The Edmonton Oilers are climbing fast again, and the latest power rankings reflect it.
A 3-0-1 stretch pushed Edmonton back to No. 2 after the team had slipped to ninth last week, lifting the Oilers to an 11-2-2 record. The week included a 4-3 shootout loss to the Detroit Red Wings, but Edmonton answered with back-to-back 4-0 wins over the Calgary Flames and New York Islanders before beating the New York Rangers 4-1 on Sunday.
Connor McDavid’s start is a huge reason the Oilers are back near the top. “Connor McDavid now has points in 15 consecutive games to start the season,” wrote Daily Faceoff’s Mike Gould, who slotted Edmonton second.
“He’s on pace to narrowly eclipse Wayne Gretzky’s single-season points record, and while McDavid almost certainly won’t maintain this pace over a full 84 games, he genuinely might have a chance to become the second player in NHL history to score 200 points. At this rate, if he doesn’t obliterate his existing career-high of 153 points, it’ll be a bit disappointing.”
Gould also pointed out that Edmonton’s flaws haven’t disappeared, but the top-end talent is carrying plenty of weight. “The Oilers aren’t perfect - just ask Jake Walman how he feels about his start - but they’ve certainly got enough star power to make up for their deficiencies. Whether that means they’ll return to the Stanley Cup Final remains to be seen.”
Scott Maxwell of Daily Faceoff had Edmonton at No. 3, and he focused on another eye-popping start. “You can tell McDavid is off to an incredible start because almost no one is talking about the fact that Evan Bouchard is also on a similarly historic pace.” Maxwell wrote.
“He’s currently on pace for 145 points on the season, and the current record for defensemen is Bobby Orr’s 139 points in 1970-71. Bouchard is also on pace for 44 goals, only four short of Paul Coffey’s record of 48 in 1985-86. I wonder if Bouchard keeps this up as well.”
Edmonton’s rise is a seven-spot jump, and the club now sits only behind the 12-2-2 Carolina Hurricanes a month into the season. The Oilers’ upcoming schedule brings the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday and the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.
In other hockey news, Hockey Canada has hired former Oilers goaltending coach Dustin Schwartz as its head of goaltending.
Schwartz, who was born in Stettler, Alta., spent 2014-15 through 2024-25 with Edmonton as the team’s goaltending coach. He joined the Oilers during the 2014-15 season after several seasons as the Edmonton Oil Kings’ goaltending consultant, and he also worked as the Oil Kings’ goaltending coach from 2014-15 through 2018-19.
Schwartz has remained active in the Edmonton area as a goaltending coach, and he also played parts of three seasons with the University of Alberta Golden Bears from the 2000-01 season through the 2004-05 season.
During his 10-year run with the Oilers, Schwartz worked with a long list of netminders, including Cam Talbot, Mikko Koskinen, Mike Smith and Stuart Skinner.
In Other News...
Alberta Time Creates A New Oilers Schedule Headache For Fans
Albertas move away from daylight saving time has created a fresh wrinkle for Oilers fans trying to plan their nights around the schedule. With the province now operating on Alberta Time, some Edmonton games are being shifted later than they would have been before, even as most home dates are still expected to land in the familiar 7 to 8 p.m. ABT range.
The change is most noticeable on select weeknight matchups, where a start that once felt manageable can now stretch deep into the evening. For a team whose home schedule already asks plenty of its crowd, the new time setup adds another layer of inconvenience, and fans will need to keep an eye on the calendar as the season unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Suddenly Have A Superstar Trade Scenario Worth Watching
Nikita Kucherovs trade request has quickly turned into one of those league-wide storylines that can reshape a market in a hurry, and Edmonton is at least part of the conversation. The Oilers have reportedly shown interest in the superstar winger, which is enough to make this a scenario worth monitoring closely even before any real traction develops.
What makes the situation especially intriguing is the reason behind Kucherovs ask. He has said it stems from poor communication and a lack of respect rather than money, which adds a layer of tension to any team trying to gauge whether a move is even realistic. For Edmonton, the appeal is obvious, but so is the uncertainty, and that is why this one may linger for a while before anyone knows where it is headed. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Suddenly Hover Around A Superstar Trade Battle
A star-level trade conversation has suddenly put the hockey world on alert, and it is the kind of rumor that can ripple well beyond the teams directly involved. Nikita Kucherov has become the center of a high-end standoff with Tampa Bay, with Detroit and Toronto already surfacing as possible landing spots as the Lightning try to navigate a situation built around contract demands, market size and the idea of pairing him with another marquee name.
For Edmonton, the intrigue is obvious because any major talent shuffle at the top of the league can reshape the trade landscape around it. The reported discussions have already dragged in big-name players and big-market possibilities, and the longer this plays out, the more it feels like one of those rare sagas that could influence other teams' plans before it is even resolved. [Read more 🡒]