Taylor Swift lyrics for each Edmonton Oilers player

As you may have heard, Taylor Swift recently announced that her new album will be releasing on October 13. Since she did so on her boyfriend’s now-fiancé Travis Kelce’s podcast, that makes it semi-sports related and therefore something to write about on The Oil Rig (listen, it’s the end of August and nothing has happened hockey wise in forever, give me this stretch—it’s been a Cruel Summer).

Being her 12th studio album, it is needless to say that there are a lot of songs (or Eras) of hers that cross the spectrum of emotions and life. Let’s be honest, we know All Too Well that there is Swift song/lyric that speaks to each us for whatever reason. Which makes me wonder, what would by the song or lyric for each Oilers’ player?

And if this type of article isn’t your Style, well you’ve been warned, so Don’t Blame Me if you didn’t like it. If it is are you…Ready For It?

(Editor’s note: Faiz, You Need to Calm Down with the song titles)

Stuart Skinner: “It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me/At tea time, everybody agrees” – Anti-Hero

This was probably the most obvious one out there, given how much ink has been spilled about Skinner’s consistency issues. Goaltending has been something that has been pointed to by many people as essentially the sole reason Connor McDavid does not yet have a Stanley Cup ring—and Skinner being the main man in net for the past two years means that everybody seems to agree he is the problem. It’s usually over beers instead of tea time, mind you.

So will Skinner embrace the “anti-hero” in him and step up this year to prove everyone wrong?

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl: “Don’t be afraid, we’ll make it out of this mess” – Love Story

Given they were drafted just one year apart and have essentially grown up in the NHL together, “we were both young when I first saw you” could also have applied. But I figured that given that McDavid is in the process of negotiating a new contract, this very well could be something Draisaitl, who signed an eight-year deal with the team last year, is saying in order to convince his bff to stay long term as well.

Let’s be honest, the title of “Love Story” is also apt in itself because, well…you look at the fact that McDavid and his wife Lauren were essentially on a joint honeymoon with Draisaitl and his new bride Celeste and tell me it isn’t.

Isaac Howard: “You take a deep breath/And you walk through the doors/It’s the morning of your very first day” – Fifteen

Howard was arguably the Oilers big offseason acquisition, which is certainly a lot for a player who is just coming fresh out of college for his first professional season. Howard was acquired in a swap with former first-rounder Sam O’Reilly, who was trending pretty well. It was seen as a move for the now, seeing as Howard is deemed to be ready to make the jump to the big leagues while O’Reilly is still further away.

The expectations are always high in Edmonton, especially now with two back-to-back Stanley Cup Final losses and the yearning for a Cup victory at its highest in franchise history. Seeing as Howard is looking to be given a chance on the wing of either McDavid or Draisaitl, the expectations will fall on him as well, rookie status be damned.

So hopefully Howard can take these lyrics as advice for when he walks through the door on the first day of training camp.

Matthew Savoie: “I don’t know about you/But I’m feeling 22/Everything will be alright/If you keep me next to you” – 22

The other rookie coming into camp with high expectations is Matthew Savoie, acquired last season from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Ryan McLeod.

Savoie played four games for the Oilers last year, notching one assist (and a great one at that). He spent the year in the AHL, scoring 54 points in 66 games, good for second on the Bakersfield Condors and he was the Condors’ lone representative at the AHL All-Star Game.

Like Howard, Savoie is expected to enter camp with a chance to play alongside one of Draisaitl or McDavid. It would appear that it will be Draisaitl that he starts with, given they played together during Savoie’s cup of tea last year and seemed to show some good chemistry (as demonstrated by the above assist). So one has to think that for Savoie, everything will be alright if Draisaitl keeps him as his wingman.

Also, Savoie does turn 22 on January 1, so…yeah, pretty apt.

Ty Emberson: “I’d go back to December, turn around and make it alright” – Back to December

Emberson was acquired in exchange for Cody Ceci, which immediately made him a favourite among fans. He was also acquired to hopefully fill the gap that was left when the St. Louis Blues signed Philip Broberg to an offer sheet, throwing a wrench into the team’s depth chart and succession planning.

