From the moment he was hired, Mike Babcock and the leaders of the Edmonton Oilers have talked about making everyone feel important. It makes sense, but we shouldn’t pretend this hasn’t happened in the past. I disagree with the notion that a few more shifts will guarantee better production from the bottom eight forwards, and I’d argue it is more about producing when you are on the ice, rather than needing more ice time.

Here is a look at the production of the forwards over the past three seasons. Kris Knoblauch was the coach for all but the first 13 games of the 2024 campaign. I put a line below Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins because those four have played the most minutes each of those three seasons. Will Vasily Podkolzin or Matt Savoie (when he’s healthy) end up playing more time on ice per game this season? Possibly, but it will depend on how they play and produce.

I wanted to have the three seasons side-by-side, so it is easier to see the production compared to time on ice.

McDavid played the most minutes last season, mainly due to averaging 1:03/GP on the penalty kill. I wouldn’t have him as one of my main penalty killers to start the season. I know he can do it, but I’d allow others to grab that role and own it. Jason Dickinson, Kasperi Kapanen, Mathieu Joseph, Kirby Dach, Vasily Podkolzin, Josh Samanski and Alex Formenton can get a look there.

But McDavid isn’t suddenly going to be playing 20 minutes a game. He’s too good and in too good of shape to play 20 minutes. Nathan MacKinnon averaged over 22 minutes a night last year, but I didn’t hear anyone in Colorado suggesting their depth players don’t produce because he plays too much.

Frankly, I think it is an overused theory in Edmonton. In 2024, the Oilers had many players produce regardless of their minutes.

Warren Foegele had 20 goals in 13:59 per game.
Corey Perry scored eight goals in 38 games, which prorates to 17 and averages 12:51.
Adam Henrique scored six in 22 games after being acquired at the trade deadline. Prorates to 22 goals.
Dylan Holloway had six goals in 38 games (prorates to 13), and he averaged 11:22.
Sam Gagner scored five goals in 28 games, playing 10:13 per game.

Only Connor Brown and Mattias Janmark struggled to score in the regular season, with each tallying four times. But both played better in the playoffs.

Last year, the Oilers depth guys didn’t produce. It is easy to blame Knoblauch, and I find he’s conveniently become the scapegoat for everything. I find it disingenuous to heap most of the blame on him. He, like many players, didn’t have as good a year in 2026 as he did in 2024 and 2025, but he shouldn’t be taking all the bullets.

Henrique slowed down and couldn’t produce with only three goals in 65 games.
Trent Frederic had four goals in 74 games playing 11 minutes per game.
Janmark had one goal while averaging 11:51/TOI.

Colton Dach came in, and in only eight games he scored twice while playing 10:02 per game. He found a way to contribute. Others should take note.

And depth guys can contribute in more ways than just goals and assists. Bring energy, kill penalties, be physical, be sound defensively, create a momentum-changing shift by spending time with the puck in the offensive zone. We didn’t see much of that last season, and it wasn’t due to time on ice. When they were on the ice, too often, nothing positive occurred. The Oilers need more production and consistent play from those forwards this year, whether they play 10, 12 or 15 minutes.

Look at Colorado’s production last season.

Parker Kelly had 21 goals playing 12:42 per game. And after the trade deadline, when the Avs added Nazem Kadri and Nicolas Roy, Kelly scored six goals in 22 games, playing 12:47.
Gavin Brindley scored six goals in 56 games, playing 9:33 per game.
Kelly and Brindley combined for 27 goals in 138 total games, while Frederic, Henrique, Curtis Lazar, David Tomasek, Max Jones, Josh Samanski, Isaac Howard, Noah Philp, Jason Dickinson and Mattias Janmark combined for 25 goals in a total of 355 combined games.

It is not a reach to claim their depth players need to produce more this season. It is misleading to only blame Knoblauch and suggest that reducing McDavid’s minutes will magically lead to the depth players producing more.

We shouldn’t overlook the struggles of the depth players. They can blame Knoblauch for all their woes, but if they don’t at least look in the mirror, they are doing themselves a disservice.

I’d have no issue with McDavid averaging around 21:30 per game. That is fine, and it’s more likely if the depth players are playing well.

I’ve long believed the players are major decision makers in how much they play. Play well, and the coach will keep you in the rotation. There has to be some emphasis on the need for the depth players to produce more. There has been way too much focus on reducing McDavid’s minutes while ignoring how grossly unproductive the depth forwards were last season. One of the main reasons Knoblauch played McDavid more is because he couldn’t find enough penalty killers to kill a penalty consistently.

Babcock will play the depth players a bit more, but what if McDavid is dominating? Is the coach just supposed to cap him at 21 minutes? I don’t think so.

Colorado proved you can play your best player 22 minutes per game and still get excellent production throughout the lineup.

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