# 2003–04 Edmonton Oilers season

The 2003–04 Edmonton Oilers season was the Oilers' 25th season in the NHL, and they were coming off a 36–26–11–9 record in 2002–03, earning 92 points, and returned to the playoffs after a one-year absence. The Oilers were then defeated by the Dallas Stars in six games in the opening round.
During the off-season, the Oilers and Mike Comrie could not come to a contract agreement, and Comrie would not start the season with the team. Comrie would eventually be traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in December for Jeff Woywitka and the Flyers' first-round draft pick in 2004.
The club would start off the season on the right foot, having a record of 10–7–2–0 in the first 19 games. However, Edmonton would go into a slump and have a 10–17–6–1 in their next 34 games, falling to 12th place in the Western Conference. The Oilers would later emerge from the slump and finish the season with a 16–5–4–4 in their remaining 29 games. Despite the season turnaround, the Oilers would finish in ninth in the West, two points behind the eighth-placed Nashville Predators for the final playoff spot, thereby failing to qualify for the post-season for the second time in three seasons.
Offensively, Ryan Smyth would lead the club with 23 goals, 36 assists and 59 points. Radek Dvorak would finish just behind Smyth with 50 points, while Ethan Moreau and Raffi Torres would each score 20 goals. Marc-Andre Bergeron would lead the defense with 9 goals and 26 points, while Eric Brewer would finish just behind him with seven goals and 25 points. Georges Laraque would lead the club in penalty minutes, with 99.
In goal, Tommy Salo would begin the season as the starter. However, he would lose his job and eventually be traded to the Colorado Avalanche before the season was over. He won 17 games and had a 2.58 goals against average (GAA), along with three shutouts, with Edmonton. Ty Conklin took over the starting duties, where he would win 17 games, attain a 2.42 GAA and earn a shutout along the way.

## Heritage Classic

The Heritage Classic was an outdoor ice hockey game played on November 22, 2003, in Edmonton between the Edmonton Oilers and the Montreal Canadiens. It was the second NHL outdoor game and the first regular season outdoor game in the history of the NHL, and was modeled after the success of the "cold war" game between the University of Michigan and Michigan State University in 2001. The first NHL game to be played outdoors was in 1991 when the Los Angeles Kings played the New York Rangers in an exhibition game outside Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The event took place in Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium in front of a crowd of 57,167, the largest number of people to ever watch a live NHL game, despite temperatures of close to -18 °C, -30 °C (-22 °F) with wind chill. It was held to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Edmonton Oilers joining the NHL in 1979. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation television broadcast also set the record for most viewers of a single NHL game with 2.747 million nationwide. This was the first NHL game broadcast in HDTV on CBC. Montreal won the game 4–3.

## Season standings

Northwest Division :
| No. | CR | | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | PTS |
| 1 | 3 | Vancouver Canucks | 82 | 43 | 24 | 10 | 5 | 235 | 194 | 101 |
| 2 | 4 | Colorado Avalanche | 82 | 40 | 22 | 13 | 7 | 235 | 198 | 100 |
| 3 | 6 | Calgary Flames | 82 | 42 | 30 | 7 | 3 | 200 | 176 | 94 |
| 4 | 9 | Edmonton Oilers | 82 | 36 | 29 | 12 | 5 | 221 | 208 | 89 |
| 5 | 10 | Minnesota Wild | 82 | 30 | 29 | 20 | 3 | 188 | 183 | 83 |
Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.
Western Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | P- Detroit Red Wings | CE | 82 | 48 | 21 | 11 | 2 | 255 | 189 | 109 |
| 2 | Y- San Jose Sharks | PA | 82 | 43 | 21 | 12 | 6 | 255 | 183 | 104 |
| 3 | Y- Vancouver Canucks | NW | 82 | 43 | 24 | 10 | 5 | 235 | 194 | 101 |
| 4 | X- Colorado Avalanche | NW | 82 | 40 | 22 | 13 | 7 | 236 | 198 | 100 |
| 5 | X- Dallas Stars | PA | 82 | 41 | 26 | 13 | 2 | 194 | 175 | 97 |
| 6 | X- Calgary Flames | NW | 82 | 42 | 30 | 7 | 3 | 200 | 176 | 94 |
| 7 | X- St. Louis Blues | CE | 82 | 39 | 30 | 11 | 2 | 191 | 198 | 91 |
| 8 | X- Nashville Predators | CE | 82 | 38 | 29 | 11 | 4 | 216 | 217 | 91 |
| 8.5 |||||||||||
| 9 | Edmonton Oilers | NW | 82 | 36 | 29 | 12 | 5 | 221 | 208 | 89 |
| 10 | Minnesota Wild | NW | 82 | 30 | 29 | 20 | 3 | 188 | 183 | 83 |
| 11 | Los Angeles Kings | PA | 82 | 28 | 29 | 16 | 9 | 205 | 217 | 81 |
| 12 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | PA | 82 | 29 | 35 | 10 | 8 | 184 | 213 | 76 |
| 13 | Phoenix Coyotes | PA | 82 | 22 | 36 | 18 | 6 | 188 | 245 | 68 |
| 14 | Columbus Blue Jackets | CE | 82 | 25 | 45 | 8 | 4 | 177 | 238 | 62 |
| 15 | Chicago Blackhawks | CE | 82 | 20 | 43 | 11 | 8 | 188 | 259 | 59 |
Divisions: CE – Central, PA – Pacific, NW – Northwest
P – Clinched Presidents Trophy; Y – Clinched Division; X – Clinched Playoff spot

