# 2020–21 Edmonton Oilers season

The 2020–21 Edmonton Oilers season was the 42nd season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that was established on June 22, 1979, and 49th season overall, including their play in the World Hockey Association (WHA). The Oilers made the playoffs for the second straight year after being eliminated by the Chicago Blackhawks in the qualifying round of the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Due to the Canada–U.S. border restrictions brought in as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Oilers were re-aligned with the other six Canadian franchises into the newly formed North Division. The league's 56 game season was played entirely within the new divisions, meaning that Edmonton and the other Canadian teams played an all-Canadian schedule for the 2020–21 regular season as well as the first two rounds of the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs.
On May 3, 2021, the Oilers clinched a playoff berth after they defeated the Vancouver Canucks 5–3. They were swept in the first round by the Winnipeg Jets, with a 4-3 triple overtime loss in game four on May 24.

## Standings
### Divisional standings

North Division :
| Pos | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | RW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | y – Toronto Maple Leafs | 56 | 35 | 14 | 7 | 29 | 187 | 148 | +39 | 77 |
| 2 | x – Edmonton Oilers | 56 | 35 | 19 | 2 | 31 | 183 | 154 | +29 | 72 |
| 3 | x – Winnipeg Jets | 56 | 30 | 23 | 3 | 24 | 170 | 154 | +16 | 63 |
| 4 | x – Montreal Canadiens | 56 | 24 | 21 | 11 | 20 | 159 | 168 | −9 | 59 |
| 5 | e – Calgary Flames | 56 | 26 | 27 | 3 | 22 | 156 | 161 | −5 | 55 |
| 6 | e – Ottawa Senators | 56 | 23 | 28 | 5 | 18 | 157 | 190 | −33 | 51 |
| 7 | e – Vancouver Canucks | 56 | 23 | 29 | 4 | 17 | 151 | 188 | −37 | 50 |

## Schedule and results
### Regular season

The regular season schedule was published on December 23, 2020.
2020–21 game log :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Overtime/shootout loss (1 point) :

### Playoffs

2021 Stanley Cup playoffs :
Legend:
  Win
  Loss :

## Player statistics
### Skaters

Regular season :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Connor McDavid | 56 | 33 | 72 | 105 | +21 | 20 |
| Leon Draisaitl | 56 | 31 | 53 | 84 | +29 | 22 |
| Tyson Barrie | 56 | 8 | 40 | 48 | +4 | 10 |
| Darnell Nurse | 56 | 16 | 20 | 36 | +27 | 57 |
| Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | 52 | 16 | 19 | 35 | −4 | 22 |
| Jesse Puljujarvi | 55 | 15 | 10 | 25 | +6 | 16 |
| Kailer Yamamoto | 52 | 8 | 13 | 21 | +9 | 26 |
| Alex Chiasson | 45 | 9 | 7 | 16 | −10 | 33 |
| Dominik Kahun | 48 | 9 | 6 | 15 | −3 | 2 |
| Josh Archibald | 52 | 7 | 6 | 13 | +2 | 37 |
| Jujhar Khaira | 40 | 3 | 8 | 11 | −1 | 42 |
| James Neal | 29 | 5 | 5 | 10 | −2 | 11 |
| Adam Larsson | 56 | 4 | 6 | 10 | +2 | 24 |
| Devin Shore | 38 | 5 | 4 | 9 | −4 | 6 |
| Tyler Ennis | 30 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 6 |
| Kris Russell | 35 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 8 |
| Ethan Bear | 43 | 2 | 6 | 8 | −1 | 14 |
| Zack Kassian | 27 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −4 | 15 |
| Kyle Turris | 27 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −11 | 10 |
| Evan Bouchard | 14 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 2 |
| Caleb Jones | 33 | 0 | 4 | 4 | −7 | 6 |
| Gaetan Haas | 34 | 2 | 1 | 3 | −6 | 10 |
| Patrick Russell | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| William Lagesson | 19 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 |
| Dmitri Kulikov$^†$ | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | +1 | 2 |
| Slater Koekkoek | 18 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −7 | 2 |
| Ryan McLeod | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −2 | 0 |
| Joakim Nygard | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 4 |
Playoffs :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Leon Draisaitl | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 2 |
| Connor McDavid | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −2 | 0 |
| Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −2 | 0 |
| Zack Kassian | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jesse Puljujarvi | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Adam Larsson | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −4 | 2 |
| Jujhar Khaira | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −2 | 6 |
| Alex Chiasson | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −2 | 0 |
| Devin Shore | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −2 | 0 |
| Slater Koekkoek | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Darnell Nurse | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Tyson Barrie | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +1 | 0 |
| Kailer Yamamoto | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −2 | 2 |
| Josh Archibald | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 2 |
| Tyler Ennis | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kris Russell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| James Neal | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 0 |
| Ethan Bear | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −4 | 2 |
| Dmitri Kulikov | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −3 | 0 |
| Ryan McLeod | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 0 |
| Dominik Kahun | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gaetan Haas | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |

