Edmonton Oilers Award Candidates for 2026-27

With all that in mind, it’s easy to see McDavid leading the NHL in points yet again and capturing his seventh Art Ross Trophy. And if McDavid leads the league in points, then he’s going to be in contention for the Hart Trophy.

There’s always a chance that McDavid could capture the “Rocket” Richard Trophy too. It largely depends on how much of a goal-scoring role he takes on.

After he led the NHL with 64 goals in 2023-23, McDavid’s goal totals plummeted to 32 and 26, respectively, in the two seasons that followed. But he bounced back in 2025-26 with 48 goals, finishing third in the NHL, five back of league leader Nathan MacKinnon. If McDavid pushes for 50 goals, he’ll challenge for his second career “Rocket” Richard Trophy.

Leon Draisaitl

Just as is the case with McDavid, there’s always a chance of Leon Draisaitl receiving another award or two. The veteran Oilers centre is a one-time winner of each of the Art Ross Trophy (2020), Hart Trophy (2020), Ted Lindsay Award (2020) and Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy (2025).

Also like McDavid, Draisaitl isn’t yet out of his prime (he turns 31 in October), and has no shortage of reasons for motivation. While Draisaitl is under contract through 2033, his championship window with the Oilers is for only as long as McDavid is in Edmonton.

Unless McDavid gets hurt, Draisaitl is unlikely to lead his own team in points, never mind the entire league. The same could be said about Draisaitl’s chances of being named MVP of the NHL.

But while the Art Ross and Hart Trophies are long shots, the Cologne native should be a serious contender to capture the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy for a second time in three seasons.

Draisaitl finished well back in the goal race last season, ranking 24^th with 35 goals. But he also missed 17 games. Had Draisaitl played all 82 contests, he would have been on pace for 44 goals, which would be tied for eighth in the league.

Going into the 2025-26 season, Draisaitl had finished no lower than fourth in the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy race in six of the seven prior seasons. Since 2018-19, he’s scored at a rate of 53 goals per 82 games. If Draisaitl stays healthy this season, there’s every reason to think he’ll light the lamp 50-plus times in 2026-27, and once again finish at or near the top of the goals leaderboard.

Evan Bouchard

Despite having one of the most statistically impressive NHL seasons by a defenceman in recent memory, Oilers blueliner Evan Bouchard wasn’t a finalist for the Norris Trophy in 2025-26. The 26-year-old finished fourth in voting, behind winner Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets, runner-up Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche, and finalist Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres.

Many saw that as quite an egregious snub. Bouchard led all defencemen in points (95), assists (74), and even-strength points (60), while ranking inside the top five among blueliners in goals (21), even-strength goals (14), power-play goals (seven), power-play points (33), game-winning goals (five), and shots (221). Bouchard became only the third defenceman in NHL history with at least 70 assists and five game-winning goals in a single season, and one of only 10 different blueliners to reach 95 points in a season.

But there may not have been any stat, no matter how incredible, that could have overcome Bouchard’s reputation as a defensive liability. Fair or not, many view Bouchard as a McDavid beneficiary who is responsible for just as many pucks ending up in his own team’s net as that of the opponent.

There was a noticeable shift in the latter part of the season, however, with more and more observers defending the defenceman against criticism. Bouchard even received near-universal praise for his all-around play at the World Championships in May.

As appreciation grows for his unique ability, Bouchard is finally starting to be respected. With that in mind, should Bouchard have another season like he just did, then it’s almost impossible to see him not being a Norris Trophy finalist. Especially if his defensive game continues to evolve.

Considering that Bouchard is just coming into his prime, there is every reason to believe he will put up Norris Trophy-worthy numbers again in 2026-27.

Mike Babcock

Before being named the Oilers’ new head coach in June, Mike Babcock had been persona non grata in the NHL for the last three years since resigning from the Blue Jackets amid reports that he invaded the privacy of players.

While an NHL investigation concluded that there was no current basis to restrict the Stanley Cup-winning coach’s employment in the league, that didn’t make his hiring any less controversial.

Even if the Oilers are willing to look past Babcock’s purported transgressions, which predate his brief stint with the Blue Jackets, there is doubt about whether he can actually be successful in this era. The 63-year-old’s style is of another time, and it’s been nearly two decades since he guided the Detroit Red Wings to the Stanley Cup. He hasn’t so much as won an NHL playoff series since 2012-13.

This is the backdrop for which Babcock steps behind the Oilers bench, taking over a team that got to the Stanley Cup Final in 2024 and 2025, but couldn’t win the big one.

While they’ve had their lengthy playoff runs, the modern-day Oilers have never been a truly great regular-season team, often because of their propensity for slow starts. During the McDavid era, Edmonton’s highest placing in the NHL overall standings is seventh, and the Oilers’ streak of not finishing atop their division now stands at 39 years.

There are signs that the Oilers will respond to Babcock’s approach. Draisaitl and McDavid have spoken favourably about Babcock, feeling that his personality is exactly what the team needs.

Suppose that Babcock gets the Oilers to play to their potential from Game 1 through Game 84, guiding Edmonton to first place in the Pacific Division standings – especially with the narrative of him being counted out by the hockey world – then he’s surely going to get some serious consideration for the Jack Adams Award.

Notably, Babcock has never won the Jack Adams Award, though he’s a three-time finalist, finishing runner-up in voting twice.

The individual honours will be nice, of course, but ultimately the only trophy that the Oilers and their coach care about winning in 2027 is the Stanley Cup.