## Schedule and results

2003–04 regular season :
October: 4–5–0–0 (home: 4–2–0–0; road: 0–3–0–0)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPtsRecap
1October 9San Jose Sharks2 – 5Edmonton OilersSalo16,8391–0–0–02Recap
2October 11Edmonton Oilers0 – 3Vancouver CanucksSalo18,6301–1–0–02Recap
3October 14Edmonton Oilers0 – 1Calgary FlamesSalo16,0091–2–0–02Recap
4October 16Buffalo Sabres1 – 4Edmonton OilersConklin15,5022–2–0–04Recap
5October 18Colorado Avalanche3 – 6Edmonton OilersSalo16,8393–2–0–06Recap
6October 21St. Louis Blues6 – 4Edmonton OilersSalo16,0433–3–0–06Recap
7October 23Edmonton Oilers1 – 6Colorado AvalancheConklin18,0073–4–0–06Recap
8October 25Calgary Flames4 – 2Edmonton OilersSalo16,8393–5–0–06Recap
9October 30Columbus Blue Jackets3 – 4Edmonton OilersOTSalo15,9464–5–0–08Recap :
November: 6–6–3–0 (home: 3–3–1–0; road: 3–3–2–0)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPtsRecap
10November 1Detroit Red Wings4 – 4Edmonton OilersOTSalo16,8394–5–1–09Recap
11November 4Edmonton Oilers4 – 2Montreal CanadiensSalo18,2185–5–1–011Recap
12November 6Edmonton Oilers3 – 3Ottawa SenatorsOTSalo15,2165–5–2–012Recap
13November 8Edmonton Oilers1 – 4Toronto Maple LeafsSalo19,3405–6–2–012Recap
14November 10Edmonton Oilers5 – 4New York RangersConklin17,8876–6–2–014Recap
15November 11Edmonton Oilers3 – 4Boston BruinsConklin12,4566–7–2–014Recap
16November 13Edmonton Oilers2 – 0Minnesota WildConklin18,5687–7–2–016Recap
17November 15Calgary Flames1 – 2Edmonton OilersOTConklin16,8398–7–2–018Recap
18November 18Chicago Blackhawks2 – 5Edmonton OilersConklin16,8399–7–2–020Recap
19November 20Toronto Maple Leafs2 – 3Edmonton OilersConklin16,83910–7–2–022Recap
20November 22Montreal Canadiens4 – 3Edmonton OilersConklin57,16710–8–2–022Recap
21November 25Edmonton Oilers3 – 3Columbus Blue JacketsOTConklin16,46510–8–3–023Recap
22November 26Edmonton Oilers1 – 7Detroit Red WingsConklin20,06610–9–3–023Recap
23November 28Colorado Avalanche4 – 1Edmonton OilersConklin16,83910–10–3–023Recap
24November 30San Jose Sharks2 – 1Edmonton OilersConklin16,83910–11–3–023Recap :
December: 3–6–4–0 (home: 1–4–2–0; road: 2–2–2–0)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPtsRecap
25December 3Minnesota Wild1 – 0Edmonton OilersConklin16,19810–12–3–023Recap
26December 6Pittsburgh Penguins3 – 4Edmonton OilersConklin16,83911–12–3–025Recap
27December 9Carolina Hurricanes3 – 2Edmonton OilersSalo16,17911–13–3–025Recap
