The Edmonton Oilers are stacked at forward this coming season.
With arguably the most loaded top six in the NHL, the roster also includes previous 20- and 30-goal scorers who might be looking at top-nine ice time based on how many skilled options coach Kris Knoblauch has at his disposal. But, how many goals can go around?
How Many Oilers Could Potentially Be 30-Goal Scorers in 2024-25?
The Edmonton Oilers saw no shortage of scoring last year. With new additions to the squad, just how many Oilers could hit the 30-goal mark?
Eva
Evander Kane celebrates a goal with his Oilers teammates
Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
The Edmonton Oilers are stacked at forward this coming season.
With arguably the most loaded top six in the NHL, the roster also includes previous 20- and 30-goal scorers who might be looking at top-nine ice time based on how many skilled options coach Kris Knoblauch has at his disposal. But, how many goals can go around?
Last season, 47 players in the league scored 30 or more goals. The Edmonton Oilers were one of five teams with three such players, joining the Tampa Bay Lightning, Vegas Golden Knights, Vancouver Canucks and New York Islanders.
The Oilers’ trio included Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman. Evander Kane was just shy of the mark, finishing with 24 goals in 77 games, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins experienced a decline, ending the season with 18 goals after netting 37 the previous year.
Edmonton bolstered its goal-scoring capabilities this off-season by signing Jeff Skinner, a six-time 30-goal scorer, and Viktor Arvidsson, a two-time 30-goal scorer.
One of the big questions this season is how many players for the Oilers can get there again.
McDavid, Draisaitl, Hyman, Skinner and Nugent-Hopkins seem like near-locks to reach the mark. The only player of these four who won’t get first-unit power-play time is Skinner, but he may see spot duty on that unit based on injuries and results. Each has proven their ability to hit the 30-goal mark without much trouble, Nugent-Hopkins being the only player whose numbers fluctuate with regularity.
The Hockey News’ fantasy site editor Jason Chen pointed out in a recent article that if all goes well like it did with Hyman, Skinner should see a have a nice rebound in Edmonton. And while Skinner’s career 11.2 shooting percentage isn’t necessarily elite, in seasons where he hit the 12-percent mark, he also scored a minimum of 31 goals. That number that could very well be reached with the likely increase in easy goal opportunities for Skinner in Edmonton.