# 2021–22 Edmonton Oilers season

The 2021–22 Edmonton Oilers season was the 43rd season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that was established on June 22, 1979, and 50th season overall, including their play in the World Hockey Association (WHA). On April 22, 2022, the Oilers clinched a playoff berth after a 6–3 win against the Colorado Avalanche.

## Standings
### Divisional standings

Pacific Division :
| Pos | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | RW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | y – Calgary Flames | 82 | 50 | 21 | 11 | 44 | 293 | 208 | +85 | 111 |
| 2 | x – Edmonton Oilers | 82 | 49 | 27 | 6 | 38 | 290 | 252 | +38 | 104 |
| 3 | x – Los Angeles Kings | 82 | 44 | 27 | 11 | 35 | 239 | 236 | +3 | 99 |
| 4 | e – Vegas Golden Knights | 82 | 43 | 31 | 8 | 34 | 266 | 248 | +18 | 94 |
| 5 | e – Vancouver Canucks | 82 | 40 | 30 | 12 | 32 | 249 | 236 | +13 | 92 |
| 6 | e – San Jose Sharks | 82 | 32 | 37 | 13 | 22 | 214 | 264 | −50 | 77 |
| 7 | e – Anaheim Ducks | 82 | 31 | 37 | 14 | 22 | 232 | 271 | −39 | 76 |
| 8 | e – Seattle Kraken | 82 | 27 | 49 | 6 | 23 | 216 | 285 | −69 | 60 |

### Conference standings

Western Conference Wild Card :
| Pos | Div | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | RW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | CE | x – Dallas Stars | 82 | 46 | 30 | 6 | 31 | 238 | 246 | −8 | 98 |
| 2 | CE | x – Nashville Predators | 82 | 45 | 30 | 7 | 35 | 266 | 252 | +14 | 97 |
| 3 | PA | e – Vegas Golden Knights | 82 | 43 | 31 | 8 | 34 | 266 | 248 | +18 | 94 |
| 4 | PA | e – Vancouver Canucks | 82 | 40 | 30 | 12 | 32 | 249 | 236 | +13 | 92 |
| 5 | CE | e – Winnipeg Jets | 82 | 39 | 32 | 11 | 32 | 252 | 257 | −5 | 89 |
| 6 | PA | e – San Jose Sharks | 82 | 32 | 37 | 13 | 22 | 214 | 264 | −50 | 77 |
| 7 | PA | e – Anaheim Ducks | 82 | 31 | 37 | 14 | 22 | 232 | 271 | −39 | 76 |
| 8 | CE | e – Chicago Blackhawks | 82 | 28 | 42 | 12 | 16 | 219 | 291 | −72 | 68 |
| 9 | PA | e – Seattle Kraken | 82 | 27 | 49 | 6 | 23 | 216 | 285 | −69 | 60 |
| 10 | CE | e – Arizona Coyotes | 82 | 25 | 50 | 7 | 18 | 207 | 313 | −106 | 57 |

## Schedule and results
### Preseason

The preseason schedule was published on July 20, 2021.

### Regular season

The regular season schedule was released on July 22, 2021.
2021–22 game log :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Overtime/shootout loss (1 point) :

