6 Oldest Players in Edmonton Oilers’ NHL History

Edmonton’s 10 wins in January are tied for the most in the NHL, and Perry leads the Oilers with a rating of plus-10 in games this month.

The 39-year-old forward is playing his bottom-six role to perfection. He excels at being the heel, providing the Oilers with a nastiness that the team otherwise lacks, and possesses a craftiness that only comes with nearly two decades of NHL experience. But Perry is also chipping in offensively, with nine goals, fifth most on the Oilers, and eight assists in 49 games this season.

All this comes as a very pleasant surprise for many Edmonton fans, who couldn’t figure out what the Oilers were thinking by re-signing Perry in the offseason. The veteran winger looked like he might be running out of gas during the 2024 NHL Playoffs, but rumours of his demise were clearly premature.

In fact, it might be fair to say that in franchise history, few players as old as Perry have ever been this effective. Granted, there’s not a lot of competition. Only five other individuals have played for the Oilers in the NHL at age 39 or older. Here’s a look:

Kevin Lowe

Hall-of-Fame defenceman Kevin Lowe was on his very last legs during the 1997-98 season, when he suited up for just seven games.

Three days after turning 39, Lowe played just under 20 minutes in Edmonton’s regular season finale at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 18. He then played just 3:10 in Game 2 of the first round of the playoffs against the Colorado Avalanche in Denver on April 24.

That would prove to be Lowe’s last-ever game. He retired in the 1998 offseason and began a rapid ascent up the Oilers’ organizational ladder, from assistant coach in 1998-99 to head coach in 1999-00 to general manager in 2000-01.

Adam Oates

The oldest player in Edmonton’s NHL history, Adam Oates appeared in 60 games for the Oilers at age 41 during the 2003-04 season, recording a pair of goals and 16 assists.

Oates had become a free agent after the Anaheim Mighty Ducks declined to pick up his option following the 2002-03 season. He remained unsigned for several months and was considering retirement before inking a one-year contract with Edmonton on Nov. 17, 2003, giving the Oilers some much-needed depth at centre.

While Oates didn’t produce much offensively, he won 57.2% of his faceoffs in 2003-04, ranking seventh in the NHL among all players to take at least 800 draws. Edmonton made a late charge for the playoffs, but came up just short. That would be the final season of Oates’ Hall of Fame career.

Dwayne Roloson

Goaltender Dwayne Roloson was already 36 and a half when the Oilers acquired him from the Minnesota Wild just before the trade deadline on March 8, 2006. By the time he ended his Edmonton tenure, he was just over six months away from turning 40.

In his final season with the Oilers, 2008-09, Roloson became the oldest goalie in NHL history to play over 60 games, a record that still stands. He made 63 appearances, posting a record of 28-24-9 with a goals-against average (GAA) of 2.77 and a .915 save percentage (SV%).

Though his contract with the Oilers expired, Roloson was far from finished. He went on to play three more seasons in the NHL, split between the New York Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning. He’s one of only 16 goalies in league history to play past age 41.

Nikolai Khabibulin

After Roloson departed Edmonton, the Oilers turned to another oldie goalie, signing 36-year-old Nikolai Khabibulin to a four-year deal worth $15 million on July 1, 2009.

The Russian netminder played the entirety of his contract in Edmonton, but a series of injuries limited him to just 117 appearances over the four seasons. He had a record of 33-67-14 with a 3.00 GAA and .903 SV% as an Oiler.

In 2012-13, Khabibulin became the first goalie to play for the Oilers at age 40 or older. He left Edmonton as a free agent in the offseason, and played one more season with the Chicago Blackhawks before retiring.

Mike Smith

Edmonton’s latest experiment with a goalie in their late 30s was Mike Smith, who joined the Oilers at age 37 in 2019 and went on to play three seasons with the team, going 56-27-10 with a 2.70 GAA and .913 SV%. His Edmonton tenure was marked by inconsistency and hampered by injuries, but Smith remained with the Oilers because they could never quite find a better alternative.

Smith turned 40 on March 22, 2022, late in what had been a challenging season for the veteran netminder. But in the playoffs, he backstopped the Oilers to their first Western Conference Final appearance since 2006.

That would turn out to be Smith’s final dance. He was placed on long-term injured reserve after failing his physical at Edmonton’s 2022 training camp and never played again.

If the Oilers are still alive in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs when Perry turns 40 on May 16, the forward could join Smith as the only 40-somethings to suit up for Edmonton in an NHL postseason game. But that’s still months away. For now, Oilers fans will enjoy watching present-day Perry continue to defy time.