28December 11Edmonton Oilers2 – 2San Jose SharksOTConklin14,85311–13–4–026Recap
29December 12Edmonton Oilers3 – 3Phoenix CoyotesOTSalo13,60911–13–5–027Recap
30December 14Edmonton Oilers3 – 2Mighty Ducks of AnaheimConklin12,42612–13–5–029Recap
31December 16Edmonton Oilers2 – 4Los Angeles KingsSalo18,11812–14–5–029Recap
32December 18Minnesota Wild1 – 1Edmonton OilersOTConklin16,14512–14–6–030Recap
33December 20Vancouver Canucks3 – 0Edmonton OilersConklin16,83912–15–6–030Recap
34December 23Edmonton Oilers1 – 2Calgary FlamesSalo18,38912–16–6–030Recap
35December 27Edmonton Oilers6 – 2Vancouver CanucksSalo18,63013–16–6–032Recap
36December 28Calgary Flames2 – 1Edmonton OilersSalo16,83913–17–6–032Recap
37December 30Minnesota Wild2 – 2Edmonton OilersOTSalo16,83913–17–7–033Recap :
January: 7–7–1–1 (home: 4–3–0–0; road: 3–4–1–1)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPtsRecap
38January 2Edmonton Oilers2 – 1Minnesota WildSalo18,56814–17–7–035Recap
39January 4Edmonton Oilers4 – 3Chicago BlackhawksSalo10,10115–17–7–037Recap
40January 5Edmonton Oilers2 – 3New Jersey DevilsOTSalo11,72415–17–7–138Recap
41January 8Edmonton Oilers2 – 3New York IslandersConklin11,08715–18–7–138Recap
42January 10Edmonton Oilers3 – 0Philadelphia FlyersSalo19,56116–18–7–140Recap
43January 11Edmonton Oilers0 – 1Washington CapitalsSalo12,70416–19–7–140Recap
44January 13Florida Panthers2 – 4Edmonton OilersSalo16,83917–19–7–142Recap
45January 15Mighty Ducks of Anaheim0 – 1Edmonton OilersSalo16,83918–19–7–144Recap
46January 17Edmonton Oilers1 – 2Nashville PredatorsSalo15,86118–20–7–144Recap
47January 18Edmonton Oilers4 – 4Columbus Blue JacketsOTConklin18,13618–20–8–145Recap
48January 20Dallas Stars0 – 3Edmonton OilersSalo16,83919–20–8–147Recap
49January 22Tampa Bay Lightning3 – 2Edmonton OilersSalo16,83919–21–8–147Recap
50January 24Nashville Predators4 – 3Edmonton OilersSalo16,83919–22–8–147Recap
51January 27Edmonton Oilers1 – 3Colorado AvalancheConklin18,00719–23–8–147Recap
52January 29Chicago Blackhawks2 – 5Edmonton OilersSalo16,83920–23–8–149Recap
53January 31Los Angeles Kings4 – 3Edmonton OilersSalo16,83920–24–8–149Recap :
February: 6–3–2–1 (home: 4–0–1–0; road: 2–3–1–1)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPtsRecap
54February 2Mighty Ducks of Anaheim1 – 2Edmonton OilersOTConklin16,18321–24–8–151Recap
55February 4St. Louis Blues3 – 5Edmonton OilersConklin16,56922–24–8–153Recap
