# 2023–24 Edmonton Oilers season

The 2023–24 Edmonton Oilers season was the 45th season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that was established on June 22, 1979, and 52nd season for the organization overall, including their play in the World Hockey Association (WHA).
During the off-season, the Oilers acquired forward Connor Brown and defenceman Ben Gleason via free agency. They also re-signed forward Mattias Janmark. The team started the season poorly, going 3–9–1 before firing head coach Jay Woodcroft and replacing him with Kris Knoblauch. The team's fortunes soon experienced an eventual rejuvenation in their performance, leading to a significant rebound and ultimately achieving a record of 46 wins, 18 losses, and 5 overtime losses under the leadership of Knoblauch. Edmonton then signed free agent Corey Perry during the season, after Perry's existing contract with the Chicago Blackhawks was terminated for misconduct. Nearing the trade deadline, the team acquired centres Sam Carrick and Adam Henrique via a three-way trade; they also acquired defenceman Troy Stecher.
Throughout the duration of the regular season, the Oilers only managed to tally an abysmal 3–9–1 record in their opening games, resulting in them being in joint last place in the league standings alongside the San Jose Sharks. Consequently, the decision was made to terminate the contract of head coach Jay Woodcroft. Nevertheless, their lackluster beginning was soon eclipsed by the Oilers' remarkable achievement of a 16-game winning streak, setting a new Canadian and franchise record, which started on December 21, 2023, and ended on February 6, 2024. The Oilers eventually finished the regular season with 104 points via a 49–27–6 record, which gave them second place in the Pacific Division. Moreover, team captain Connor McDavid led the team in scoring with 132 points. 100 of those points were assists, making him the first NHL player in over three decades and the fourth player (alongside Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr) in NHL history to record at least 100 assists in a single NHL season, with the most recent being Wayne Gretzky dating back to the 1990–91 NHL season. Fellow Oilers teammate Zach Hyman would net a personal-best of 54 goals and 77 points for the first time in his career.
On April 5, the Oilers clinched their fifth consecutive playoff spot after a 6–2 win over the Colorado Avalanche. In the first round, they eliminated the Los Angeles Kings for the third consecutive season, this time in five games. In the second round, they dispatched the Vancouver Canucks in seven games. In the Western Conference finals, they ousted the Dallas Stars in six games, advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 2006, where they faced the Florida Panthers. During the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals, the Oilers found themselves trailing 3-0 in the series before staging an unforeseen comeback by winning the following three games to push the series to force a seventh game. This dramatic turn of events could have potentially marked the first reverse sweep in recent memory, a feat not witnessed in the NHL since the 1942 Stanley Cup Finals. However, despite the team's valiant efforts, the Oilers were unable to sustain their momentum and ultimately succumbed to the Panthers in the crucial final game seven of the series.
Although the Oilers fell short in the Stanley Cup Final, they did not come away empty-handed; for his outstanding performance throughout the entire playoff and Finals run, team captain Connor McDavid was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player (MVP) of the playoffs. McDavid became the first player since Jean-Sebastien Giguere in 2003 and the sixth overall in NHL history to be bestowed with the Conn Smythe as a member of the losing team.

## Standings
### Divisional standings

Pacific Division :
| Pos | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | RW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | y – Vancouver Canucks | 82 | 50 | 23 | 9 | 44 | 279 | 223 | +56 | 109 |
| 2 | x – Edmonton Oilers | 82 | 49 | 27 | 6 | 39 | 294 | 237 | +57 | 104 |
| 3 | x – Los Angeles Kings | 82 | 44 | 27 | 11 | 37 | 256 | 215 | +41 | 99 |
| 4 | x – Vegas Golden Knights | 82 | 45 | 29 | 8 | 34 | 267 | 245 | +22 | 98 |
| 5 | e – Calgary Flames | 82 | 38 | 39 | 5 | 32 | 253 | 271 | −18 | 81 |
| 6 | e – Seattle Kraken | 82 | 34 | 35 | 13 | 28 | 217 | 236 | −19 | 81 |
| 7 | e – Anaheim Ducks | 82 | 27 | 50 | 5 | 21 | 204 | 295 | −91 | 59 |
| 8 | e – San Jose Sharks | 82 | 19 | 54 | 9 | 14 | 181 | 331 | −150 | 47 |