### Playoffs

2022 Stanley Cup playoffs :
Legend:
  Win
  Loss :

## Player statistics
### Skaters

Regular season :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Connor McDavid | 80 | 44 | 79 | 123 | +28 | 45 |
| Leon Draisaitl | 80 | 55 | 55 | 110 | +17 | 40 |
| Zach Hyman | 76 | 27 | 27 | 54 | −9 | 36 |
| Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | 63 | 11 | 39 | 50 | +3 | 16 |
| Evan Bouchard | 81 | 12 | 31 | 43 | +10 | 28 |
| Kailer Yamamoto | 81 | 20 | 21 | 41 | −1 | 40 |
| Tyson Barrie | 73 | 7 | 34 | 41 | +3 | 18 |
| Evander Kane | 43 | 22 | 17 | 39 | +25 | 60 |
| Jesse Puljujarvi | 65 | 14 | 22 | 36 | +22 | 20 |
| Darnell Nurse | 71 | 9 | 26 | 35 | +18 | 54 |
| Cody Ceci | 78 | 5 | 23 | 28 | +8 | 14 |
| Warren Foegele | 82 | 12 | 14 | 26 | −9 | 24 |
| Derek Ryan | 75 | 10 | 12 | 22 | −4 | 8 |
| Ryan McLeod | 71 | 9 | 12 | 21 | −2 | 12 |
| Duncan Keith | 64 | 1 | 20 | 21 | +15 | 22 |
| Zack Kassian | 58 | 6 | 13 | 19 | +2 | 63 |
| Devin Shore | 49 | 5 | 6 | 11 | −4 | 10 |
| Kris Russell | 31 | 2 | 7 | 9 | +7 | 4 |
| Brett Kulak$^†$ | 18 | 2 | 6 | 8 | +6 | 12 |
| Brendan Perlini | 23 | 4 | 1 | 5 | −2 | 6 |
| Colton Sceviour | 35 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −6 | 26 |
| Kyle Turris | 23 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −5 | 4 |
| Slater Koekkoek | 19 | 0 | 4 | 4 | +2 | 16 |
| William Lagesson$^‡$ | 30 | 0 | 4 | 4 | +1 | 13 |
| Derick Brassard$^†$ | 15 | 2 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 6 |
| Philip Broberg | 23 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −8 | 8 |
| Brad Malone | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −2 | 2 |
| Tyler Benson | 29 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −5 | 18 |
| Josh Archibald | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −2 | 7 |
| Cooper Marody | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Markus Niemelainen | 20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −5 | 4 |
| Seth Griffith | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 0 |
| Dmitri Samorukov | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 0 |
Playoffs :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Connor McDavid | 16 | 10 | 23 | 33 | +15 | 10 |
| Leon Draisaitl | 16 | 7 | 25 | 32 | +4 | 6 |
| Evander Kane | 15 | 13 | 4 | 17 | +2 | 37 |
| Zach Hyman | 16 | 11 | 5 | 16 | +4 | 4 |
| Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | 16 | 6 | 8 | 14 | −3 | 14 |
| Evan Bouchard | 16 | 3 | 6 | 9 | −4 | 4 |
| Kailer Yamamoto | 14 | 2 | 5 | 7 | −6 | 10 |
| Cody Ceci | 16 | 1 | 6 | 7 | +4 | 12 |
| Darnell Nurse | 15 | 2 | 4 | 6 | +5 | 26 |
| Tyson Barrie | 16 | 1 | 4 | 5 | +2 | 10 |
| Duncan Keith | 16 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −4 | 4 |
| Brett Kulak | 16 | 0 | 5 | 5 | +7 | 12 |
| Ryan McLeod | 16 | 3 | 1 | 4 | −4 | 8 |
| Zack Kassian | 16 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 12 |
| Jesse Puljujarvi | 16 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Derek Ryan | 15 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −3 | 4 |
| Warren Foegele | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −5 | 2 |
| Josh Archibald | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −5 | 4 |
| Dylan Holloway | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 0 |
| Philip Broberg | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brad Malone | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 12 |
| Derick Brassard | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kris Russell | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Goaltenders

Regular season :
| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | OT | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Mikko Koskinen | 45 | 43 | 2,628:38 | 27 | 12 | 4 | 136 | 3.10 | 1,397 | .903 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Mike Smith | 28 | 27 | 1,579:58 | 16 | 9 | 2 | 74 | 2.81 | 874 | .915 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| Stuart Skinner | 13 | 12 | 734:09 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 32 | 2.62 | 367 | .913 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Playoffs :
| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Mike Smith | 16 | 16 | 872:15 | 8 | 6 | 49 | 3.37 | 560 | .913 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Mikko Koskinen | 3 | 0 | 89:29 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 4.02 | 58 | .897 | 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 |
| Leon Draisaitl | 200th NHL goal | October 19, 2021 |
| Zach Hyman | 100th NHL assist | October 19, 2021 |
| Zack Kassian | 100th NHL assist | October 21, 2021 |
| Connor McDavid | 200th NHL goal | October 21, 2021 |
| Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | 300th NHL assist | October 22, 2021 |
| Kris Russell | 200th NHL assist | October 22, 2021 |
| Jesse Puljujärvi | 200th NHL game | October 27, 2021 |
| Duncan Keith | 1,200th NHL game | November 1, 2021 |
| Tyson Barrie | 400th NHL point | November 5, 2021 |
| Connor McDavid | 600th NHL point | November 14, 2021 |
| Ryan McLeod | 1st NHL goal | November 14, 2021 |
| Philip Broberg | 1st NHL game 1st NHL assist 1st NHL point | November 20, 2021 |
| Connor McDavid | 400th NHL assist | November 24, 2021 |
| Zach Hyman | 200th NHL point | November 27, 2021 |
| Kris Russell | 2000th NHL shot block | November 27, 2021 |
| Markus Niemeläinen | 1st NHL game | December 1, 2021 |
| Leon Draisaitl | 500th NHL game | December 3, 2021 |
| Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | 500th NHL point | December 3, 2021 |
| Cooper Marody | 1st NHL assist 1st NHL point | December 18, 2021 |
| Dmitri Samorukov | 1st NHL game | December 29, 2021 |
| Kris Russell | 900th NHL game | January 29, 2022 |
| Zach Hyman | 100th NHL goal | February 11, 2022 |
| Derek Ryan | 100th NHL assist | February 14, 2022 |
| Stuart Skinner | 1st NHL shutout | February 14, 2022 |
| Tyler Benson | 1st NHL goal | February 20, 2022 |
| Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | 700th NHL game | February 23, 2022 |
| Markus Niemeläinen | 1st NHL assist 1st NHL point | February 26, 2022 |
| Derek Ryan | 1st NHL hat trick | February 26, 2022 |
| Brad Malone | 200th NHL game | March 1, 2022 |
| Cody Ceci | 600th NHL game | March 3, 2022 |
| Zach Hyman | 400th NHL game | March 17, 2022 |
| Evander Kane | 800th NHL game | April 3, 2022 |
| Zack Kassian | 600th NHL game | April 7, 2022 |
| Duncan Keith | 2000th NHL shot block | April 26, 2022 |
| Philip Broberg | 1st NHL goal | April 28, 2022 |
Playoffs :
| Player | Milestone | Reached |
| Evan Bouchard | 1st NHL playoff game 1st NHL playoff assist 1st NHL playoff point | May 2, 2022 |
| Kailer Yamamoto | 1st NHL playoff goal | May 2, 2022 |
| Ryan McLeod | 1st NHL playoff goal 1st NHL playoff point | May 4, 2022 |
| Darnell Nurse | 1st NHL playoff goal | May 4, 2022 |
| Dylan Holloway | 1st NHL game 1st NHL playoff game | June 6, 2022 |

