The Oilers have raced out of the gate in style, and the early numbers back it up. Edmonton is sitting at 5-0-1 through six games, the only NHL team yet to take a regulation loss, and the team’s defensive work has tightened up fast after a shaky start against the Vancouver Canucks. Over the last four games, the Oilers have allowed just five goals.
The headline-makers have done exactly what you’d expect. Connor McDavid leads the NHL with 17 points, Evan Bouchard is right behind him with 14, and Leon Draisaitl is tied for eighth in league scoring with 11 points. Edmonton’s 4.83 goals per game leads all 32 NHL teams, so the offence has certainly been there.
But that’s also where the concern starts to creep in. The top of the lineup has carried the load, while a lot of the depth scoring has simply not shown up yet.
Vasily Podkolzin has already scored seven goals, though he has been skating with the two superstars. Kasperi Kapanen and Alex Formenton have each added three points, but after that the production drops off sharply.
Mathieu Joseph, Isaac Howard, Joshua Samanski and Max Jones have yet to score. Colton Dach is also still looking for his first goal, though he has only played three games because of injury.
Jason Dickinson is scoreless as well, and he too has appeared in just three games. Filip Hallander, a recent trade pickup, has yet to find the net in two outings.
Trent Frederic has only one point through six games.
That kind of imbalance hasn’t hurt Edmonton yet because the stars are humming. Still, there’s a real warning sign here: if McDavid and Draisaitl cool off even a little, the Oilers could have trouble generating enough offence from the rest of the group.
There is some help on the way. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Matt Savoie and Mattias Janmark have not played yet this season, while Zach Hyman has only appeared in one game.
Nugent-Hopkins, Savoie and Hyman should all bring more to the attack when they return. Hyman has shown he can finish around the crease, Nugent-Hopkins brings versatility and experience, and Savoie could become another useful offensive piece as he keeps building his NHL game.
Even so, Edmonton can’t count on injuries to fix the scoring mix. Over an 82-game season, bodies go down and lineups change. The Oilers are going to need more from their depth forwards whether the roster is whole or not.
The start has been excellent, no doubt about it. But if Edmonton wants that strong beginning to mean something over the long haul, it needs more than elite production from McDavid, Draisaitl and Bouchard. Secondary scoring will have to show up, too.
In Other News...
Oilers Linked To Bold Tom Wilson Idea With One Big Catch
The Oilers have a familiar kind of offseason daydream attached to them again, this time involving a player whose style would fit their needs in a very obvious way. Tom Wilson brings size, edge and enough offensive punch to change the tone of a lineup, which is exactly why a right-shot winger of his type gets linked to a team like Edmonton when people start sketching out bold trade possibilities.
The catch is that the path to even making the idea workable runs through another club and another need entirely, with Tristan Jarry and the Rangers entering the picture because of their unsettled goaltending situation. Washington would also have to be open to considering Wilson only if its season went sideways, and even then the framework described is still just speculation, with draft picks and prospects part of the conversation but no confirmed trade talks to hang it on yet. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Fans Are Dreaming Big About One Rumored Flyers Blockbuster
A trade rumor making the rounds on social media has given Oilers fans plenty to chew on, with one proposed blockbuster sending Isaac Howard, a 2028 first-round pick and a third-round pick to Philadelphia for Matvei Michkov. It is the kind of idea that instantly grabs attention in Edmonton, where any chance to add a young, high-end talent naturally gets a second look, especially when the price appears to involve future assets and a prospect already drawing interest.
Still, the source behind the chatter is unverified, and there is no evidence the Oilers and Flyers have actually discussed anything along these lines. That has left most of the reaction in familiar territory for rumor season, with plenty of skepticism about the credibility of the report and plenty of debate over what such a move would mean for both clubs if it ever moved beyond social media speculation. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Face An Early Test With One Lineup Choice Looming
The Oilers return to Rogers Place with Utah on the schedule, and the attention is not just on the opponent but on how Edmonton chooses to line up around it. The game brings another chance to sort through the numbers, the recent form, and the possible line combinations that could shape the night, especially with matchups likely to matter early and often.
Edmonton has spent plenty of time weighing how best to deploy its forwards, and this one feels like an early test of how the coaching staff wants to balance skill, pace, and matchup responsibility. Even the broader conversation around the team has been lively, with a recent sports talk show breaking down a range of topics, but for the Oilers the immediate focus is simpler: which lineup choice they make before puck drop, and what it says about how they want to attack Utah. [Read more 🡒]