### Conference standings

Western Conference Wild Card :
| Pos | Div | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | RW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | CE | x – Nashville Predators | 82 | 47 | 30 | 5 | 38 | 269 | 248 | +21 | 99 |
| 2 | PA | x – Vegas Golden Knights | 82 | 45 | 29 | 8 | 34 | 267 | 245 | +22 | 98 |
| 3 | CE | e – St. Louis Blues | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 31 | 239 | 250 | −11 | 92 |
| 4 | CE | e – Minnesota Wild | 82 | 39 | 34 | 9 | 32 | 251 | 263 | −12 | 87 |
| 5 | PA | e – Calgary Flames | 82 | 38 | 39 | 5 | 32 | 253 | 271 | −18 | 81 |
| 6 | PA | e – Seattle Kraken | 82 | 34 | 35 | 13 | 28 | 217 | 236 | −19 | 81 |
| 7 | CE | e – Arizona Coyotes | 82 | 36 | 41 | 5 | 28 | 256 | 274 | −18 | 77 |
| 8 | PA | e – Anaheim Ducks | 82 | 27 | 50 | 5 | 21 | 204 | 295 | −91 | 59 |
| 9 | CE | e – Chicago Blackhawks | 82 | 23 | 53 | 6 | 17 | 179 | 290 | −111 | 52 |
| 10 | PA | e – San Jose Sharks | 82 | 19 | 54 | 9 | 14 | 181 | 331 | −150 | 47 |

## Schedule and results
### Preseason

The preseason schedule was published on June 23, 2023.

### Regular season

The Edmonton Oilers regular season schedule was released on June 27, 2023.
2023–24 game log :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Overtime/shootout loss (1 point) :

### Playoffs

2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs :
Legend:
  Win
  Loss :

## Player statistics
### Skaters

Regular season :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Connor McDavid | 76 | 32 | 100 | 132 | +35 | 30 |
| Leon Draisaitl | 81 | 41 | 65 | 106 | +26 | 76 |
| Evan Bouchard | 81 | 18 | 64 | 82 | +34 | 32 |
| Zach Hyman | 80 | 54 | 23 | 77 | +36 | 48 |
| Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | 80 | 18 | 49 | 67 | +10 | 36 |
| Mattias Ekholm | 79 | 11 | 34 | 45 | +44 | 47 |
| Evander Kane | 77 | 24 | 20 | 44 | −4 | 85 |
| Warren Foegele | 82 | 20 | 21 | 41 | +3 | 47 |
| Darnell Nurse | 81 | 10 | 22 | 32 | +3 | 79 |
| Ryan McLeod | 81 | 12 | 18 | 30 | +10 | 10 |
| Cody Ceci | 79 | 5 | 20 | 25 | +12 | 14 |
| Brett Kulak | 82 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 0 | 30 |
| Corey Perry$^†$ | 38 | 8 | 5 | 13 | –1 | 34 |
| Derek Ryan | 70 | 5 | 7 | 12 | −3 | 8 |
| Mattias Janmark | 71 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 0 | 46 |
| Connor Brown | 71 | 4 | 8 | 12 | −8 | 10 |
| Vincent Desharnais | 78 | 1 | 10 | 11 | +3 | 54 |
| Sam Gagner | 28 | 5 | 5 | 10 | –2 | 10 |
| Dylan Holloway | 38 | 6 | 3 | 9 | –1 | 29 |
| Adam Henrique$^†$ | 22 | 6 | 3 | 9 | +6 | 4 |
| Sam Carrick$^†$ | 16 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 12 |
| James Hamblin | 31 | 2 | 1 | 3 | +3 | 0 |
| Adam Erne | 24 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 9 |
| Philip Broberg | 12 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −3 | 0 |
| Troy Stecher$^†$ | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | +4 | 8 |
| Raphael Lavoie | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 2 |
| Philip Kemp | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Playoffs :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Connor McDavid | 25 | 8 | 34 | 42 | +12 | 10 |
| Evan Bouchard | 25 | 6 | 26 | 32 | +14 | 22 |
| Leon Draisaitl | 25 | 10 | 21 | 31 | 0 | 14 |
| Zach Hyman | 25 | 16 | 6 | 22 | +12 | 12 |
| Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | 25 | 7 | 15 | 22 | −2 | 8 |
| Mattias Ekholm | 25 | 5 | 5 | 10 | +9 | 6 |
| Mattias Janmark | 25 | 4 | 4 | 8 | +6 | 12 |
| Evander Kane | 20 | 4 | 4 | 8 | −7 | 37 |
| Warren Foegele | 22 | 3 | 5 | 8 | −7 | 25 |
| Brett Kulak | 25 | 1 | 7 | 8 | −3 | 14 |
| Dylan Holloway | 25 | 5 | 2 | 7 | +4 | 8 |
| Adam Henrique | 17 | 4 | 3 | 7 | +3 | 2 |
| Darnell Nurse | 25 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −9 | 12 |
| Connor Brown | 19 | 2 | 4 | 6 | +4 | 6 |
| Cody Ceci | 24 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −5 | 0 |
| Ryan McLeod | 24 | 4 | 0 | 4 | −7 | 16 |
| Philip Broberg | 10 | 2 | 1 | 3 | +8 | 0 |
| Corey Perry | 19 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −3 | 12 |
| Vincent Desharnais | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −9 | 22 |
| Derek Ryan | 19 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −9 | 8 |
| Sam Carrick | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −1 | 12 |

