Edmonton Oilers 2021 Predictions, Team Odds and Season Preview

With little cap flexibility, Edmonton was one of the quieter teams in the off-season.  After underperforming last year, can the same core group get it done in the all-Canadian North Division?

Edmonton Oilers 2021 NHL Odds

The North Division is fairly wide open and outside of Ottawa, it’s likely playoffs or bust for the rest of the Canadian teams.  Edmonton has a solid core group of stars centred around Connor McDavid and reigning Art Ross winner Leon Draisaitl, leading them to be one of the favourites on the NHL futures board.  The Oilers season point total over/under is set at a reasonable 65.5 and they’re at -250 to make the playoffs, the second best odds, behind Toronto.  McDavid and Draisaitl are seeing tons of action on the player props with McDavid the favourite for the Art Ross at +245 (Draisaitl is third at +612) and the Hart at +387 (Draisaitl is +1,000(, while Draisaitl is at +726 for the Rocket Richard (McDavid is +800).

Edmonton Oilers 2019-20 Season

Record: 37-25-9 (83 points); Second in Pacific; Lost in Qualifying Round, 2-3 (Blackhawks)

Leading Scorers: Leon Draisaitl (110 points); Leon Draisaitl (43 goals)

The Oilers, yet again, had the Art Ross, Hart and Ted Lindsay winner, as well as the only player to crack 100 points in the shortened season.  And no, it wasn’t Connor McDavid.  Leon Draisaitl proved himself to be just as vital to Edmonton’s success as McDavid, but unfortunately it was another story of an Oilers team with only two players carrying their weight.

The Oilers improved in the standings, but it all came apart when it mattered most.  Heading into the NHL bubble in their own home rink should have been a benefit, but Edmonton never really had the chance to take advantage as they were upset by a veteran Chicago team in the qualifying round.  Plagued by inconsistent goaltending, weak defence and little offensive depth to help McDavid and Draisaitl, it was another Oilers season that fell short of expectations.

Oilers Trades / Acquisitions

Stuck in a salary cap crunch, the Oilers had to get creative, this off-season.  Tyson Barrie and Kyle Turris both signed with Edmonton in attempt to revitalize their careers, while Jesse Puljujarvi returned from Finland in an attempt to establish himself as an NHL regular.  Turris has the potential to provide desperately needed secondary scoring and he will likely see easier matchups with other teams focusing on McDavid and Draisaitl.  Barrie should end up on the first powerplay unit and have a bounceback year, while Puljujarvi has grown more mature and experienced as a point per game player in Finland.

Players to Watch

Connor McDavid/Leon Draisaitl: You pretty much can’t talk about one of these guys without talking about the other.  It’s not often a team can have the league’s two leading scorers and not make it to the first round of the playoffs, but somehow Edmonton found a way, last year.  These players are motivated to win and have the two best odds on the NHL futures board to lead the Oilers in scoring, this year, with Draisaitl at -125 and McDavid at +115.  League wide, between the two of them they are among the top favourites for the Art Ross (McDavid +245, Draisaitl +612), the Hart (McDavid +387, Draisaitl +1,000) and Rocket Richard (Draisaitl +726, McDavid +800).

Jesse Puljujarvi: After a few rough seasons in the NHL, Puljuajarvi, the 2016 fourth overall pick, left to play last season in Finland’s top professional league.  It’s still early, but he seems to have come back with a more positive attitude and a better understanding of what it takes to be a professional.  His point total on the year is set at 27.5 on the NHL futures board and even if he has to work his way up from a bottom six role to start the year, he should be determined to prove himself.  If he gets any playing time with McDavid and Draisaitl this year, he should have no problem hitting the over on his point total.

Tyson Barrie: Like a lot of players before him, Barrie struggled in his lone season in Toronto.  Whether it was the coach or the pressure of playing in a Leafs jersey, Barrie is another player with a lot to prove and with the Oilers likely missing Oscar Klefbom for the year, Barrie should get plenty of ice time.  His point total on the NHL futures board is 35.5, which at first glance may seem high, however, he’ll likely be a large part of Edmonton’s power play unit, which features two of the best players in the world and was a monstrous 29.5 per cent, last season.

Best Bets

The Oilers had one of the better records against the puckline spread, last season, going 39-31 overall.  They underperformed as he favourite, going 8-18 in those games, but it might pay to play them as the underdog as they were 31-13 on the puckline as the underdog, last year.  With the combination of Edmonton having one of the best offences and worst defences in the league last year, it was a recipe for hitting the over.  Last season, the Oilers averaged 3.20 goals per game (league average was 2.99) and allowed 3.11 goals per game and with very little adjustment to their roster in the off-season, we could see plenty of high scoring games, again.

Edmonton Oilers 2021 Season Prediction

Edmonton can expect Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to compete for scoring records, again, but the rest of the team is full of question marks.  Over the past few years Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has been the only consistent player outside of McDavid and Draisaitl, but players like Tyson Barrie and Jesse Puljujarvi come with in with a lot of potential and a lot to prove.  It would be surprising not to see the Oilers make the playoffs, but with a weaker goaltending tandem in Mikko Koskinen and Mike Smith, as well as unproven defence, how deep into the playoffs Edmonton can go remains uncertain.