OilersNation has no direct affiliation to the Edmonton Oilers, Oilers Entertainment Group, NHL, or NHLPA

Monday Musings: 10 Burning Questions for Edmonton Oilers 2026-27 season

Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

By Jason Gregor

Jul 20, 2026, 17:00 EDT

Comments

The Edmonton Oilers’ main camp starts in 58 days on Sept. 16.

They play their first preseason game on Saturday, Sept. 19, and for the first time in franchise history, the Oilers start the regular season with a game in September. The NHL season is approaching quickly, and with Colton Dach signing last week, the Oilers have their entire roster signed. General Manager Stan Bowman could make a trade before the season begins, but it seems more likely he will be patient and give opportunities to some young players.

Which leads me to 10 burning questions.

1. Who will Matt Savoie play with to start the season?

Matt Savoie finished the season strong with 19 points in the final 24 games after the Olympic break. Savoie scored 14 points at five-on-five in those games. Here is a breakdown of his season playing with Connor McDavid and/or Leon Draisaitl and without them.

Player	Player	Player	GP	TOI	SF	SA	SF%	GF	GA	GF%
Savoie	McDavid	Draisaitl	65	20:52	10	9	52.63	3	1	75
Savoie	McDavid	w/o Draisaitl	82	315:55	165	141	53.92	18	15	54.55
Savoie	Draisaitl	w/o McDavid	65	173:04	97	74	56.73	12	7	63.16
Savoie	w/o McDavid	w/o Draisaitl	82	481:43	209	205	50.48	15	22	40.54

He skated 48.5 per cent of his time away from either superstar. However, in the final 24 games he played more with them, and his production increased.

Player	Player	Player	GP	TOI	SF	SA	SF%	GF	GA	GF%
Savoie	McDavid	Draisaitl	10	0:27	0	0	0	0	0	0
Savoie	McDavid	w/o Draisaitl	24	202:34	110	87	55.84	13	7	65
Savoie	Draisaitl	w/o McDavid	10	42:37	29	19	60.42	5	4	55.56
Savoie	w/o McDavid	w/o Draisaitl	24	76:37	29	35	45.31	3	2	60

In the final 24 games, Savoie played 76.4 per cent of his time with them, and 62.7 per cent of his five-on-five TOI with McDavid. He and Vasily Podkolzin played the most with McDavid in the final 14 games when Draisaitl was out of the lineup. I’d be surprised if Mike Babcock started them as a trio this season. Podkolzin and Draisaitl are a great duo, as are McDavid/Hyman, so I’d build around those two pairs and fill out a winger on each line.

Savoie played the third-most minutes at five-on-five among forwards after the Olympic break, and his 14 points were second-most behind McDavid. Savoie should start the season in the top six, and I would try him with McDavid to start.

2. Where will Isaac Howard play?

In his 29 NHL games, Isaac Howard logged over 283 minutes at five-on-five but only played 12.5 per cent (36 minutes) with either McDavid or Draisaitl.

He was a rookie and when he played, he was mainly in the bottom six. Because he played 29 games, he won’t qualify as a rookie this coming season, but I’d still view Howard as one. He was able to get a taste of the NHL while playing 47 games in the AHL and scoring 24 goals. It was a great season of development for him, and I expect him to come to camp with a very realistic opportunity to make the team. Howard is better suited to play in the top six, and I could see the first three lines looking like this on opening night:

Savoie-McDavid-Hyman

Podkolzin-Draisaitl-Howard

RNH-Dickinson-Kapanen

If you want to swap Savoie and Howard, that is fine. Last year, the Oilers had nine forwards average over 12 minutes per game at five-on-five, with seven of them over 13 minutes.

Babcock outlined he wants to reduce the TOI of McDavid and Draisaitl. Doing that at five-on-five and the penalty kill makes sense, and if Howard is in the top nine, he should be able to average around 13 minutes per game at five-on-five. If he does, along with some limited time on the power play, that will be enough opportunity to show he can contribute in the NHL. How much he contributes offensively remains to be seen. He has the potential to be a good finisher, but Babcock will need to be patient.

3. How many games will Jake Walman play?

With Darnell Nurse in San Jose, Jake Walman will be given more playing time. In his last four NHL seasons, Walman has played 63, 63, 65, and 53 NHL games. Injuries have led to him missing more than one full season (84 games) over the past four years.

He needs to be available more often this season, and his injury history will be a concern until he shows he can avoid the injury bug. He needs to be in better shape this year than he was when he arrived last season. Part of that was due to him having to rehab over the summer, but with his new contract kicking in this year, Walman needs to find a way to be in the lineup more often.

4. How many games will the goalies play?

The Oilers will start the season with Freddie Andersen, Tristan Jarry, and Devon Levi on the roster. They plan to carry three goalies, at least to start the season.

Andersen has started 34, 16, 22, and 35 games the past four years. There is no need to start him more than 30 games this year — better to keep him rested and healthy for the playoffs.

Jarry only played 36 games last year due to injury, but in the previous seasons he played 48 (12 in the AHL), 51, 47, and 58. He needs to show the organization he can play well and stay healthy, and if he does, he likely will start the most games.