### Goaltenders

Regular season :
| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | OT | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Stuart Skinner | 59 | 57 | 3,361:21 | 36 | 16 | 5 | 147 | 2.62 | 1,553 | .905 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Calvin Pickard | 23 | 20 | 1,296:21 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 53 | 2.45 | 581 | .909 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Jack Campbell | 5 | 5 | 266:47 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 4.50 | 157 | .873 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Playoffs :
| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Stuart Skinner | 23 | 23 | 1,373:20 | 14 | 9 | 56 | 2.45 | 564 | .901 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Calvin Pickard | 3 | 2 | 135:55 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2.21 | 59 | .915 | 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
### Awards

| Player | Award | Awarded |
| Connor McDavid | NHL 1st Star of the Week (Nov. 26 – Dec. 2) | November 26, 2023 |
| Connor McDavid | NHL All-Star game selection | January 4, 2024 |
| Leon Draisaitl | NHL All-Star game selection | January 13, 2024 |
| Connor McDavid | NHL 2nd Star of the Week (Jan. 28 – Feb. 3) | January 28, 2024 |
| Connor McDavid | NHL 2nd Star of the Week (Feb. 4 – Feb. 10) | February 4, 2024 |
| Connor McDavid | NHL 2nd Star of the Week (Feb. 18 – Feb. 24) | February 18, 2024 |
| Connor McDavid | NHL 2nd Star of the Month (February) | March 1, 2024 |
| Connor McDavid | NHL 3rd Star of the Week (Mar. 24 – Mar. 30) | March 24, 2024 |
| Connor McDavid | NHL 1st Star of the Week (Mar. 31 – Apr. 6) | March 31, 2024 |
| Connor McDavid | NHL 1st Star of the Month (March) | April 2, 2024 |

### Milestones

Regular season :
| Player | Milestone | Reached |
| Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | 400th NHL assist | October 14, 2023 |
| Vincent Desharnais | 1st NHL goal | October 29, 2023 |
| Raphael Lavoie | 1st NHL game | November 4, 2023 |
| Evan Bouchard | 100th NHL point | November 11, 2023 |
| James Hamblin | 1st NHL goal 1st NHL point | November 18, 2023 |
| James Hamblin | 1st NHL assist | November 28, 2023 |
| Mattias Janmark | 500th NHL game | December 8, 2023 |
| Connor McDavid | 600th NHL game | December 30, 2023 |
| Connor McDavid | 900th NHL point | January 2, 2024 |
| Philip Kemp | 1st NHL game | January 13, 2024 |
| Mattias Ekholm | 300th NHL point | January 16, 2024 |
| Derek Ryan | 200th NHL point | January 16, 2024 |
| Darnell Nurse | 600th NHL game | January 18, 2024 |
| Evander Kane | 600th NHL point | January 18, 2024 |
| Leon Draisaitl | 800th NHL point | January 27, 2024 |
| Evander Kane | 900th NHL game | February 10, 2024 |
| Stuart Skinner | 100th NHL game | February 10, 2024 |
| Cody Ceci | 200th NHL point | February 13, 2024 |
| Connor McDavid | 600th NHL assist | February 13, 2024 |
| Evan Bouchard | 100th NHL assist | February 13, 2024 |
| Warren Foegele | 400th NHL game | February 17, 2024 |
| Connor Brown | 500th NHL game | March 5, 2024 |
| Mattias Ekholm | 800th NHL game | March 7, 2024 |
| Leon Draisaitl | 700th NHL game | March 9, 2024 |
| Ryan McLeod | 200th NHL game | March 10, 2024 |
| Corey Perry | 900th NHL point | March 16, 2024 |
| Vincent Desharnais | 100th NHL game | March 23, 2024 |
| Adam Henrique | 900th NHL game | March 26, 2024 |
| Zach Hyman | 200th NHL goal | March 26, 2024 |
| Corey Perry | 1,300th NHL game | March 28, 2024 |
| Leon Draisaitl | 500th NHL assist | April 5, 2024 |
| Brett Kulak | 100th NHL point | April 18, 2024 |
Playoffs :
| Player | Milestone | Reached |
| Sam Carrick | 1st NHL playoff game | April 22, 2024 |
| Dylan Holloway | 1st NHL playoff goal 1st NHL playoff point | April 24, 2024 |
| Sam Carrick | 1st NHL playoff assist 1st NHL playoff point | April 24, 2024 |
| Corey Perry | 200th NHL playoff game | April 28, 2024 |
| Stuart Skinner | 1st NHL playoff shutout | April 28, 2024 |
| Calvin Pickard | 1st NHL playoff game | May 12, 2024 |
| Calvin Pickard | 1st NHL playoff win | May 14, 2024 |
| Leon Draisaitl | 100th NHL playoff point | May 18, 2024 |
| Dylan Holloway | 1st NHL playoff assist | May 20, 2024 |
| Mattias Ekholm | 100th NHL playoff game | May 23, 2024 |
| Connor McDavid | 100th NHL playoff point | May 27, 2024 |
| Philip Broberg | 1st NHL playoff goal 1st NHL playoff point | May 31, 2024 |
| Stuart Skinner | 1st NHL playoff assist | June 21, 2024 |
| Philip Broberg | 1st NHL playoff assist | June 21, 2024 |