56February 11Atlanta Thrashers1 – 5Edmonton OilersConklin16,83923–24–8–155Recap
57February 13Edmonton Oilers0 – 3Minnesota WildConklin18,56823–25–8–155Recap
58February 15Edmonton Oilers2 – 2Nashville PredatorsSalo14,27623–25–9–156Recap
59February 16Edmonton Oilers1 – 2Detroit Red WingsSalo20,06623–26–9–156Recap
60February 18Edmonton Oilers5 – 1Colorado AvalancheSalo18,00724–26–9–158Recap
61February 21Vancouver Canucks3 – 4Edmonton OilersOTSalo16,83925–26–9–160Recap
62February 23Detroit Red Wings1 – 1Edmonton OilersOTSalo16,83925–26–10–161Recap
63February 25Edmonton Oilers2 – 4Mighty Ducks of AnaheimSalo15,23525–27–10–161Recap
64February 27Edmonton Oilers7 – 2Phoenix CoyotesSalo16,72126–27–10–163Recap
65February 29Edmonton Oilers4 – 5Dallas StarsOTSalo18,25726–27–10–264Recap :
March: 10–1–2–3 (home: 6–0–0–3; road: 4–1–2–0)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPtsRecap
66March 2Phoenix Coyotes4 – 5Edmonton OilersOTSalo16,83927–27–10–266Recap
67March 4Edmonton Oilers1 – 1St. Louis BluesOTMarkkanen16,55927–27–11–267Recap
68March 7Edmonton Oilers4 – 3Chicago BlackhawksOTSalo12,83928–27–11–269Recap
69March 9Edmonton Oilers1 – 1Calgary FlamesOTMarkkanen18,47928–27–12–270Recap
70March 10Colorado Avalanche3 – 2Edmonton OilersOTConklin16,83928–27–12–371Recap
71March 12Vancouver Canucks4 – 3Edmonton OilersOTMarkkanen16,83928–27–12–472Recap
72March 14Ottawa Senators1 – 3Edmonton OilersConklin16,83929–27–12–474Recap
73March 16Columbus Blue Jackets2 – 3Edmonton OilersConklin16,83930–27–12–476Recap
74March 19Nashville Predators4 – 5Edmonton OilersConklin16,83931–27–12–478Recap
75March 21Edmonton Oilers5 – 2San Jose SharksMarkkanen16,17632–27–12–480Recap
76March 22Edmonton Oilers2 – 1Los Angeles KingsConklin18,11833–27–12–482Recap
77March 24Dallas Stars4 – 3Edmonton OilersOTConklin16,83933–27–12–583Recap
78March 26Los Angeles Kings1 – 3Edmonton OilersConklin16,83934–27–12–585Recap
79March 28Phoenix Coyotes2 – 4Edmonton OilersMarkkanen16,83935–27–12–587Recap
80March 30Edmonton Oilers0 – 1St. Louis BluesMarkkanen19,64635–28–12–587Recap
81March 31Edmonton Oilers3 – 1Dallas StarsMarkkanen18,53236–28–12–589Recap :
April: 0–1–0–0 (home: 0–0–0–0; road: 0–1–0–0)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPtsRecap
82April 3Edmonton Oilers2 – 5Vancouver CanucksConklin18,68036–29–12–589Recap :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Tie (1 point)
  Overtime loss (1 point) :

