Edmonton Oilers Top 10 Players for 2024-25 – The Hockey Writers –

The Edmonton Oilers are coming off a Game 7 loss in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final and have maintained much of their roster, generating a lot of optimism for this season. The deep run can be attributed to having two of the top five players in the world, as well as elite depth. Heading into the 2024-25 season, who are the Oilers’ top 10 players?

10. Viktor Arvidsson

The Oilers signed Viktor Arvidsson to a two-year deal during free agency this past offseason. The 31-year-old would be higher on this list if not for his extensive injury history that has forced him to miss 64 games last season. When on the ice, he is an offensive weapon, posting four 25+ goals in the past eight seasons. However, he has missed games with injuries in each of his nine NHL seasons, so placing him any higher does not make much sense.

9. Jeff Skinner

The second of the Oilers’ impact free agent signings this offseason was Jeff Skinner. Over the past three seasons, he has scored 92 goals in 233 games, a 32-goal pace over an 82-game season. As well, he has a career-high of 40 goals (2018-19), set while playing for the bottom-feeding Buffalo Sabres.

If Skinner can find chemistry in the Oilers’ top six, a 30+ goal, 60+ point season is not out of the question. However, at 32 years old, a career resurgence is not the most likely, so placing him behind the established Oilers’ forwards but ahead of depth pieces like Adam Henrique and Mattias Janmark seems fair.

8. Evander Kane

When Evander Kane is healthy, he is one of the Oilers’ most valuable forwards. He can be physical, score, defend, generate offense, and much more. In his three seasons with the Oilers, he has 62 goals and 111 points in 161 games, as well as 20 goals and 30 points in 47 playoff games. When he is on the ice, he is dominant, but that has been a big “if” as of lately. He missed 12 total games last season, including five during the playoffs, and 85 total regular season games throughout his three seasons with the Oilers.

With concerns regarding Kane’s health heading into the season, placing him any higher would be unjust. If he can eventually return, and stay, on the ice at full health he could propel him higher on this list.

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