Matt Savoie already answered the biggest question in Edmonton: he belongs.
After an 18-goal breakout in 2025-26, the Oilers don’t need to wonder whether he can handle NHL minutes or fit in their lineup. He settled that last season, playing all 82 games and looking sharper after the Olympic break. By the end of the year, he had given people plenty of reason to think he could be a regular in the team’s top six for a long time.
The real question now is bigger. Heading into 2026-27, how far can this go?
That second-half surge may have been more than a run of good fortune. For Oilers fans, it looked like the start of a player who can score 20-plus goals on a consistent basis. The challenge is turning that finish into a full season, because that’s the standard he’ll need to meet next year.
Contractly, the stakes are just as clear. If Savoie doesn’t show that level across another 82 games, any shot at a major deal that resembles the big RFA contracts handed out this summer becomes a stretch.
Edmonton would love to hand him a big extension. That’s the tell.
If the organization were fully convinced it already knew exactly what it had, Savoie would probably be signed by now. Instead, the Oilers are taking the patient route and waiting for another season of proof before committing to a bridge deal or a long-term contract at a higher cap hit.
That doesn’t mean they’re skeptical of his talent. It means they want more evidence before making a serious financial bet.
So the burden now falls on Savoie. Not to prove he can play in the NHL - that part is done - but to prove the stretch run was his new normal, not just his peak. If he can make that leap, he’ll become the kind of player general managers line up to bet on, the sort of contract that can look like a steal almost immediately.
In Other News...
Kasperi Kapanen Is Suddenly Caught In The Oilers' Toughest Lineup Call
Kasperi Kapanens place in the Oilers forward mix has become one of the more interesting decisions hanging over camp, because Edmonton is no longer short on options. The conversation is not just about whether Kapanen can fit into the top half of the lineup, but how the team balances established names with younger forwards who are pushing for meaningful minutes. Matt Savoie and Isaac Howard have both added pressure to a group that already needs to sort out where the offense is going to come from beyond the obvious stars.
Mike Babcocks preferred line construction only makes the puzzle trickier, especially with Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins all factors in how the top end gets arranged. Once the coaches start sorting out those combinations, the ripple effect reaches all the way down the lineup and puts Kapanen in a spot where his role is far from settled. What looked like a simple depth question now feels like one of Edmontons toughest calls. [Read more 🡒]
Podkolzin Is Becoming Too Important For Oilers Fans To Ignore
Vasily Podkolzin did not arrive in Edmonton with the kind of fanfare that usually follows a player who ends up mattering this much. Acquired in August 2024 for a 2025 fourth-round pick, he was more of a depth add than a headline move, but he quickly carved out a real role and became the sort of dependable presence coaches trust and teammates notice. Playing all 82 games in his first season only reinforced how steady he has been for the Oilers.
Now, in 2025-26, Podkolzin has taken another clear step forward, and that is where the conversation around him starts to change. His work ethic and development have drawn praise inside the room, and the sense around him is that this is still trending upward rather than peaking. For a team always looking for useful, affordable pieces that can grow into more, Podkolzin is becoming hard to overlook. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Fans Finally Have Context For Trent Frederics Rough Season
Trent Frederics first full season in Edmonton did not go the way anyone around the Oilers expected, and now there is some needed context for why the production never really followed. The forward finished with just four goals and seven points while clearly fighting through a rough stretch, and he has since said he was not fully healthy for much of the year. What looked like a disappointing fit on the surface now reads more like a player trying to survive a season without his normal legs under him.
Frederic says he is finally feeling recovered, which matters for an Oilers team that has already made changes to the roster and is looking for cleaner answers heading into the next season. A healthier Frederic gives Edmonton a chance to see what he can actually bring under new coach Mike Babcock, and whether he can become a more useful piece rather than just another name from a frustrating year. The bigger question now is whether this is the reset that lets him move past the injury-plagued version of 2025-26 and show the player the Oilers thought they were getting. [Read more 🡒]