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Which Oilers will be in the mix for NHL Awards in 2025-26?
Edmonton Oilers Evan Bouchard
Photo credit: © Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Sean Panganiban
Aug 27, 2025, 11:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 27, 2025, 11:16 EDT
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The Edmonton Oilers head into the 2025-26 season with one important goal and one trophy in mind to win: the Stanley Cup. But to make the playoffs, it starts with delivering through the grind of the regular season, and big performances over those 82 games set the stage for most individual awards.
Last season, Leon Draisaitl was the only Oiler to win individual hardware, taking home the Rocket Richard Trophy after leading the league with 52 goals. With the new season on the horizon, we break down which Oilers have a shot at winning some individual awards in 2025-26.

What Does Connor McDavid Have to Do to Reclaim the Hart Trophy in 2025-26?

At this stage of Connor McDavid’s career, with season 11 for him on its way, nothing matters more than winning the Stanley Cup.
Just recently, though, Oilersnation’s Aaron Bordato raised the question of whether the captain can take back the Hart Trophy and reclaim his M.V.P. status in the league, saying:
“It was Connor Hellebuyck last year [who won the Hart Trophy], Nathan MacKinnon the year before, and I believe when I looked through McDavid’s numbers over the last three years — 153 points, 132 points, 100 points, it also goes to 82 games, to 76 games, to 67 games, so it is on a little bit of a downward trajectory, I would never bet against Connor McDavid, I’m banking on those numbers to go back up, but can he reclaim his rightful throne at the top of the NHL?”
Quite simply, my answer is yes. Like Bordato mentioned, I would never count McDavid out of an M.V.P. trophy. When it comes to individual awards, he has that rare ability to almost flip a switch and say, ‘I want to win that,’ and then go out and do it — just like he did in 2022-23 when he won the Rocket Richard Trophy with 63 goals. That season, it almost felt like he wanted to show everyone that he could lead the NHL in goals and simply turned on the scoring switch.
That said, to take back the M.V.P. crown, he’ll need to continue his playmaking wizardry, but I also feel he needs to get back into his shooter’s mentality.
Over the last three seasons, his shots on goal per game have dropped. In 2022-23, when he scored 64 goals, his average shots on goal per game was 4.29, then it slipped to 3.46 the following season, and last year it dipped to 2.92. Yet, if he just flicks on his ‘scoring cheat code mode,’ which he certainly can, that should boost his chances of winning another Hart Trophy and hopefully carry that scoring confidence into the playoffs. Also, if he’s back in the Hart Trophy conversation next season, chances are he’s taking home the Art Ross too, a trophy he hasn’t won since 2022-23.

Can Draisaitl Make It Back-to-Back Rocket Richard Trophies?

Leon Draisaitl is that rare breed where he might be one of, if not the best, passers in the league, but he’s also one of the NHL’s best goal scorers. Over the last 10 seasons, he ranks third in regular-season goals with 397.
Last season, despite missing 11 games, he won his first Rocket Richard Trophy with 52 goals in 71 games, finishing seven ahead of Toronto’s William Nylander, who played all 82, and just missed out on winning his second Hart Trophy, finishing second in votes.
Draisaitl has reached the 50-goal mark in a season four times, last season tying Jari Kurri for the second-most in Oilers franchise history, behind Wayne Gretzky’s eight seasons. Moreover, he is also just the fourth player born outside North America to record four 50-goal campaigns. That said, year in and year out, the Oilers’ centerman could contend for several individual awards — the Art Ross, Hart, and perhaps even one day a Selke, but next season, his strongest case at winning an award, and the best chance among all the players mentioned in this piece to win individual hardware, is capturing his second straight Rocket Richard Trophy, which is very realistic for one of the best goal scorers of this generation.

Is a Norris Trophy Within Evan Bouchard’s Reach?