## Transactions

The Oilers have been involved in the following transactions during the 2023–24 season.
Key:
† Contract is entry-level.  ‡ Contract initially takes effect in the 2024-25 season.

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| March 6, 2024 (2024-03-06) | To Anaheim Ducks1st-round pick in 2024 conditional 4th-round pick in 2025 | To Edmonton OilersTy Taylor Sam Carrick 7th-round pick in 2024 |
| March 6, 2024 (2024-03-06) | To Tampa Bay Lightningconditional 5th-round pick in 2025 | To Edmonton OilersAdam Henrique |
| March 7, 2024 (2024-03-07) | To Arizona Coyotes4th-round pick in 2027 | To Edmonton OilersTroy Stecher 7th-round pick in 2024 |

### Players acquired

| Date | Player | Former team | Term | Via |
| July 1, 2023 (2023-07-01) | Connor Brown | Washington Capitals | 1-year | Free agency |
| July 1, 2023 (2023-07-01) | Drake Caggiula | Pittsburgh Penguins | 2-year | Free agency |
| July 1, 2023 (2023-07-01) | Noel Hoefenmayer | Toronto Marlies (AHL) | 1-year† | Free agency |
| July 1, 2023 (2023-07-01) | Lane Pederson | Columbus Blue Jackets | 2-year | Free agency |
| July 2, 2023 (2023-07-02) | Ben Gleason | Dallas Stars | 2-year | Free agency |
| October 13, 2023 (2023-10-13) | Adam Erne | Detroit Red Wings | 1-year | Free agency |
| October 31, 2023 (2023-10-31) | Sam Gagner | Bakersfield Condors (AHL) | 1-year | Free agency |
| January 22, 2024 (2024-01-22) | Corey Perry | Chicago Blackhawks | 1-year | Free agency |
| March 18, 2024 (2024-03-18) | Connor Ungar | Brock Badgers (U Sports) | 2-year† | Free agency |
| March 21, 2024 (2024-03-21) | James Stefan | Portland Winterhawks (WHL) | 3-year† | Free agency |

### Players lost

| Date | Player | New team | Term | Via |
| July 1, 2023 (2023-07-01) | Nick Bjugstad | Arizona Coyotes | 2-year | Free agency |
| July 10, 2023 (2023-07-10) | Tyler Benson | Henderson Silver Knights (AHL) | 1-year | Free agency |
| August 31, 2023 (2023-08-31) | Devin Shore | Seattle Kraken | 1-year | Free agency |
| November 27, 2023 (2023-11-27) | Justin Bailey | San Jose Sharks | 1-year | Free agency |
| April 27, 2024 (2024-04-27) | Brad Malone | | | Retirement |
| May 22, 2024 (2024-05-22) | Seth Griffith | Bakersfield Condors (AHL) | 2-year | Free agency |
| June 30, 2024 (2024-06-30) | Jack Campbell | | | Buyout |

### Signings

| Date | Player | Term |
| July 4, 2023 (2023-07-04) | Olivier Rodrigue | 1-year |
| July 15, 2023 (2023-07-15) | Raphael Lavoie | 1-year |
| August 2, 2023 (2023-08-02) | Ryan McLeod | 2-year |
| August 24, 2023 (2023-08-24) | Evan Bouchard | 2-year |
| October 5, 2023 (2023-10-05) | Brady Stonehouse | 3-year† |
| October 10, 2023 (2023-10-10) | Beau Akey | 3-year† |
| March 30, 2024 (2024-03-30) | Olivier Rodrigue | 1-year‡ |
| June 28, 2024 (2024-06-28) | Cam Dineen | 2-year‡ |
| June 28, 2024 (2024-06-28) | Calvin Pickard | 2-year‡ |

## Draft picks

Below are the Edmonton Oilers' selections at the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, which were held on June 28 to 29, 2023. It was held at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
| Round | # | Player | Pos | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 2 | 56 | Beau Akey | D | Canada | Barrie Colts (OHL) |
| 6 | 184 | Nathaniel Day | G | Canada | Flint Firebirds (OHL) |
| 7 | 216 | Matt Copponi | C | United States | Merrimack Warriors (HE) |