The 2025-26 NHL season is almost here.

The Edmonton Oilers rookies report to camp next Wednesday, September 10. They practice on Thursday, play Calgary on Friday, practice Saturday, and play Calgary again on Sunday. The NHL veterans will report on Wednesday, September 17, and will be on the ice the following day. The first pre-season games are Sunday, September 21, with two split-squad games against the Flames.

Here are the 10 storylines I’ll be watching this season.

From every conversation I have had over the past 16 months regarding Connor McDavid’s contract, I have always sensed it will get done. I did not expect him to sign until after August. Now that we are in September, I still think it will happen. No guarantees, though, and while I understand the longer it goes, the more angst Oilers fans will have, I still believe it will get done. For years, I have written and talked about the benefits of shorter-term deals in the NHL. I think a five-year max for players 28 and over would be ideal. There are benefits for both sides, and a shorter term makes sense.

With the salary cap increasing so much in the next few seasons, I get why McDavid would not lock into an eight-year deal at $16-$17 million. The cap will be $104 million in the first year of his new deal and $113 million in the second; it could be $130 million by his fourth season. Signing for eight years could cost him a lot of money, so he has no reason to do it. For the Oilers, signing him to a three- or four-year deal would force them to remain competitive and stay a top contender, setting up another extension afterward.

I expect McDavid to remain an Oiler past this season, but I would be lying if I said I know when he will sign. They have yet to have any in-depth negotiations, but this will not be a difficult conversation, and I believe that once both sides sit down for legitimate discussions, a deal will be reached quickly.

You will read and hear a lot of speculation around McDavid’s future. It is a big story league-wide because he is the best player in the world, and every market would love to have him. It will be difficult for Oilersnation to remain calm and confident until a new contract is announced, but I would recommend ignoring the noise and predictions, most of which are, at best, educated guesses and, at worst, outright fiction.

The longer McDavid goes without a contract, the more speculation you’ll read and hear about him leaving. Every team would want him, but how many give him a better chance to win? Edmonton has dominated the Western Conference the past two seasons, going unbeaten in series out West; Florida is the only team that has beaten them.

Nathan MacKinnon and Nikita Kucherov are the only forwards in Draisaitl’s neighborhood skill-wise, and Colorado also has Cale Makar. They’re the one team that might offer as good a chance to win. However, even with MacKinnon, Makar, and Mikko Rantanen (until he was traded last year), the Avalanche have won only one playoff round since lifting the Cup in 2022. Winning is hard, and if McDavid’s main goal is to win, Edmonton offers one of the best paths. That’s why I expect him to sign a new deal with the Oilers.

Can Matt Savoie or Ike Howard become solid complementary forwards this year?

Savoie had a great rookie pro season in Bakersfield. He logged heavy minutes in all situations (penalty kill, power play, and at even strength) and handled them well. He learned a lot, and his penalty-killing prowess gives him a real chance to earn a few extra minutes.

The Oilers’ regular-season PK has been below average the past three years: 20th in 2023 at 77.0 percent, 15th in 2024 at 79.5 percent, and 16th in 2025 at 78.2 percent. Overall, they rank 18th at 78.2 percent over that span. It is rare for a single forward to move a PK meaningfully on his own, but head coach Kris Knoblauch has already spoken glowingly about Savoie’s work there, so I expect he’ll get minutes early. Being on special teams keeps a player in the flow, too. If Savoie hits 30 points this season, that would be a very solid rookie campaign.

I will not be surprised if Howard starts in the AHL, simply because jumping straight from college to the NHL is tough. I would rather see him play 18-20 minutes a night in Bakersfield and build confidence and reps than fight for limited minutes in the NHL. Of course, he could show up at camp and light it up. The Oilers could use a top-six winger who can score at 5-on-5, which makes him an intriguing watch.

If he does not make the team right away, that is not a negative. It just means he will take the route that roughly 80 percent of NHL players take, which starts in the AHL.

Ekholm and his wife love Edmonton. They’re very happy here and have no interest in leaving. He’s made close to $50 million in his career, so they’re financially set. Money is always part of a negotiation, but happiness matters more.

