Projecting Edmonton Oilers' ideal lineup for 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs
The 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs are right around the corner, but we still don’t have a clear idea of what a fully healthy Edmonton Oilers lineup will look like.
It’s been a weird season for this Oilers team as they have had to fight through a myriad of injuries. The biggest of which is Evander Kane, who hasn’t been able to suit up for a single game all season so far. The expectation is that he should be able to return once the playoffs get underway.
On top of that, one of the team’s big trade deadline additions, Trent Frederic, is still recovering from an injury that he suffered back in February. Oilers GM Stan Bowman told reporters that the team views Frederic as potentially being a top-six winger as well.
If that’s true, that means the Oilers could have two top-six forwards return to the lineup by the time the regular season ends, drastically changing the forward group.
On the blueline, question marks swirl around the health of both Mattias Ekholm and John Klingberg as well.
So, with all these injuries, the Oilers lineup could look a lot different come Game 1 of the first round. Here is our best guess on what that Edmonton lineup could look like:
Forwards
First line: Evander Kane – Connor McDavid – Zach Hyman
The Oilers desperately want to find Connor McDavid a scoring winger to compliment the first line, and Kane makes a lot of sense.
There is a bit of risk considering how long Kane has been out of action, but he has shown chemistry with McDavid in the past. He is a shoot-first winger who has a knack for getting into the right spots on the ice. That, in theory, should be a perfect compliment to McDavid’s playmaking acumen and Zach Hyman’s net-front presence.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has been invisible for large stretches on this line and it’s more than due for a shakeup. If Kane is fully healthy, he can still be a game-changer.
Second line: Trent Frederic – Leon Draisaitl – Matthew Savoie
The Oilers are flush with centres on this team, so it only makes sense to plug Frederic onto Draisaitl’s wing.
In fact, why not also call Matthew Savoie back up and put him on Draisaitl’s other flank? Edmonton has struggled to match up Leon with impact wingers this season with all of Jeff Skinner, Viktor Arvidsson, and Vasily Podkolzin failing to make a mark.
Meanwhile, Frederic adds a different element than those three and Savoie might have better offensive tools right now. The youngster looked good on this line in his short stint there this season and while it may feel unlikely that he gets such a big role in the playoffs, the Oilers did do something similar with Dylan Holloway last season.
Third line: Jeff Skinner – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Viktor Arvidsson
Adding Kane, Frederic, and Savoie into the top six allows the Oilers to move down a few decent players to form an impressive third line.
Nugent-Hopkins sliding back to centre makes sense, considering his history as a two-way player and how he has had a rough time offensively on the wing this season. Skinner and Arvidsson will face lesser competition on this line and should gel fairly decent. Perhaps this can help them get back to their usual selves.
Fourth line: Vasily Podkolzin – Adam Henrique – Corey Perry
Lastly, the fourth line sees two players moved down the lineup alongside a wily veteran in Corey Perry.
Perry has been one of the best stories from the Oilers this season and is seemingly defying the odds at the age of 40. He’s been one of the team’s best depth scorers this year with 15 goals and it’s hard to say that anybody else in the bottom-six deserves a spot ahead of him.
Adam Henrique has struggled this season, so giving him less responsibility makes more sense. While Podkolzin has done wonders on the forecheck in the top six, his scoring hasn’t been there. The young Russian’s skillset seems tailor-made for a bottom-six role and he should help both Henrique and Perry establish O-zone possession.
Extras:
Mattias Janmark, Connor Brown, Kasperi Kapanen, Max Jones, Derek Ryan
Defence
First pair: Mattias Ekholm – Evan Bouchard
While the top pair of Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard have had some struggles this year, the wise decision would be to keep them together.
They have a long history of performing at a high level and they have been dynamite in each of the last two playoff runs. Bouchard in particular is a big-game player and should have another great postseason.
Nobody else on this Oilers team compliments him better than Ekholm.
Second pair: Darnell Nurse – Jake Walman
It makes too much sense for the Oilers to use deadline acquisition Jake Walman on the second-pair. Sure, he is a left-hand shot, but he has shown some level of comfortability playing on the right and he’s a great stylistic fit for Darnell Nurse.
This also allows Edmonton to have one of Walman or Bouchard on the ice at all times whenever McDavid or Draisaitl are out there. Having two elite puck-moving guys to get the biscuit in the hands of your best players is always a positive.
It also takes the pressure off Nurse to do the same and will give him more space to focus on his strengths.
Third pair: Brett Kulak – Ty Emberson
Brett Kulak might be one of the best third-pairing defencemen in the entire league, so having him slotted here makes sense — the question lies in his partner.
Ty Emberson has had himself a bit of a weird season. He struggled early on to adapt to his new team but seemingly found his stride at the mid-point of the year. However, since the 4 Nations break, it’s been tough sledding for Emberson.
The Oilers have options in John Klingberg and Troy Stecher if they want, but Emberson still represents the best overall option at this spot. It’s been a bit ugly of late, but his midseason play shows that there is a good player there.