At 24-years-old and only 10 NHL games of experience, the expectations were not necessarily super high for Emberson as they would have been for Broberg. Rather the hope was he could come in and play the third pair right hand side and slowly grow into a top-four option.

Naturally there were some early struggles for Emberson, part of which was due to being thrust into that top-four role right away. But by December, it appeared he had settled down, notching three assists along with an even plus/minus in 13 games that month. He had seven games where he played above 15 minutes.

He followed that up with a strong January, with four assists and a +5 rating in 14 games, but then fell down the depth chart, especially after the acquisition of Jake Walman.

There is still an expectation that Emberson can play a steady role for the Oilers, and if he gets back to how he was tracking in December last year, it is hard to envision him not doing so.

Trent Frederic: “And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate/Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake” -Shake It Off

The Oilers paid a heavy price for injured Trent Frederic at the deadline, which saw him only play one game during the regular season, where he re-aggravated his high ankle sprain. Frederic was able to suit up for the playoffs, but only scored one goal and four points in 22 games, not exactly great totals.

Then, with fans waiting for news on both Evan Bouchard and Connor McDavid being re-signed, the big money contract that was announced was for Frederic: a whopping eight-year deal worth $3.85M a year.

It’s not exactly surprising that the fanbase wasn’t please about that contract, especially for a team as tight to the cap as Edmonton. But there is logic in the contract, given Frederic’s age, his past performance and the rising cap which could actually end up making this a steal of a deal.

For Frederic this year, he just needs to ignore the haters and shake off his injury and show Oil Country that he is more the 17- and 18-goal scorer he was two and three years ago then the shell of a player he was last year.

Evan Bouchard: “I promise that you’ll never find another like me/I’m the only one of me/Baby, that’s the fun of me” – Me!

Bouchard is a polarizing player among Oilers fans, given his otherworldly offensive numbers contrasted with glaring defensive miscues. But the fact of the matter is that Bouchard is a player that you really cannot replace. It’s not just that he puts up numbers, it’s that he puts them up when it counts. Two years ago, Bouchard set the record for most assists in a single playoffs. He is a point per game player in the playoffs, with just his rookie season being below (at a measly nine points in 16 games). Six of his 20 career playoff goals are game winners, while 12 of his 55 regular season goals are too.

Out of all defencemen who played in the double digits of games, Bouchard led the pack with 26:12 of ice time per game, which was also almost three whole minutes more than the next highest Oiler defenceman, Brett Kulak.

For all the talk of him being a power play merchant, 17 of his 23 playoff points last year were at even strength. That meant that even if he didn’t get a single power play point, he would have led the league in defencemen scoring during the playoffs by three points.

So yeah, maybe he has a defensive lapse at times, but he more than makes up for it in fun.

Adam Henrique and Mattias Ekholm: “Ask me what I learned from all those years/Ask me what I earned from all those tears/Ask me why so many fade, but I’m still here” – Karma

With Corey Perry and Derek Ryan moving on, Henrique and Ekholm become the elder statesmen of the club. Both have now played (and lost) in three Stanley Cup Finals, and both look to be nearing the end of their careers and opportunities to do so.

Hopefully the answer to the questions they are being asked above is “Winning the Stanley Cup in 2026.”

Darnell Nurse: “I’m a nightmare dressed up like a daydream” – Blank Space

Darnell Nurse is a player with all the raw athletic gifts that should make him one of the most dominant defencemen in the league. He is big, mean, can skate and shoot. He started up as a defensive dman who saw his offence blossom with the right opportunity. Sounds like a dream, right?

Unfortunately, since signing his big eight year, $9.25M deal, Nurse has been more of a nightmare. He has been inconsistent, both offensively and defensively, and instead of being the one who carries a pairing, has looked like he needs the right partner to help carry him.

There were good signs last year of Nurse returning to form, but he regressed again in the playoffs, to everyone’s chagrin.

With a healthy Ekholm and a full season of Jake Walman to join Nurse and Bouchard in the top four, plus a solid Brett Kulak and up and coming Ty Emberson, maybe this is the situation that helps right the ship for Nurse.

