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Darnell Nurse, Edmonton Oilers (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

Edmonton Oilers 2024-25 Regular Season Awards

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Brian Swane | Last updated Apr 19, 2025 12:05 PM ET

The Edmonton Oilers are getting set for the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The defending Western Conference champs will open their best-of-seven first round series against the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena on Monday (April 21).

With a few days off between the Oilers’ regular season finale, a 3-0 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday (April 16), and their first postseason game, there’s a chance to look back on the players who shone brightest over the last six months. Here are picks for the Oilers’ 2024-25 awards.

MVP: Leon Draisaitl

Even on a team that features one of hockey’s all-time greatest players, Connor McDavid, there was no question who Edmonton’s most valuable player was in 2024-25: Leon Draisaitl.

The veteran centre’s play was so impactful that many considered Draisaitl as the favourite to win the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player, before he ended up missing 11 games due to injury over the final few weeks of the season.

In spite of being sidelined, Draisaitl still captured the Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s top goal-scorer, after lighting the lamp 52 times in 2024-25, and tied for third in the league with a team-leading 106 points.

Draisaitl also set the NHL single-season record with six overtime goals, shared the league lead with 11 game-winning goals, and tied for second in the NHL with 16 power-play goals.

While so many Oilers endured lengthy offensive droughts this season, Edmonton was able to keep winning thanks to Draisaitl’s prolific output. He only had one streak of longer than two games without a goal and never went more than two games without registering a point.

Top Defenceman: Darnell Nurse

While long considered to be among the upper echelon of defenceman, Darnell Nurse has always been known for having the occasional stinker of a game, marred by egregious misplay.

In 2024-25, the veteran blueliner cut down on that substantially, playing the most consistent hockey since making his NHL debut 10 years earlier.

Nurse logged the second-most minutes among Edmonton skaters, averaging 22:22 of ice time per game. He was first on the team with 136 blocked shots and led all Oilers defencemen with 161 hits.

The 30-year-old scored five goals and recorded 28 assists for a total of 33 points, tied for the sixth most on the Oilers. Nurse also ranked among the top five in Edmonton for plus/minus (plus-11) and shots on goal (188).

Top Newcomer: Vasily Podkolzin

While he didn’t score nearly as much as hoped in his first season as an Oiler, notching just eight goals, Vasily Podkolzin proved to be far more dynamic than many realized; a relentless forechecker who provides Edmonton with much-needed physicality, never takes a shift off and rarely makes the wrong play with the puck.

Acquired last August in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks, Podkolzin was one of only two Oilers forwards to suit up for all 82 of the team’s games in 2024-25. He became a regular linemate of Draisaitl, who has praised Podkolzin effusively.

Podkolzin led the Oilers with 211 hits, the fifth most by an Oilers forward since the NHL started officially tracking hits in 2005-06. He also ranked second among Oilers forwards this season with 50 blocked shots.

His offensive contributions, though limited, were timely: the Oilers went 18-2-1 when Podkolzin recorded at least one point, and 8-0-0 when he scored in 2024-25.

Most Improved Player: Brett Kulak

Thrust into a larger role on the Oilers following the offseason departures of fellow left-shot blueliner Philip Broberg and his former defensive partner Cody Ceci, Kulak responded with his finest NHL campaign in 2024-25.

Averaging more than 20 minutes per game for the first time as an NHLer, the 31-year-old continued to be a rock-solid defender, while setting career highs in every major offensive category, including goals (8), assists (17), shots (25) and shots on goal (135). He also recorded the most blocked shots of his career, 118, and became the first Edmonton player since 2016-17 with multiple games of at least eight blocks in a season.

For a third consecutive season with the Oilers, Kulak played all 82 games. He has yet to miss a game since being traded to Edmonton from the Montreal Canadiens in March 2022.

Unsung Hero: Corey Perry

While he might not exactly fit the description of an ‘unsung’ hero, because observers certainly took notice of his exploits, Corey Perry could very accurately be described as an ‘unexpected’ hero for the Oilers in 2024-25.

At age 39 and coming off a playoff where it looked like he just couldn’t keep up anymore, the one-time Hart Trophy recipient had his best season in years. Perry scored 19 goals, the fifth-most on the Oilers this season, and tied for his biggest goal total since 2015-16. He also ranked fourth on the Oilers with a plus/minus rating of plus-12.

Despite being the oldest player on the Oilers, Perry was often the first to get in the grill of opposing players. He had a team-high five fights this season.

As for questions about whether he has any gas left in the tank, Perry suited up for all but one game in 2024-25. He logged a total of 966:54 ice time, his second-most minutes in a season since 2017-18.

As the Oilers look to reach the Stanley Cup Final for a second consecutive postseason, they’ll need the likes of Draisaitl, Kulak, Nurse, Perry and Podkolzin, to continue performing at elevated levels in the 2025 NHL Playoffs.