### Goaltenders

Regular season :
| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | OT | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Mike Smith | 32 | 30 | 1,846:33 | 21 | 6 | 2 | 71 | 2.31 | 921 | .923 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| Mikko Koskinen | 26 | 25 | 1,437:39 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 76 | 3.17 | 756 | .899 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Stuart Skinner | 1 | 1 | 59:41 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5.03 | 38 | .868 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Playoffs :
| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Mike Smith | 4 | 4 | 299:48 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 2.40 | 136 | .912 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
$^†$Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Oilers. Stats reflect time with the Oilers only. $^‡$Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Oilers only.

## Awards and honours
### Milestones

Regular season :
| Player | Milestone | Reached |
| Mikko Koskinen | 100th NHL game | January 16, 2021 |
| Stuart Skinner | 1st NHL game 1st NHL win | January 31, 2021 |
| William Lagesson | 1st NHL assist 1st NHL point | February 6, 2021 |
| Mike Smith | 40th NHL shutout | February 11, 2021 |
| Connor McDavid | 500th NHL point | February 17, 2021 |
| Dave Tippett | 600th NHL win (coach) | February 17, 2021 |
| Darnell Nurse | 100th NHL assist | February 19, 2021 |

## Transactions

The Oilers have been involved in the following transactions during the 2020–21 season.

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| October 7, 2020 (2020-10-07) | To San Jose Sharks3rd-round pick in 2020 | To Edmonton Oilers4th-round pick in 2020 5th-round pick in 2020 |
| April 12, 2021 (2021-04-12) | To New Jersey Devils4th-round pick in 2022 | To Edmonton OilersDmitri Kulikov |
| July 12, 2021 (2021-07-12) | To Chicago BlackhawksCaleb Jones Conditional 3rd-round pick in 2022 | To Edmonton OilersDuncan Keith Tim Söderlund |
| July 14, 2021 (2021-07-14) | To Carolina HurricanesDylan Wells | To Edmonton OilersFuture considerations |