## Transactions

The Oilers have been involved in the following transactions during the 2021–22 season.

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| July 12, 2021 (2021-07-12) | To Chicago BlackhawksCaleb Jones Conditional$^1$ 3rd-round pick in 2022 | To Edmonton OilersDuncan Keith Tim Soderlund |
| July 14, 2021 (2021-07-14) | To Carolina HurricanesDylan Wells | To Edmonton OilersFuture considerations |
| July 23, 2021 (2021-07-23) | To Minnesota Wild1st-round pick in 2021 | To Edmonton Oilers1st-round pick in 2021 PIT 3rd-round pick in 2021 |
| July 28, 2021 (2021-07-28) | To Carolina HurricanesEthan Bear | To Edmonton OilersWarren Foegele |
| March 2, 2022 (2022-03-02) | To San Jose SharksAlex Stalock | To Edmonton OilersFuture considerations |
| March 21, 2022 (2022-03-21) | To Montreal CanadiensWilliam Lagesson Conditional$^2$ 2nd-round pick in 2022 7th-round pick in 2024 | To Edmonton OilersBrett Kulak |
| March 21, 2022 (2022-03-21) | To Philadelphia Flyers4th-round pick in 2023 | To Edmonton OilersDerick Brassard |
Notes:
* Chicago will receive a second-round pick in 2022 if Edmonton reaches the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals and Keith is among the top-four defensemen on the Oilers in time-on-ice during the first three rounds of the playoffs; otherwise Chicago will receive a third-round pick in 2022.
* Montreal will instead receive Edmonton's 2nd-round pick in 2023 if Edmonton reaches the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals.

### Players acquired

| Date | Player | Former team | Term | Via |
| July 28, 2021 (2021-07-28) | Cody Ceci | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4-year | Free agency |
| July 28, 2021 (2021-07-28) | Zach Hyman | Toronto Maple Leafs | 7-year | Free agency |
| July 28, 2021 (2021-07-28) | Derek Ryan | Calgary Flames | 2-year | Free agency |
| August 7, 2021 (2021-08-07) | Brendan Perlini | HC Ambri-Piotta (NL) | 1-year | Free agency |
| October 13, 2021 (2021-10-13) | Colton Sceviour | Pittsburgh Penguins | 1-year | Free agency |
| January 27, 2022 (2022-01-27) | Evander Kane | San Jose Sharks | 1-year | Free agency |
| February 10, 2022 (2022-02-10) | Brad Malone | Bakersfield Condors (AHL) | 1-year | Free agency |
| March 2, 2022 (2022-03-02) | Vincent Desharnais | Bakersfield Condors (AHL) | 2-year$^1$ | Free agency |
| March 2, 2022 (2022-03-02) | James Hamblin | Bakersfield Condors (AHL) | 2-year$^1$ | Free agency |
| March 29, 2022 (2022-03-29) | Ryan Fanti | Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (NCHC) | 2-year$^1$ | Free agency |
| April 5, 2022 (2022-04-05) | Noah Philp | Alberta Golden Bears (U Sports) | 1-year$^1$ | Free agency |
Notes:
* Contract starts in the 2022-23 season.

### Players lost

| Date | Player | New team | Term | Via |
| July 21, 2021 (2021-07-21) | Adam Larsson | Seattle Kraken | | Expansion draft |
| July 28, 2021 (2021-07-28) | Jujhar Khaira | Chicago Blackhawks | 2-year | Free agency |
| July 28, 2021 (2021-07-28) | James Neal | | | Buy-out |
| July 29, 2021 (2021-07-29) | