How former Edmonton Oilers are doing on their new teams

The Edmonton Oilers roster went through a variety of changes in the offseason. They lost some older veterans and brought in some young guns to replace them.

So far, the Oilers have had a mediocre start to their season. Guys like Andrew Mangiapane, Matthew Savoie, and Isaac Howard have started out solid on the NHL roster. However, there are many players who moved on from the Oilers in the offseason.

Let’s take a look at how some former Oilers are doing on their new squads.

Brown thriving in New Jersey

Depth Forward Connor Brown may be the former Oiler who is thriving the most. The Oilers lost him in free agency when he signed with the New Jersey Devils. To this point, he has fit in excellently on the Devils’ third line, providing some secondary scoring and solid defensive play. Brown already has three goals and four points throughout seven games this year. His most notable goal happened to come against the Oilers last Saturday, where he buried a shorthanded goal to seal the win for New Jersey.

Like in his time with the Oilers, Brown has become a top player on the Devils’ penalty kill. His speed and effort make him a prime target for any team’s penalty kill. The Devils are currently sitting at 96% on their penalty kill, which is good for third-best in the league. They also currently sit as the best team in the NHL. Clearly, the addition of Brown has helped them get off to a hot start.

Evander Kane

Evander Kane was traded by the Oilers to the Vancouver Canucks shortly after the Oilers’ cup run ended. Kane was a fan favourite in Edmonton since the moment he arrived. His dominant play in the 2022 playoff run is something Oilers fans will never forget. He had thirteen goals in fifteen playoff games that year. However, based on his performance the previous two seasons (he was injured all of last regular season), it was time to move on.

Like Brown, Kane is currently serving as a depth forward for his new squad. He is playing on the third line alongside Aatu Raty and Kiefer Sherwood. There is no doubt the Canucks intended this to be a solid checking line. Kane is yet to score this year, but he still has his use on the Canucks roster. It just so happens that Sherwood, Kane, and Raty are three of the top-four hitters on the Canucks. This line is used to help set the tone in each game.

How is Skinner doing with the Sharks?

Jeff Skinner had an extremely disappointing run in Edmonton. He was expected to regain his 30-goal scoring touch, but ultimately failed to gel with the team. Skinner was often bumped up and down the lineup throughout the entire season. He never truly found a good spot in the lineup. This offseason, he was lucky enough to sign with the San Jose Sharks. This team has a good one core. A veteran player like Skinner has turned out to be great for them early on.

Skinner is currently playing on the second line for the Sharks. He also gets power play time on the second unit with Michael Misa. To this point, Skinner has been great with the Sharks. The former Oiler has three goals and four points through seven games this season. He has certainly started out well in San Jose with less pressure on his shoulders. Time will tell whether or not he can keep it up.

Arvidsson on the Bruins

Viktor Arvidsson is another player who had an extremely disappointing run with the Oilers. Like Skinner, many people expected Arvidsson to be a potential thirty-goal scorer while playing alongside McDavid or Draisaitl. Unfortunately, things did not work out here. The season before coming to Edmonton, Arvidsson had some serious injury problems, which limited him to only 18 games in 2023–24. That could very well be part of the reason why he fell off.

The Oilers traded Arvidsson to the Boston Bruins in the offseason for a fifth-round pick. This provided Arvidsson another chance to regain his scoring touch on a different team. The veteran forward has three assists through nine games this year, while playing on the second line. It seems like he has not excelled quite as much as other former Oilers early on this season, but it is still early.

Honourable mention

An honourable mention in this section is none other than Corey Perry. The current 40-year-old had a great season with the Oilers last year. It was a bit surprising to see that he refused to re-sign from the franchise.

However, the money he got from Ken Holland in Los Angeles is way more than he would have gotten in Edmonton. Unfortunately for Perry, he began the season on the injury reserve and has only appeared in two games this season. The fact that he has hit 40-years-old in the NHL indicates that this could be his last season in the NHL.

Which of these former Oilers do you miss the most?

Up Next: How the new players are integrating into the Edmonton Oilers