The Edmonton Oilers have had many great players roll through town over the last 25 seasons, but who were the best of the best during that time?
It’s been a turbulent quarter of a century for this Oilers team. They started the decade as a bit of a middling team before eventually ascending to the Stanley Cup Final in 2006, only to lose to the Carolina Hurricanes. After that, the team struggled through a decade of no playoffs. That misery ended up paying off as the team won the right to draft Connor McDavid, who welcomed a new era of competitive Oilers hockey that eventually helped the team get back to the Final in 2024.
The NHL will commemorate hitting 2025 by revealing two quarter-century all-star teams for each of the 32 teams. This will include a list of the very best players from each team starting from the year 2000 up to the present day.
Edmonton’s team is scheduled to be revealed on January 30, but here is Daily Hive’s prediction on who will be on those teams.
First team
Ryan Smyth-Connor McDavid-Ales Hemsky
Darnell Nurse-Chris Pronger
Stuart Skinner
It was a no-brainer that Connor McDavid would be making the first team of the Oilers’ quarter-century squad. The current Edmonton captain is the best player to lace them up for the team since Wayne Gretzky and has been, by far, the league’s most impressive player since he entered the NHL in 2015.
Helping him out on the wings are a pair of beloved Oilers who defined the first decade of the century: Ryan Smyth and Ales Hemsky. Smyth ranks second all-time in games played with the Oilers and is ninth all-time in points. He was also a founding member of the team’s Ring of Honour back in 2022.
Hemsky was the most exciting player for the Oilers during his tenure from 2002 to 2014 and recorded 142 goals and 477 points in 652 games in Edmonton. He is a surefire bet to eventually get his name in the Ring of Honour as well one day.
On defence, Darnell Nurse served as the team’s top LD for about six seasons before the arrival of Mattias Ekholm. He is a critical part of the team’s current core and fourth all-time in defensive scoring with 284 points. His partner is Chris Pronger, who didn’t stay long but is a hall-of-fame defenceman who nearly led the Oilers to the Stanley Cup in 2006.
Between the pipes, Edmonton native Stuart Skinner has an 88-44-13 record through his first 150 NHL games. That is the second-highest win total by an Oilers goalie through 150 games, ahead of Grant Fuhr and behind only Andy Moog.
Second team
Taylor Hall-Leon Draisaitl-Zach Hyman
Oscar Klefbom-Evan Bouchard
Cam Talbot
On just about any other team, Leon Draisaitl would have easily made the first team, but with McDavid being McDavid, he will have to settle for a spot on the second team. Draisaitl has cemented himself as not only one of the best German NHL players of all time but also one of the best from his generation. He has three 50-goal seasons under his belt as well as a Hart Trophy from 2019-20.
Zach Hyman will occupy Draisaitl’s right wing after being one of the team’s best free-agent signings of all time in 2021. He too has a 50-goal season and an impressive 237 points in just 270 games with the Oilers. Hall will round out the forward group after having been the team’s most electric forward for the first half of the 2010s and notching 328 points in 381 games in Edmonton.
On the backend, Oscar Klefbom will man the left side. He remains one of the best defencemen to play for the Oilers over the past 25 years and would still be a critical member of the team if injuries didn’t force him into an early retirement. Evan Bouchard is an obvious partner as he has put up video game-like offensive numbers early on in his career, including an 82-point campaign last season as well as 49 points over his last 37 playoff games.
Finally, Cam Talbot will get the nod in goal as he had a fabulous tenure with the Oilers between 2015 and 2019. He put up a 104-95-19 record in Edmonton, which included a 2016-17 season that saw Talbot record 42 wins. He sits fifth all-time in wins by an Oilers goalie.