Will he show us incredible things? Will he leave us breathless or with a nasty scar? If he rebounds, will the high be worth the pain? (Okay, this is where you can tell me I’m insane).

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins: “Can we always be this close forever and ever?” – Lover

Okay, this is maybe more a lyric of Oilers fans to Nuge, considering the whole “Keep Nuge Forever” campaign.

Wanting to keep Nuge forever though is more than just a fan favourite endeavour though. A swiss army knife player who can play anywhere from third line centre to first line winger, who plays first line penalty kill and power play is definitely someone you want around for the long term.

Zach Hyman: “You take my hand and drag me head first/Fearless” – Fearless

Fearless is definitely one way to describe Hyman these past playoffs. The guy was on pace to set the NHL record for hits in a post season before he was injured in the third round series against Dallas. It became clear how much his *ahem* fearless play was a factor for the team when they had to play in the Stanley Cup final without him. He definitely was dragging the team head first.

Vasily Podkolzin: “I’m a mirrorball/I can change everything about me to fit in” – Mirrorball

Like Emberson, Podkolzin came to the Oilers as a way of trying to fill the hole left by Dylan Holloway, the other offer sheet departure.

As a former 10th overall pick, Podkolzin hadn’t lived up to that potential with the Vancouver Canucks, making him available for just a fourth round pick (which the Oilers ended up getting back this past summer in exchange for sending Evander Kane to the Canucks).

Podkolzin welcomed the fresh start in Edmonton, and was able to play just about any role, from fourth line energy player to riding shotgun for Leon Draisaitl.

One big area that Podkolzin upgraded his game in was hits. He had a whopping 211 hits last year, leading the team and good for 25th in the league. His career total entering the season was 206 hits in 137 games, more than a hit less per game.

He also added 10 points in 22 playoff games, with four of them coming in the finals, showing he can in fact change to fit in.

Kasperi Kapanen: “But nothing seems to work the first few times, am I right?” – The Outside

Kasperi Kapanen was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2014. He was then traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2015, where he spent the next five seasons. He had two good seasons with them, scoring 20 goals and 44 points in 2018–19 and then 36 points in 2019–20, before being traded back to Pittsburgh.

While he put up pretty decent numbers in the next three seasons with the Penguins, he ended up on waivers and was claimed by the St. Louis Blues. Two years later, the Blues would waive him again, and this time the Oilers would snatch him up.

Kapanen had 13 points in 57 games for the Oilers, which doesn’t sound all that impressive. But like Podkolzin, he added intangibles and saw himself as a good fit next to both McDavid and Draisaitl at times, while also being able to play on the fourth line and provide energy.

Kapanen was not in the lineup for the Oilers when the playoffs started, but when he did get in he made the most of it, including an overtime winner against Vegas. In all, he would finish with six points in 12 games, a more than good stat line.

Kapanen seems to be a player who hasn’t been able to find a home, but if he keeps it up then this could be the time it finally works out for him.

Jake Walman: “Oh, he’s so smug, Mr. ‘Always wins’/So far above me in every sense/So far above feeling anything” – Mr. Perfectly Fine

These lyrics are not about Jake Walman—they are what I expect Jake Walman would say to Detroit GM Steve Yzerman, who shipped Walman away last summer along with a second round to the San Jose Sharks for literally nothing. It seemed like a weird move at the time, given Walman still had two years left at a reasonable $3.1M cap hit and led the Red Wings blueline in goals with 12. Surely he had some value right?

Walman proved that he is in fact a very valuable player, scoring 32 points in just 50 games with the Sharks, before the Oilers traded for him at the deadline. Unlike the Red Wings, the Sharks actually got some value in the deal, getting Carl Berglund and a conditional first-round pick.

Walman went on to be a huge part of the Oilers, especially with Mattias Ekholm going down with injury. He scored eight points in 15 regular season games, and then another 10 points in 22 playoff games.

So yeah, maybe the Yzerplan isn’t all it is cracked up to be, now is it?

Is there another song/lyric that would be more apt for one of these players? Or would one of these better fit another Oiler that I didn’t mention? If so, Speak Now in the comments and let us know!