals last season, had a bit of a down year and scored 14 goals and 14 assists.
Based on the enthusiasm he has shown this preseason, notes that He is happy to play back in AlbertaThere is a good chance that he will surpass his totals from last season. If he has a strong start of the campaign, he could score 20 or more goals, which would be a big help for a team that needs a secondary score.
Matthew Savoie
Former Oilers GM Ken Holland gladly made sure that a prospect was ripe before he called him to the NHL. Based on the number of songs by Matthew Savoie last season in the American Hockey League (AHL), where he scored 19 goals and 54 points in 66 games, we must assume that he is ready for the NHL.
There is hope that head coach Kris Knoblauch Savoie will bring in a position to succeed, which means second or third line minutes, and when Hyman returns to the line-up, Draisaitl can return to the middle of the second line with Savoie on his wing. If that happens, we can expect a number of decent figures from the first -year oiler. Savoie played briefly with Draisaitl last season and they had good chemistry. If that chemistry develops, Savoie could be much more.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
The always reliable Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is expected to supply respectable pointed totals again this season. Although the figures of the 14-year-old veteran have fallen from his career height of 104 points (2022-23) in the last two seasons, Ngent-Hopkins can still be counted to contribute to the Power Play and on the score sheet.
Although he will be 33 in April and may have lost a step, he still thinks the game can be counted at a high level and can be counted in the right time. After losing Corey Perry, Evander Kane, Connor Brown, Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner this season, the Oilers count on Nugent-Hopkins to fill the void and have a bounce back year after counting 49 points last season.
Vasily Podkolzin
The expectations for Vasily Podkolzin are high after the oilers have signed the large winger for a three -year contract of $ 8.85 million this season. Last season, Podkolzin achieved eight goals and 24 points in 82 games. Based on his playoff performance, when he scored 10 points and had a plus-7 rating, the oilers hope that he will continue to get confidence and surpass his figures from 2024-25. Podkolzin seems to have found a good house in Edmonton, and that can mean a career high in goals and assists this season.
Oilers must start strong
Many in the Oilers organization, from McDavid to Bowman, have discussed the importance of a strong start of the 2025-26 campaign, in contrast to the past two or three seasons. Bowman will keep a close eye on his selection, and if someone does not play his potential, especially in the forward group, you can expect Bowman to arrive a secondary score before the Handelsdeadline of 2026 at the beginning of March.
Related: 5 oilers to watch during the preseason
The Oilers have many questions that are going on this season, from the McDavid contract to goal convenation to who will come up and will have a big offensive year outside the superstars of the team. The hope is that the oilers get positive answers early on; Otherwise, more questions will arise.
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