Ekholm is 35 and in the final year of his $6.25 million deal. He’ll be 36 when his new contract begins, and don’t be surprised if his AAV comes in lower than many public projections that have him at $6 million-plus. Those estimates aren’t outlandish. It’s simply that the Ekholms are very happy here, and money isn’t their main motivation at this stage of his career.

I’d be surprised if both Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard are in Edmonton after the trade deadline. I think one will be moved, and which one depends on how they play over the next few months. AAV is a big factor: as currently constructed, the Oilers don’t have much salary tied up in their tandem ($3.6 million), so adding a star goalie would require moving out other big salaries.

Skinner is only 26, and many NHL goalies don’t find their stride until their mid-to-late 20s, so I can see why GM Stan Bowman will monitor his performance leading up to the deadline. Skinner had an excellent 50-game regular season under Knoblauch in 2024 and was good in 21 of 23 playoff games that year. Last season, his play dipped, which happens to a lot of goalies, and this season we’ll see if he can rebound.

Knoblauch coached in Major Junior and the AHL, where there is more practice time, and in those stops, they dedicated days to skills. He wants to instill that in Edmonton, and a main reason he hired Conor Allen as skills coach was Allen’s work with USA Hockey’s U-17 National Team Development Program (NTDP). Allen has excelled at building individual development plans and will do the same with the Oilers. Enhancing specific skills should help players make more plays and finish more chances.

The Oilers are a skilled team. They led the NHL in SH% in 2023 at 11.8%. They were 10th in 2024 (10.56) and dipped to 26th last year at 9.87. Over the past three years, they ranked 11th at 10.76, so getting back to that this season would not be a surprise. With these enhanced practices, I am curious to see how much they improve certain aspects of players’ games.

This is a long-term plan, and results will take time, but Knoblauch’s decision should only help the Oilers. The question is how much.

I have heard Knoblauch would like to get the second power-play unit a bit more ice time.

The Oilers ranked 23rd in PP opportunities last year (215) and 23rd in PP TOI (348:56). Despite the lack of opportunities and total TOI, the first-unit players all ranked in the top 50 in TOI/GP: Evan Bouchard and Leon Draisaitl tied for 27th at 3:16, Connor McDavid was T-35 (3:13), Zach Hyman T-43 (3:09), and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins T-50 (3:06). Ideally they would draw more penalties this season, which would give the second unit more time, but it sounds like Knoblauch will look to get that group more minutes regardless of how many PPO they create.

We could even see the second unit start the occasional PP, especially if McDavid’s or Draisaitl’s line has been on the ice for an extended shift leading into it. It will also be interesting to see who lands on that unit and how much more time they get. Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson averaged 1:13 and 1:05 per game, respectively, last year. Corey Perry was at 1:18, though he filled in on the first unit when Hyman was injured. If Howard is here, he will get a look, with Andrew Mangiapane, Matt Savoie, Adam Henrique, Trent Frederic, Jake Walman, Darnell Nurse, and Mattias Ekholm among the other options.

The Oilers increased prices in the spring, including a massive rise for the playoffs. How much will that impact crowd size?

Podkolzin hitting 18 or more goals would surpass his career high of 14, set in his rookie season with the Canucks in 2022. He split the 2023 and 2024 seasons between the AHL (72 GP) and the NHL (58 GP) before the Oilers acquired him last summer.

The Russian winger had a solid first year in Edmonton, though his eight goals were light considering how often he played with Draisaitl. His role on that line was to get Draisaitl the puck, and he did. In the playoffs, Podkolzin posted 3-7-10 in 22 games. He was more of a playmaker than a finisher last season, but he focused this off-season on his offensive game and finishing.

Will he break out and score 18 or more?

The Oilers will have four left shots in the top six on defence (Ekholm, Nurse, Walman, and Brett Kulak), so at least one will need to play the right side with Bouchard or with Troy Stecher/Ty Emberson.

With Paul Coffey not returning, Mark Stuart will run the blueline this season, and his approach will differ slightly from Coffey’s. Stuart leans more on video. Will that lead to different pairings? It makes sense to start Bouchard with Ekholm, but if they want to trim Ekholm’s minutes, Walman or Nurse could see time with Bouchard.

I still believe they would like to acquire a proven second-pair RD, but that likely will not happen until closer to the trade deadline. Until then, who will be the regular partners?

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