## Player statistics
### Scoring

* Position abbreviations: C = Centre; D = Defence; G = Goaltender; LW = Left Wing; RW = Right Wing
* † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Oilers only.
* ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Oilers only.
| No. | Player | Pos | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season |
| No. | Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM |
| 94 | Ryan Smyth | LW | 82 | 23 | 36 | 59 | 11 | 70 |
| 20 | Radek Dvorak | RW | 78 | 15 | 35 | 50 | 18 | 26 |
| 16 | Mike York | C | 61 | 16 | 26 | 42 | 18 | 15 |
| 10 | Shawn Horcoff | C | 80 | 15 | 25 | 40 | 0 | 73 |
| 14 | Raffi Torres | LW | 80 | 20 | 14 | 34 | 12 | 65 |
| 83 | Ales Hemsky | RW | 71 | 12 | 22 | 34 | −7 | 14 |
| 18 | Ethan Moreau | LW | 81 | 20 | 12 | 32 | 7 | 96 |
| 34 | Fernando Pisani | RW | 76 | 16 | 14 | 30 | 14 | 46 |
| 24 | Steve Staios | D | 82 | 6 | 22 | 28 | 17 | 86 |
| 47 | Marc-Andre Bergeron | D | 54 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 13 | 26 |
| 2 | Eric Brewer | D | 77 | 7 | 18 | 25 | −6 | 67 |
| 36 | Jarret Stoll | C | 68 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 8 | 42 |
| 23 | Cory Cross | D | 68 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 9 | 56 |
| 21 | Jason Smith | D | 68 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 13 | 98 |
| 15 | Brad Isbister | LW | 51 | 10 | 8 | 18 | −2 | 54 |
| 55 | Igor Ulanov† | D | 42 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 19 | 28 |
| 77 | Adam Oates† | C | 60 | 2 | 16 | 18 | 0 | 8 |
| 27 | Georges Laraque | RW | 66 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 7 | 99 |
| 93 | Petr Nedved† | C | 16 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 1 | 4 |
| 28 | Jason Chimera | LW | 60 | 4 | 8 | 12 | −1 | 57 |
| 19 | Marty Reasoner | C | 17 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 10 |
| 32 | Scott Ferguson | D | 52 | 1 | 5 | 6 | −5 | 80 |
| 5 | Alexei Semenov | D | 46 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 32 |
| 12 | Mike Bishai | C | 14 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 19 |
| 33 | Peter Sarno‡ | C | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 26 | Mikko Luoma | D | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 42 | Tony Salmelainen | LW | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −1 | 4 |
| 35 | Tommy Salo‡ | G | 44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 2 |
| 1 | Ty Conklin | G | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 17 |
| 44 | Doug Lynch | D | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Jussi Markkanen† | G | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 2 |
| 22 | Jani Rita | RW | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Steve Valiquette‡ | G | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 |

### Goaltending

* † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Oilers only.
* ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Oilers only.
| No. | Player | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season |
| No. | Player | GP | W | L | T | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI |
| 1 | Ty Conklin | 39 | 17 | 14 | 4 | 959 | 84 | 2.42 | .912 | 1 | 2085 |
| 35 | Tommy Salo‡ | 44 | 17 | 18 | 6 | 1024 | 107 | 2.58 | .896 | 3 | 2486 |
| 30 | Jussi Markkanen† | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 182 | 12 | 1.83 | .934 | 0 | 393 |
| 40 | Steve Valiquette‡ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 9.23 | .714 | 0 | 13 |

## Awards and records
### Awards

| Type | Award/honor | Recipient |
| League (in-season) | NHL Defensive Player of the Week | Ty Conklin (November 17) |
| League (in-season) | NHL YoungStars Game selection | Alexei Semenov |
| League (in-season) | NHL YoungStars Game selection | Raffi Torres |
| Team | Community Service Award | Georges Laraque |
| Team | Defenceman of the Year | Jason Smith |
| Team | Molson Cup | Ryan Smyth |
| Team | Most Popular Player | Ryan Smyth |
| Team | Top Defensive Forward | Shawn Horcoff |
| Team | Top First Year Oiler | Not awarded |
| Team | Unsung Hero | Igor Ulanov |
| Team | Zane Feldman Trophy | Ethan Moreau |