The interesting one is Levi. He turns 25 in December. He didn’t play in the NHL last year, but played 52 games in the AHL. The year prior, he played 42 in the AHL and nine in the NHL, and in 2024, he made 26 appearances in the AHL and 23 in the NHL.

This is the first time he needs to clear waivers, which is why they plan to carry three goalies. But how much will Levi play? If he starts 20 games, that leaves 64 for Jarry and Andersen. What is your best guess on the number of starts for each goalie?

5. What will Nugent-Hopkins receive when he sets the franchise record?

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has played 1,031 regular-season NHL games for the Oilers. Kevin Lowe holds the franchise record with 1,037. The Oilers’ seventh game of the season is at home versus Utah on Thursday, Oct. 15, and RNH can set the standard that night.

He will be honoured by the team, but what do you think he will receive as a gift for setting a new milestone? Something related to horse racing? A framed collage of his career?

Playing 1,000 games for a franchise is rare, as only 84 players have done it and the only active players to lead their team in games played are Alex Ovechkin (1,573, WSH), Sidney Crosby (1,420, PIT), and Viktor Hedman (1,164, TBL). RNH will be the fourth.

Jared Spurgeon needs 17 games to become the Wild’s all-time leader at 1,029, and Mikael Backlund needs 72 games to pass Jarome Iginla for the Flames’ franchise mark at 1,220.

6. Who will be the third-pair right D-man?

Ty Emberson, Shakir Mukhamadullin, Spencer Stastney, and Alec Regula will battle it out. Emberson is a natural right-handed defenceman while Mukhamadullin is a left-handed defenceman who can play the right side. Those two are the front-runners for me.

Regula is my wildcard. He is the best puck mover and he’s the biggest. He isn’t overly physical, but the Oilers want defencemen who can move the puck. Stastney doesn’t do anything that really stands out, and due to the new preseason rules, he can only play two games because he has 100-plus games of NHL experience, so he will have a very short window to impress.

Emberson had a solid year last year, but he will be pushed. He did improve moving the puck quicker, but it will come down to who defends better. Can Regula push for a spot? Can Emberson hold onto his spot?

7. Will McDavid win his seventh Art Ross and move into sole possession of second place all time?

I don’t buy the theory McDavid has to sacrifice offence by playing better defensively.

Nathan MacKinnon led the NHL with 75 points at five-on-five while outscoring his opponents 100–42. I think the narrative about sacrificing offence to be better defensively is bunk. The more you have the puck, the less you have to defend. McDavid won the scoring title in 2017 and 2018 and again in 2021, 2022, and 2023, and he will be looking to win consecutive scoring titles for the third time.

If anything, McDavid should produce more this season if he improves his defensive game at five-on-five. He had 57 points at five-on-five and outscored opponents 75–68. His 2.46 points per 60 minutes was the lowest rate in his career. He had the lowest first assist per 60 minutes rate of his career as well. McDavid playing fewer minutes five-on-five, being more responsible defensively and having a better finisher on his line will lead to more points at five-on-five.

I expect him to win Art Ross No. 7 this season.

8. Will the Oilers have six 20-plus goal scorers?

Last season was the first time since 1992 that Edmonton had six players score 20-plus goals, and Podkolzin (19) and Savoie (18) were close. The franchise record is eight skaters with 20-plus goals and that happened four times in 1982, 1983, 1984, and 1992. The last time the franchise had consecutive seasons with six 20-plus goal scorers was 1991 and 1992.

McDavid, Draisaitl, and Hyman seem like locks, which means three of Bouchard, Podkolzin, RNH, Savoie, and Howard need to do it. Or could Kasperi Kapanen reach 20 for the second time in his career?

9. Can Edmonton finish top 10 in goals against?

They have done it twice in the McDavid/Draisaitl era when they finished eighth in 2017 and 10th in 2024.

They finished eighth in 2017, 27th in 2018, tied for 25th in 2019, 17th in 2020, tied for 11th in 2021, 18th in 2022, 17th in 2023, 10th in 2024, 14th in 2025, and 25th last season. It should be one of their main goals this season.

10. Will the Oilers end their NHL record drought of 38 seasons without winning their division?

The Oilers haven’t finished first in their division since 1987. They’ve won two Cups since then and lost in the Cup Final three times, so it isn’t a must if you want to make the Final, but they are long overdue.

In the past decade, they have finished second six times, but were beaten by Anaheim (2017), Vegas (2020), Toronto (2021), Calgary (2022), Vancouver (2024), and Vegas (2026). Vegas has won the division five times in their nine-year existence. It is LONG overdue that the Oilers win their division.

PRESENTED BY LeaseBusters

LeaseBusters is Canada’s premier lease takeover marketplace, helping drivers get out of their current vehicle leases without costly penalties or negative equity. Instead of paying thousands to break a lease, sellers connect with qualified buyers ready to take it over—saving money and avoiding financial stress. Buyers benefit from shorter-term commitments and often better monthly payments, while dealerships retain a replacement customer and leasing companies keep contracts active. It’s a smarter, more efficient solution for everyone involved. Four parties, four wins—only with LeaseBusters. For more information, check out www.LeaseBusters.com.