With training camp completed, things are about to heat up for the Edmonton Oilers.

But before the season officially gets underway, it’s time to put some final predictions out on the internet. Some picks will be no-brainers, while others will be a little bolder. With that in mind, here are my picks for who I think will lead the Oilers in some key statistical categories in 2026-27.

The Oilers’ penalty-minute leader last season was Darnell Nurse with 104 PIMs, followed by Vasily Podkolzin with 63 PIMs and Trent Frederic with 58 PIMs.

With Nurse gone, it makes way for a new sheriff of the sin bin, and I’ll predict that it’s going to be Frederic, who’ll spend the most time in the penalty box.

Frederic had a disappointing first season in Oil Country in 2025-26, and he alluded in the summer that his body didn’t start feeling 100 per cent until after the Olympic break.

That said, it seems he’s coming into this season feeling more refreshed and likely motivated to prove that last season wasn’t a true representation of the player he is. With Mike Babcock now behind the bench, it’s also a fresh start with a new coach and an opportunity for Frederic to show that he can be an impact player.

I’m not expecting Frederic to pile up a ton of PIMs because he’s taking undisciplined penalties, though I’m sure there will likely be some, more so because he’ll be involved in the battles and getting under the opposition’s skin.

I can see the coincidental penalties, fights and, heck, even some 10-minute misconducts dished out to him throughout the season. I’ll predict 77 PIMs for Frederic in 2026-27, which would be a career-high.

Another category where Nurse led the Oilers last season was in the shot-blocking department, and with the blueliner now in San Jose, it opens the door for another Oiler to step up and eat a lot of frozen rubber this season.

That said, I feel Connor Murphy will lead the Oilers in blocked shots in 2026-27. The D-man led the Oilers with 16 blocks in 127:36 minutes last playoffs, and according to Natural Stat Trick, among all players who played a minimum of 100 postseason minutes, Murphy’s 7.52 blocks per 60 minutes ranked fourth in the NHL.

I’m predicting 168 blocks from Murphy in 2026-27, which would average out to two blocks per game over an 84-game season and surpass his career-high of 160.

Connor McDavid led the team last season with 48 goals, but I predict that Leon Draisaitl takes the crown for most tallies in 2026-27, and one reason is simple: he’s been the most dominant goal scorer over the last five seasons, with his 235 goals being the most in the NHL during that span.

In order for Draisaitl to reclaim his goal-scoring throne this season, he’ll need to increase his shot volume. Last season, he averaged 2.86 shots per game while scoring 35 goals. The season before, when he scored 52 goals, he averaged 3.38 shots per game.

Also, while the line combinations have been a mixed bag throughout training camp, Babcock has said he’d like to start with the dynamic duo on the same line. Whether they stay together for the rest of the season remains to be seen, but if they do play a significant amount of time together, you can bet Draisaitl will be the trigger man on their line.

My prediction: Draisaitl gets back to the 50-goal plateau in 2026-27, leading the Oilers in goals.

For who will lead the Oilers in assists and points, I could simply write, “Connor McDavid, period,” and all of you would nod your heads in agreement, and we could move on to the next category.

But if you need a little more convincing (I don’t think you do), here it is. The Oilers’ captain led the NHL with 138 points (48 goals, 90 assists) last season, winning the Art Ross Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award and finishing 41 points ahead of Draisaitl, who played 17 fewer games than the captain. Also, in his 11-year career, he’s only failed to lead the team in points three times and assists twice, mainly due to shortened seasons because of injuries.

There’s nothing overly bold about this prediction. McDavid is the obvious choice, and I’m predicting the captain leads the Oilers with 131 points (41 goals, 90 assists) in 2026-27.

With the high-pace and pressure system that we’ve seen implemented in training camp from Babcock, I’m going to take a guess and say there’s likely an emphasis on each player finishing their checks, too. And because of that, I’d say the Oilers as a whole will see an increase in hits this season.

Last season, Vasily Podkolzin led the team for the second straight season with 242 hits, and I’d expect him to lead them again for the third straight season. But there’s one factor that might get in the way of it, a positive one, though, and that’s the Oilers getting a full season of Colton Dach.

While Podkolzin tossed 242 hits last season, Dach wasn’t far behind, throwing 219 hits.

That said, Dach’s 18.77 hits per 60 minutes was much higher than Podkolzin’s 11.52 per 60, which makes the case that Dach could very well challenge Podkolzin for the most hits this season.

Having said that, as the resident Podkolzin enthusiast, I have to give the nod to ‘Pods’ for most hits this season, especially with him likely getting more ice time and being the bruiser on the top line. Also, his skills coach, Ned Lukacevic, has said he looks quicker on the ice, which should give him the ability to close in on opponents quicker.

As a result, I predict Podkolzin will lead the Oilers in hits for the third straight season, with 252  for the Muscle from Moscow.

A good plus/minus for an NHL defenceman comes down to being on the ice for more goals for than goals against, which means defending well, moving the puck up the ice and helping your team put the puck in the back of the net.

Last season, Mattias Ekholm led the Oilers with the best plus/minus in the regular season at +32, followed by Evan Bouchard at +25.

For 2026-27, my prediction is that Bouchard will lead the Oilers in plus/minus, and a big part of that is because I feel he’ll cut down on his goals against at five-on-five.

A couple of reasons for that are, first, simply maturity, while the second is the new defensive system that’s being implemented.

The next reason is motivation.

One source of that motivation could be the fact that he had an entire offseason to think about not even being named a Norris Trophy finalist, despite leading all NHL defencemen with 95 points last season. Perhaps that’s enough to light a fire under his bottom.

That said, the blueliner was on the ice for 69 goals against last season at five-on-five, and I’ll predict he cuts that number down by 12 per cent while still banking a ton of points. With improved defensive play and another good offensive season, I’m predicting Bouchard finishes at +33 and leads the Oilers in plus/minus for the first time in his career.

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