### Milestones

Regular Season :
| Player | Milestone | Reached |
| Raffi Torres | 1st NHL Goal | October 9, 2003 |
| Eric Brewer | 200th NHL PIM | October 16, 2003 |
| Tony Salmelainen | 1st NHL Game | October 30, 2003 |
| Radek Dvorak | 200th NHL Assist 200th NHL PIM | November 1, 2003 |
| Mike York | 200th NHL Point | November 1, 2003 |
| Tony Salmelainen | 1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point | November 4, 2003 |
| Peter Sarno | 1st NHL Game 1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Point | November 4, 2003 |
| Steve Staios | 700th NHL PIM | November 4, 2003 |
| Shawn Horcoff | 200th NHL Game | November 6, 2003 |
| Ryan Smyth | 200th NHL Assist | November 10, 2003 |
| Jarret Stoll | 1st NHL Goal | November 10, 2003 |
| Ty Conklin | 1st NHL Shutout | November 13, 2003 |
| Steve Staios | 100th NHL Point | November 22, 2003 |
| Jason Smith | 700th NHL PIM | December 6, 2003 |
| Cory Cross | 600th NHL PIM | December 12, 2003 |
| Jason Chimera | 100th NHL Game | December 23, 2003 |
| Georges Laraque | 700th NHL PIM | December 30, 2003 |
| Mikko Luoma | 1st NHL Game 1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point | December 30, 2003 |
| Doug Lynch | 1st NHL Game | January 2, 2004 |
| Ryan Smyth | 600th NHL Game | January 5, 2004 |
| Ales Hemsky | 100th NHL Game | January 10, 2004 |
| Tommy Salo | 200th NHL Win 500th NHL Game | January 10, 2004 |
| Adam Oates | 1,300th NHL Game | January 13, 2004 |
| Steve Staios | 500th NHL Game | January 15, 2004 |
| Brad Isbister | 500th NHL PIM | January 17, 2004 |
| Igor Ulanov | 1,100th NHL PIM | January 22, 2004 |
| Ryan Smyth | 400th NHL Point | January 24, 2004 |
| Mike Bishai | 1st NHL Game | January 29, 2004 |
| Eric Brewer | 100th NHL Point | January 29, 2004 |
| Mike Bishai | 1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point | January 31, 2004 |
| Brad Isbister | 400th NHL Game | January 31, 2004 |
| Ethan Moreau | 700th NHL PIM | January 31, 2004 |
| Scott Ferguson | 200th NHL Game | February 16, 2004 |
| Ryan Smyth | 500th NHL PIM | February 23, 2004 |
| Shawn Horcoff | 100th NHL Point | February 25, 2004 |
| Ethan Moreau | 100th NHL Goal | February 27, 2004 |
| Georges Laraque | 400th NHL Game | February 29, 2004 |
| Fernando Pisani | 100th NHL Game | March 12, 2004 |
| Raffi Torres | 100th NHL Game | March 12, 2004 |
| Jason Smith | 700th NHL Game | March 14, 2004 |
| Cory Cross | 600th NHL Game | March 21, 2004 |
| Eric Brewer | 400th NHL Game | March 26, 2004 |
| Ethan Moreau | 600th NHL Game | March 26, 2004 |
| Petr Nedved | 300th NHL Goal | March 26, 2004 |
| Igor Ulanov | 700th NHL Game | March 30, 2004 |

## Transactions

The Oilers were involved in the following transactions from June 10, 2003, the day after the deciding game of the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals, through June 7, 2004, the day of the deciding game of the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals.

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| June 21, 2003 (2003-06-21) | To New Jersey Devils1st-round pick in 2003 | To Edmonton Oilers1st-round pick in 20032nd-round pick in 2003 |
| June 30, 2003 (2003-06-30) | To New York RangersJussi MarkkanenConditional draft pick | To Edmonton OilersRights to Brian Leetch |
| December 16, 2003 (2003-12-16) | To Philadelphia FlyersRights to Mike Comrie | To Edmonton OilersJeff Woywitka1st-round pick in 20043rd-round pick in 2005 |
| February 16, 2004 (2004-02-16) | To Vancouver CanucksPeter Sarno | To Edmonton OilersTyler Moss |
| March 3, 2004 (2004-03-03) | To New York RangersSteve ValiquetteRights to Dwight Helminen2nd-round pick in 2004 | To Edmonton OilersJussi MarkkanenPetr Nedved |
| March 9, 2004 (2004-03-09) | To Colorado AvalancheTommy Salo6th-round pick in 2005 | To Edmonton OilersRights to Tom Gilbert |

### Players acquired

| Date | Player | Former team | Term | Via |
| July 15, 2003 (2003-07-15) | Rocky Thompson | Florida Panthers | 2-year | Free agency |
| July 15, 2003 (2003-07-15) | Steve Valiquette | New York Islanders | 1-year | Free agency |
| August 21, 2003 (2003-08-21) | Dan Smith | Springfield Falcons (AHL) | 1-year | Free agency |
| September 2, 2003 (2003-09-02) | Jamie Wright | Philadelphia Flyers | 2-year | Free agency |
| October 8, 2003 (2003-10-08) | Steve Valiquette | Florida Panthers | | Waivers |
| November 17, 2003 (2003-11-17) | Adam Oates | Anaheim Mighty Ducks | 1-year | Free agency |
| January 5, 2004 (2004-01-05) | Igor Ulanov | Florida Panthers | 1-year | Free agency |

