The Edmonton Oilers had a disappointing season in 2025-26, falling well short of expectations in both the regular season and the playoffs. Whether it was fatigue, injuries, goaltending, or coaching, they never got everything clicking at the same time. That’s not to say there weren’t any players who made strides, however, as a few players took a significant leap forward this season.

Thanks to the heavy turnover in the bottom six and numerous injuries throughout the season, several rookies got an audition with the Oilers. Not all of them established themselves, but Matt Savoie and Josh Samanski raised their stocks significantly, and Colton Dach had an excellent showing in eight games after arriving in Edmonton at the trade deadline.

It wasn’t just the rookies, either. Vasily Podkolzin hit career highs in goals, assists, points, and plus-minus. On the goaltending front, Connor Ingram took a step in the right direction. He finished slightly above league average in both save percentage and goals saved above expected. Not bad for a goalie who cleared waivers in September.

Today, we’re taking an in-depth look at some of the positive individual strides the Oilers took in an otherwise underwhelming season.

Vasily Podkolzin

When the Oilers lost Dylan Holloway to an offer sheet in August of 2024, it was a devastating blow to the organization. The cupboards were relatively empty when it came to future top six talent at forward. Not matching the offer sheet was a mistake, but Stan Bowman softened the blow with a nice buy-low on Podkolzin.

He was coming off two tough seasons with the Vancouver Canucks, during which he recorded only 9 points in 58 games. Even in the AHL, his production stagnated. The Canucks likely feared he was trending towards bust territory, so they traded him while they could still get assets, sending him to Edmonton for a fourth-round pick.

In Podkolzin’s first season with the Oilers, the coaches quickly discovered how much Leon Draisaitl enjoyed playing with him. He ranked in the 92nd percentile in forechecking pressures per hour, turning........

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