Every season, one or two players break out in the playoffs and make the league take notice. The Oilers have a few players with the potential to surprise this postseason and arise from the shadows.
Evander Kane is a perfect example. After the Oilers picked him up midway through the 2021-22 campaign, he burst onto the playoff scene, scoring 13 goals and 17 points. Averaging nearly a goal per game during this run, Kane earned himself a contract during the offseason and remains with the team today. Connor Brown and Mattias Janmark are an example of a breakout duo.
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While surprise performers from years past could still take this postseason by storm, some new players could steal the spotlight. From old reliables to untested theories, here are a few possibilities.
Jeff Skinner
Jeff Skinner, who has received his fair share of criticism during his time in Edmonton, is the perfect contender for a breakthrough performance in the playoffs. Skinner has ramped up his play of late, especially with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl out of the lineup.
Skinner has never played in the postseason in his 15-year NHL career. But he has proven he can go on a goal-scoring tear before in his career, and perhaps his first taste of the playoffs will be reason enough to up his game. Now that he’s finally on a contender, we have to believe Skinner is ready to make his mark and show all the other teams why they should have made him an offer last summer.
Trent Frederic
Fans are still waiting to see how Trent Frederic fits in with his new squad after being acquired at the deadline. He has been sidelined for over a month due to injury, but he is on track to return in two weeks or so – ideally, in time for the playoffs. Assuming he slots into the lineup as soon as he is cleared to play, he could be Edmonton’s secret weapon in the postseason.
Although he has just 15 points in a shortened campaign this season, the veteran forward knows how to play in the playoffs. He scored five points in 13 games last postseason with the Boston Bruins and was a plus-5, averaging just over 13 minutes per game. Those are good stats for a player who played primarily a bottom-six centre role in the playoffs. His physical, 200-foot game will be the perfect addition to the Oilers’ lineup, and if he ends up beside two of the best players in the world? He has all the potential in the world to break out.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Who better to catch fire late in the season than Ryan Nugent-Hopkins? Like Skinner, Nugent-Hopkins has stepped up in the absence of the Oilers’ dynamic duo. Despite a bit of a down year, statistically, the lifetime Oiler is primed to rise to the occasion when his team needs him most.
Coming off an average season in 2023-2024, he rattled off 22 points in 25 playoff games that postseason. He has been a key part of the team throughout his career and seems to be ready whenever they need him. If he can ride this hot streak into Round 1, he will be tough for the opposition to handle. Already dangerous on an average night, he could be the Oilers’ breakout star.
In an ideal world, all of these players will step up when the playoffs roll around. It is going to take more than McDavid and Draisaitl to make another run at the Cup. The Oilers have the pieces, but it’s time to put them all together and see who lands in the spotlight.