### Players lost

| Date | Player | New team | Via |
| June 30, 2003 (2003-06-30) | Daniel Cleary | Phoenix Coyotes | Buyout |
| July 3, 2003 (2003-07-03) | Todd Marchant | Columbus Blue Jackets | Free agency (V) |
| July 24, 2003 (2003-07-24) | Brian Swanson | Atlanta Thrashers | Free agency (VI) |
| July 28, 2003 (2003-07-28) | Kari Haakana | Modo Hockey (SHL) | Free agency (II) |
| July 30, 2003 (2003-07-30) | Brian Leetch | New York Rangers | Free agency (III) |
| October 3, 2003 (2003-10-03) | Steve Valiquette | Florida Panthers | Waiver draft |
| April 3, 2004 (2004-04-03) | Adam Oates | | Retirement |

### Signings

| Date | Player | Term | Contract type |
| June 30, 2003 (2003-06-30) | Cory Cross | 3-year | Re-signing |
| July 3, 2003 (2003-07-03) | Jan Horacek | 1-year | Re-signing |
| July 3, 2003 (2003-07-03) | Mikko Luoma | 1-year | Entry-level |
| July 3, 2003 (2003-07-03) | Mathieu Roy | 3-year | Entry-level |
| July 28, 2003 (2003-07-28) | Chad Hinz | 1-year | Re-signing |
| July 28, 2003 (2003-07-28) | Jason Smith | 1-year | Re-signing |
| July 29, 2003 (2003-07-29) | Brad Isbister | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 1, 2003 (2003-08-01) | Marty Reasoner | 2-year | Re-signing |
| August 1, 2003 (2003-08-01) | Raffi Torres | 2-year | Re-signing |
| August 5, 2003 (2003-08-05) | Bobby Allen | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 5, 2003 (2003-08-05) | Michael Henrich | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 5, 2003 (2003-08-05) | Shawn Horcoff | 2-year | Re-signing |
| August 14, 2003 (2003-08-14) | Ryan Smyth | 2-year | Re-signing |
| August 21, 2003 (2003-08-21) | Fernando Pisani | 3-year | Re-signing |
| September 2, 2003 (2003-09-02) | Peter Sarno | 2-year | Re-signing |
| September 11, 2003 (2003-09-11) | Joe Cullen | 2-year | Entry-level |
| September 11, 2003 (2003-09-11) | Georges Laraque | 3-year | Re-signing |
| September 11, 2003 (2003-09-11) | Ethan Moreau | 1-year | Re-signing |
| September 11, 2003 (2003-09-11) | Brad Winchester | 2-year | Entry-level |
| September 29, 2003 (2003-09-29) | Ethan Moreau | 4-year | Re-signing |
| November 19, 2003 (2003-11-19) | Steve Staios | 3-year | Extension |
| May 31, 2004 (2004-05-31) | Jeff Deslauriers | 3-year | Entry-level |

## Draft picks

Edmonton's draft picks at the 2003 NHL entry draft held at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/junior/club team (league) |
| 1 | 22 | Marc-Antoine Pouliot | Canada | Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL) |
| 2 | 51 | Colin McDonald | United States | New England Jr. Coyotes (EJHL) |
| 2 | 68 | Jean-François Jacques | Canada | Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL) |
| 3 | 72 | Mikhail Zhukov | Russia | Arboga (Sweden) |
| 3 | 94 | Zack Stortini | Canada | Sudbury Wolves (OHL) |
| 5 | 147 | Kalle Olsson | Sweden | Frolunda HC (Elitserien) |
| 5 | 154 | David Rohlfs | United States | Detroit Compuware Ambassadors (NAHL) |
| 6 | 184 | Dragan Umicevic | Sweden | Sodertalje SK (SEL) |
| 7 | 214 | Kyle Brodziak | Canada | Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL) |
| 7 | 215 | Mathieu Roy | Canada | Val-d'Or Foreurs (QMJHL) |
| 8 | 248 | Josef Hrabal | Czech Republic | HC Vsetin (Czech Extraliga) |
| 9 | 278 | Troy Bodie | Canada | Kelowna Rockets (WHL) |