Which Oilers raised their stock in 2025-26?

Podkolzin has improved dramatically year over year. Not just in raw point totals either. The microstats point to dramatic, tangible differences in his offensive involvement this season. In his first season in Edmonton, he played a purely complementary role. His primary jobs were suppressing goals against and retrieving pucks for Draisaitl. This season, his playmaking took a major step forward, as did his ability to cycle the puck. He’s slowly becoming more assertive, instead of deferring to Draisaitl as much as possible. 

In the defensive zone, he remains extremely active, ranking in the 71st percentile in defensive zone puck touches and the 87th percentile in exits with possession. He’s become a possession driver who can maximize Draisaitl’s opportunities for offence and limit his time spent in the defensive zone.

Never underestimate what hard work and mentorship from top players in the world can do for a player. Podkolzin is learning how to play with Edmonton’s stars, and his stock is skyrocketing.

Matt Savoie

No Oiler player had a bigger midseason glow-up than Matt Savoie. Like Podkolzin, he’s a former top-10 draft pick whom the Oilers traded for in the 2024 offseason. After spending almost the entire 2024-25 campaign in Bakersfield, Savoie got his first full NHL season under his belt. Once he earned the coaching staff’s trust, he seized the opportunity.

Savoie can be a slow starter, especially when adjusting to a jump up in competition. In his first 22 games in Bakersfield, he registered only 12 points, but in his final 44 games, he produced 42 points.

His rookie season with the Oilers was a similar story.

Edmonton bet on Savoie becoming a top-six player when they traded a legit NHL asset in Ryan McLeod to acquire him. Despite his slow start, he out-produced Ryan Nugent-Hopkins at five-on-five and seized a spot on the top line for most of the stretch run.

Savoie has established himself just as the Oilers had hoped, quickly rising up the depth chart. With his mix of speed, skill, and penalty killing utility, he might have the highest ceiling of any forward on the roster not named McDavid or Draisaitl.

Josh Samanski

In April of last year, the Oilers signed Josh Samanski to little fanfare. The 23-year-old German had an excellent season with the Straubing Tigers in the DEL, but undrafted free agents coming over to North America from Europe rarely make an impact in the NHL. Samanski has the potential to be an exception.

At a hulking 6-foot-4, he adds not only size but also a surprisingly high hockey IQ. He can play centre, skate well, and most importantly, handle defensive assignments.

His positioning off the puck, whether it’s in his own zone helping to facilitate an exit or preventing the opposition from getting through neutral ice, Samanski knows where to be, and he can execute.

The result? He ranked in the top four among Oilers’ forwards in both goals and expected goal suppression. While he only played fourth-line minutes for the most part, it’s still impressive to see a rookie prevent goals and chances so reliably.

Samanski’s skill set already makes him a suitable fourth-line centre in the NHL, and at his age, there still may be more potential if he can add offensive tools. I don’t think many pegged him as a full-time NHLer so quickly after coming over from Germany, but I expect him to be on the roster full-time next season.

Connor Ingram

Ingram established himself as the starting goalie with the Arizona Coyotes back in 2023-24, but the following season, his career took a turn. His save percentage dropped to .882 after back-to-back seasons at .907, and his goals saved above expected dropped deep into the negatives. He had been dealing with mental health struggles following the passing of his mother during that same season, and it was clearly impacting his play on the ice. He entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program in March 2025.

The program cleared him to return to competition on August 20, so the Utah Mammoth put him on waivers so that he could get a fresh start. Not one NHL team took him for free despite his previous success with the Coyotes.

After he cleared waivers, the Mammoth retained $800,000 of his salary in a trade to the Oilers for future considerations. Ingram’s stock was about as low as it could get, but that changed when he got called up to Edmonton in December.

Ingram started 32 regular-season games and outperformed Tristan Jarry, taking the starting job by season’s end. His .899 save percentage and 2.34 goals saved above expected were a much-needed jump from the previous season in Utah. He will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, and whether he re-signs or not, his cap hit will be larger than the $1.15 million he cost Edmonton last season. He earned it.

Looking ahead

Now that we’ve looked at the players who raised their stock most in 2025-26, let’s look at who could take another step next season.

Based on his impressive late-season run with the Oilers, Colton Dach looks like a strong breakout candidate. The Oilers like his pace and physicality, which should give him ample opportunity to stay in the lineup. Isaac Howard and Quinn Hutson should push for roster spots out of camp as well, though Edmonton’s win-now timeline could make one of them a trade chip for immediate help.

Matt Savoie and Vasily Podkolzin also feel positioned for bigger roles. Both showed legitimate growth this season, and either could see their production jump if Zach Hyman or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins drops off the top line or top power play unit.

It may have been a disappointing season overall for the Oilers, but a few key players made strides. The Oilers will need a lot more of that to extend their contention window.