### Free agents

| Date | Player | Team | Contract term |
| October 9, 2020 (2020-10-09) | Matt Benning | to Nashville Predators | 2-year |
| October 9, 2020 (2020-10-09) | Josh Currie | to Pittsburgh Penguins | 1-year |
| October 9, 2020 (2020-10-09) | Anton Forsberg | from Carolina Hurricanes | 1-year |
| October 9, 2020 (2020-10-09) | Seth Griffith | from Winnipeg Jets | 2-year |
| October 9, 2020 (2020-10-09) | Tomas Jurco | to Vegas Golden Knights | 1-year |
| October 9, 2020 (2020-10-09) | Alan Quine | from Calgary Flames | 1-year |
| October 9, 2020 (2020-10-09) | Kyle Turris | from Nashville Predators | 2-year |
| October 10, 2020 (2020-10-10) | Tyson Barrie | from Toronto Maple Leafs | 1-year |
| October 12, 2020 (2020-10-12) | Logan Day | to Lehigh Valley Phantoms (AHL) | 1-year |
| October 20, 2020 (2020-10-20) | Shane Starrett | to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL) | 1-year |
| November 2, 2020 (2020-11-02) | Dominik Kahun | from Buffalo Sabres | 1-year |
| November 17, 2020 (2020-11-17) | Cameron Hebig | to Florida Everblades (ECHL) | 1-year |
| December 26, 2020 (2020-12-26) | Slater Koekkoek | from Chicago Blackhawks | 1-year |
| December 28, 2020 (2020-12-28) | Andreas Athanasiou | to Los Angeles Kings | 1-year |
| December 28, 2020 (2020-12-28) | Ryan Kuffner | to ERC Ingolstadt (DEL) | 1-year |
| January 8, 2021 (2021-01-08) | Riley Sheahan | to Buffalo Sabres | 1-year |
| January 11, 2021 (2021-01-11) | Keegan Lowe | to San Diego Gulls (AHL) | 1-year |
| January 13, 2021 (2021-01-13) | Devin Shore | from Columbus Blue Jackets | 1-year |
| May 28, 2021 (2021-05-28) | Joakim Nygård | to Färjestad BK (SHL) | 6-year |
| June 3, 2021 (2021-06-03) | Adam Cracknell | to Bakersfield Condors (AHL) | 1-year |
| June 10, 2021 (2021-06-10) | Gaëtan Haas | to EHC Biel (NL) | 5-year |

### Waivers

| Date | Player | Team |
| January 12, 2021 (2021-01-12) | Anton Forsberg | to Carolina Hurricanes |
| January 16, 2021 (2021-01-16) | Troy Grosenick | from Los Angeles Kings |
| February 6, 2021 (2021-02-06) | Troy Grosenick | to Los Angeles Kings |
| March 1, 2021 (2021-03-01) | Alex Stalock | from Minnesota Wild |

### Signings

| Date | Player | Contract term |
| October 7, 2020 (2020-10-07) | Jesse Puljujarvi | 2-year |
| October 9, 2020 (2020-10-09) | Tyler Ennis | 1-year |
| October 9, 2020 (2020-10-09) | Kris Russell | 1-year |
| October 9, 2020 (2020-10-09) | Mike Smith | 1-year |
| November 4, 2020 (2020-11-04) | William Lagesson | 2-year |
| November 25, 2020 (2020-11-25) | Philip Kemp | 3-year |
| December 28, 2020 (2020-12-28) | Ethan Bear | 2-year |
| March 22, 2021 (2021-03-22) | Michael Kesselring | 3-year |
| April 16, 2021 (2021-04-16) | Dylan Holloway | 3-year |
| May 3, 2021 (2021-05-03) | Ilya Konovalov | 2-year |
| June 9, 2021 (2021-06-09) | Devin Shore | 2-year |
| June 29, 2021 (2021-06-29) | Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | 8-year |

## Draft picks

Below are the Edmonton Oilers' selections at the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, which was originally scheduled for June 26–27, 2020 at the Bell Center in Montreal, Quebec, but was postponed on March 25, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The draft was held October 6–7, 2020 virtually via Video conference call from the NHL Network studio in Secaucus, New Jersey.
| Round | # | Player | Pos | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 14 | Dylan Holloway | C | Canada | University of Wisconsin (WCHA) |
| 4 | 100 | Carter Savoie | LW | Canada | Sherwood Park Crusaders (AJHL) |
| 5 | 126 | Tyler Tullio | C/RW | Canada | Oshawa Generals (OHL) |
| 5 | 138 | Maxim Beryozkin | LW | Russia | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL) |
| 6 | 169 | Filip Engaras | C | Sweden | University of New Hampshire (Hockey East) |
| 7 | 200 | Jeremias Lindewall | LW | Sweden | Modo Hockey (HockeyAllsvenskan) |