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NHL Notebook: Former Oilers winger Kent Nilsson predicted to be named to 2026 Hockey Hall of Fame class
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Zach Laing
Nov 11, 2025, 19:00 ESTUpdated: Nov 11, 2025, 19:11 EST
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Kent Nilsson wasn’t in Edmonton for long after being acquired in March 1987, but the impact he made was massive.
He would score five goals and 17 points in 17 games in the end of the regular season before going on a playoff run that saw him score six goals and 19 points in 21 games, helping the Oilers secure their second straight Stanley Cup and third in the franchise’s short history.
It cemented him as one of the Top 100 Oilers in franchise history, while also marking the end of his NHL career — save for six games with the Oilers in 1994-95 — capping off a successful 553-game career that included stints with the Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets, and Minnesota North Stars, tallying 264 goals and 686 points.
Heading into his 26th year of eligibility for the Hockey Hall of Fame in next years class, Adjusted Hockey’s Paul Pidutti, an expert on the Hall, predicts this will be the year he gets in.
Nilsson falls under the “previously overlooked” category of players, with Pidutti noting his 900 points in 711 North American games that included a World Hockey Association stint with the Jets.
“As part of a little-known balloting clause, should there be fewer players selected than the allowable max, the Committee votes only on nominated candidates eligible for 15-plus years,” Pidutti wrote for Daily Faceoff. “It’s often why we get the odd throwback choice out of nowhere. In a year low on fresh blood, one of these pioneers could get a surprise call.”
The remainder of Pidutti’s projected 2026 class looks like so:
  • Patrice Bergeron (1st year)
  • Carey Price (2nd year)
  • Sergei Gonchar (9th year)
  • Kent Nilsson (26th year)
  • Noora Räty (1st year)
  • Meghan Duggan (6th year)
  • Francois Allaire (Builder)
  • Kerry Fraser (Referee)

Other news and notes…

  • Speaking of Hall of Fame classes, the 2025 class were inducted as a generation of players I grew up watching officially entered the Hall. It was headlined by former Edmonton Oilers defenceman Duncan Keith, as well as Zdeno Chara and Alexander Mogilny. Also entering the class were Hart Trophy winner Joe Thornton, Olympic gold medalists Jennifer Botterill, Brianna Decker and Daniele Sauvageau, and Boston University coaching legend Jack Parker.
  • A scary moment happened Sunday for Carolina Hurricanes rookie defenceman Charles-Alexis Legault, who suffered a skate cut to his right hand during their 5-4 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. It happened during a second period skirmish when his hand was accidently cut by the blade of Leafs winger Nick Robertson. The Hurricanes announced Tuesday Legault underwent surgery a day prior to repair “multiple torn extensor tendons” in his right hand, and is expected to miss three-to-four months.
Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the Daily Faceoff DFS Hockey Report. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.

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