NHL EDGE stats 2026-27 season outlook for Edmonton Oilers

As part of NHL.com's 32 in 32 series, we will identify key NHL EDGE stats for each team to preview the 2026-27 season. Today, we look at three advanced metrics trends surrounding the Edmonton Oilers:

1. McDavid’s League-leading speed bursts

Connor McDavid led the NHL in 22-plus mph speed bursts (151) last season; he had 90 more than the next-closest player (Owen Tippett was second with 61) and 34 more than any player in a single season since the start of the League’s puck and player tracking era (Nathan MacKinnon had 117 in 2023-24). McDavid also had the most 20-plus mph speed bursts in the NHL (681) last season and the third highest max skating speed (24.61 mph; behind Beck Malenstyn’s 24.94, MacKinnon’s 24.78).

The Oilers led the NHL in 22-plus mph speed bursts (258) and ranked second in 20-plus mph bursts (2,431; behind only the Colorado Avalanche’s 2,643) last season. As a result of McDavid’s blazing speed, the 29-year-old is among the leaders in other key advanced stats. He led the NHL in total skating distance (330.27 miles) with the highest mileage of any player during the tracking era; he also led the League in that category in 2022-23 (309.69 miles).

McDavid ranked second in high-danger shots on goal (120; behind Jake DeBrusk’s 121) and was tied for third in high-danger goals (26; behind Wyatt Johnston’s 30, Tyler Bertuzzi’s 29) last season. McDavid’s game-breaking ability has him looking to add the Stanley Cup to his trophy case; he’s coming off his sixth Art Ross Trophy (led NHL with 138 points last season) and has also won the Hart Trophy (three times), Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the NHL’s goal leader (once) and Conn Smythe Trophy (once) as most valuable player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

2. Andersen’s 5-on-5 save percentage in playoffs

The Oilers, who were tied for the fifth-worst team save percentage in the NHL last season (.879), added two goalies in veteran Frederik Andersen, who won the Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes last season, and young Devon Levi to join another experienced option in Tristan Jarry. That trio, regardless of how the rotation shakes out in terms of a clear starter or a timeshare situation, looks to provide strong enough goaltending to help Edmonton win its first championship since 1990.

Andersen, who will turn 37 on Oct. 2, represented Denmark at the 2026 Winter Olympics and then went on a memorable run down the stretch of last season; he was 9-4-0 over his final 13 regular-season games and then 13-2 with a .910 save percentage and three shutouts in 16 playoff games during Carolina’s Cup title run.

Andersen struggled in the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights (1-1, 12 goals allowed in three appearances) and did not dress for Carolina in the final three games of the series because of a knee injury. But the veteran still finished second in 5-on-5 close save percentage (.951; when game is tied in first or second period or within one goal in third period) during the postseason among goalies who played at least five playoff games, behind Scott Wedgewood (.961). In terms of 5-on-5 save percentage overall (minimum five playoff games), Andersen ranked fourth (.916 in 16 games), behind Dan Vladar (.937 in 10 games), Jesper Wallstedt (.937 in 10 games) and Wedgewood (.918 in 11 games).

3. Possession metrics

Although the Oilers lost to the Anaheim Ducks in the first round of the 2026 playoffs, they have had a strong 5-on-5 shot attempts percentage over the past five seasons combined (52.8; tied for sixth in NHL). Last season, they also finished seventh in offensive zone time percentage (41.8), the percentage of time that the puck spends in the offensive zone while the game clock is running. The puck spending more time in the offensive zone indicates that team spent more time on the attack and less time defending.

The Oilers’ best offensive players ranked highly at their positions in offensive zone time percentage last regular season: McDavid was in the 98th percentile among forwards (47.7), Leon Draisaitl was in the 96th percentile at the position (46.7), and defenseman Evan Bouchard (led NHL at his position in points last season with career-high 95) ranked third at his position in offensive zone time percentage (47.6; behind Shayne Gostisbehere’s 49.6, Adam Fox’s 48.0). Forward Zach Hyman, who was limited by injury last season but productive when healthy (52 points in 58 games), quietly led the Oilers in offensive zone time percentage (48.5) and ranked fourth in the entire NHL in that category.

Edmonton has ranked in the League’s top 10 for offensive zone time percentage in all five regular seasons during the puck and player tracking era (since 2021-22):

• 2021-22: 43.1 (fourth)
• 2022-23: 42.4 (tied for fifth)
• 2023-24: 43.7 (third)
• 2024-25: 42.9 (tied for third)
• 2025-26: 41.8 (seventh)

These puck-possession trends indicate that a more efficient goalie, or even just a more consistent tandem, could go a long way in helping the Oilers’ elite core finally get over the hump. Despite historic playoff performances from McDavid, Draisaitl and Bouchard over the years, Edmonton had consecutive Stanley Cup Final losses to the Florida Panthers in 2024 and 2025. With McDavid signing a two-year, $25 million contract on Oct. 6, 2025, to remain with the Oilers, the pressure is mounting for the team to finally reach its ceiling.