There’s plenty of room for young Oilers to make an impact in 2025-26

Edmonton has roughly eight wingers that played significant minutes in the NHL in 2024-25 and are expected to play in 2025-26 (this includes Ryan Nugent-Hopkins). And, not one of them had a higher 5v5 points per hour rate than the average top-six forward last season (calculated by taking the average rates of the 192 highest-ranking forwards in TOI/GP).

Of course, some context should be taken into account here. For one, Zach Hyman is obviously still a strong top-six winger, and his goal per hour rate and raw production results were indeed higher than the average top-six forward. Additionally, Mangiapane’s production rates may have been unimpressive this season, but as I wrote in detail in my article last week, several signs indicate his production could be much higher next season alongside McDavid and Draisaitl.

But, considering that Hyman is 33, combined with the fact that he’s coming off a significant wrist injury, there’s a decent chance his production starts to decline considerably from here on out. He already saw a significant dip in 2024-25 compared to 2023-24, with his goal total cut exactly in half. The story is somewhat similar for Nugent-Hopkins, who is 32 at the moment and whose 5-on-5 production rates have been steadily declining year after year, to the point that they were well below top-six level in 2024-25.

Mangiapane is certainly not a sure bet either, especially considering the troubling trend in his production rates following his shoulder surgery in 2023. From there, Vasily Podkolzin and Trent Frederic are useful middle-six players, but neither really possesses high upside, while all of Kasperi Kapanen, Mattias Janmark, and Curtis Lazar are firmly bottom-six players.

You can expect Hyman to start the season on McDavid’s right-wing, while Mangiapane likely starts on McDavid’s or Draisaitl’s left-wing. But the other two spots are completely wide-open, particularly considering the fact that there has been considerable talk around RNH spending more time at 3C next season.

Simply put, the Oilers are in desperate need of young, productive, cost-effective forwards with top-six potential, players that can make an impact in the short-term while also having the ability to replace players like Hyman and RNH in the long-term. In a tight cap world, players who make an impact on their ELC are invaluable. 

This is precisely where players like Savoie and Howard could come in.

I believe there is significant potential for Savoie on Leon Draisaitl’s right-wing. Savoie’s offensive creativity, tenacity, and defensive play could all make him a superb fit on that line. And, he doesn’t have much competition at all in that regard; after Hyman, the Oilers’ best NHL right-shot winger at the moment may be Kasperi Kapanen or David Tomasek, players Savoie can easily beat out.

As for Howard, again, the jump from the NCAA to the NHL will be large. But, McDavid’s left-wing spot remains completely open especially considering RNH’s lacklustre 5v5 production. And, if Savoie is to play with Draisaitl, I’d presume the Oilers would prefer not to have both Howard and Savoie – two rookies – on Draisaitl’s wing at the same time, meaning there’s a solid chance it’s Mangiapane who plays as Draisaitl’s LW. Thus, that opens up a spot on McDavid’s LW that Howard absolutely has a chance to compete for.

It’s also worth noting that the Oilers have 23-year-old Quinn Hutson, another forward prospect who was signed by Edmonton back in April and put up 50 points in 38 games with Boston University last season. Hutson doesn’t have the ceiling of Savoie and Howard, but his scoring abilities could absolutely give him the chance to be a useful bottom-six player for this team. Even Noah Philip is an option, a young-ish centre who played 15 games with the Oilers last season and could compete for the fourth-line centre spot.

The current structure of the Oilers’ forward core in 2025-26 does create some uncertainty. There are many large question marks for this group heading into next season. But at the same time, it also creates a significant opportunity for Edmonton’s younger prospects to come in and make an impact. This is a team that has numerous similarities to the 2010s Pittsburgh Penguins, a squad that had two star veteran centres surrounded by a multitude of unproven, but skilled, young players.

Of course, there should be a lot of pressure on head coach Kris Knoblauch this upcoming season. The fact that there’s room for Edmonton’s young players is one thing, but whether they get that chance in the first place is another. 

One of my biggest qualms with the Oilers’ coaching staff over the years has been their handling of younger players. Far too often, Edmonton’s coaches resorted to the “safe” option, either consistently playing known quantities with McDavid or Draisaitl or simply loading up those two on the same line. There has not nearly been enough line creativity, risk-taking and giving of chances to younger players with genuine upside. It’s a critical reason as to why they lost Dylan Holloway, and how he wound up flourishing when given a proper opportunity on a different team. With McDavid and Draisaitl heading into their 30s, they mustn’t repeat this sort of situation.

Will Edmonton’s younger forward prospects step up and make an impact in 2025-26? Only time will tell.