Oilers’ blueliner Evan Bouchard has played in 347 regular-season games and an additional 75 playoff games, and what we know about him is that he’s a playoff monster, but in the regular season, the defensive gremlins creep into his game more often than in the postseason.
Still, Bouchard, who signed a four-year deal last month with an annual average value of $10.5 million, could be in the mix for the Norris Trophy next season if his offence stays hot and he cleans up his Grade-A defensive lapses during the regular season, which is what most individual awards are based on.
He and his usual defence partner, Mattias Ekholm, have statistically been one of the best pairings in the NHL since the Swedish D-man arrived in Oil Country in 2023. Since then, according to Natural Stat Trick, among D-pairings that have played a minimum of 500 minutes together at 5v5, they rank:
– 1st in the NHL in High Danger Chances For percentage (61.16 HDCF%)
– 4th in the NHL in Scoring Chances For percentage (60.21 SCF%)
– 5th in the NHL in Shots For percentage (59.02 SF%)
– 7th in the NHL in Corsi (59.83 CF%)
Yet, when Ekholm missed the last three rounds of last playoffs, one might have assumed Bouchard’s play would dip as a result. In fact, he stepped up his game and maintained that elite playoff form, proving that, in a small sample size, he’s not just a byproduct of a veteran D-man carrying him.
Additionally, Bouchard finished 5th in Norris Trophy voting in 2023-24, and he finished 11th last season, which shows he’s been in the mix, even if only slightly.
On that note, the 2025-26 season will be a big one for the Oilers’ blueliner. With a brand new contract, he will make the fourth-most money among NHL blueliners. That kind of pressure could work against him, but for someone who usually plays with ice in his veins (sometimes too much), the hope is that he can carry over the confidence he showed playing like a #1 D-man last playoffs and maybe, just maybe, even win the Norris Trophy next season.

Could One of Isaac Howard or Matt Savoie Have an Outside Shot at the Calder Trophy?

When it comes to young Oilers rookies, expectations can sometimes run too high as they enter the NHL, and I usually like to temper them. I’ll take the same approach with the next two youngsters — Isaac Howard (59th) and Matt Savoie (58th), both ranked within Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis’ top 75 prospects, but for the sake of this piece, let’s explore how and why one of them could win the Calder Trophy.
The Oilers, with all the great players they’ve had in their history, have never had a Calder Trophy winner, and sometimes it feels like the rookie award just isn’t meant to be won in Edmonton. For example, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Connor McDavid were both trending to win in their rookie seasons but were denied by injuries, making it increasingly hard to believe that an Oiler is destined to claim the trophy.
Yet, Howard leaves the NCAA as one of college hockey’s best, and with Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch hinting he could play in the top six alongside Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl, you can’t help but think of Jim Carrey’s line in Dumb and Dumber — ‘So you’re telling me there’s a chance?’ — when it comes to winning the Calder Trophy, even if the odds are stacked against him.
As per Jason Gregor, Knoblauch alluded last month that he’s going to give the 21-year-old every chance to succeed in an offensive role, mentioning he’ll receive time on the PP, saying, “Howard is a very offensive player and we’d like to find him a role on the power play, probably on the second unit.”
Although the Oilers’ second unit isn’t leaned on heavily, the head coach also added that both Howard and Savoie will also be given chances to play in the top six:
“Ideally, we would love to have Howard and Savoie be able to play in the top six immediately and have an impact while learning from their mistakes. And hopefully that is the case. But we know there will be some hiccups. But from the organization standpoint, we have a lot of belief in these guys.”
That said, the 2025 Hobey Baker Award winner, Howard, scored 26 goals and 52 points in 37 games last season. He’s offensively gifted with a very quick release, and if, and it’s a big IF, he finds chemistry with McDavid, there’s certainly the possibility of him piling up a bunch of points and winning a Calder Trophy.
Alternatively, if Howard falls short of the rookie trophy — or of being an impactful player next season, for that matter — the Oilers have Savoie, who could also be in the Calder mix if everything clicks.
Savoie was recalled last season for a four-game stint in February, during the Oilers’ worst stretch of the campaign, right after the Four Nations faceoff, losing all four games he appeared in. However, there were some positives in Savoie’s short call-up — his wheels, skill, and hustle were all evident. In his first game with the club against the Philadelphia Flyers last February, he got hard on the forecheck, beat a Flyers D-man to the puck, and made a nifty backhand pass to his centerman, Leon Draisaitl, who used his backhand to score as well.
Based on that small sample of potential chemistry, and with Knoblauch hinting that he’ll also get a chance to play in the top six, I think it’s a very real possibility that Savoie will hold onto a spot on the second line next to Draisaitl next season. Stylistically, the two should complement each other well.
Savoie’s potential pairing with Draisaitl brings to mind the way former Oiler Kailer Yamamoto clicked with his centerman at their peak. I mention this because Savoie and Yamamoto share similarities — both are 5-foot-9 and tenacious forwards, though Savoie might even be more skilled and a stronger skater.
When Yamamoto was recalled from the AHL during the 2019-2020 season, he went on a tear, producing 26 points in 27 games, playing like a dog on a bone and consistently retrieving pucks for his centerman, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins played on the left wing, and they formed one of the league’s best lines during that stretch.
If that stylistic fit clicks and lightning strikes again for Draisaitl playing with a smaller, speedy and tenacious forward, Savoie could put up big numbers, and the Calder Trophy could be within reach.
With that in mind, which Oilers do you think are most likely to win individual awards next season?

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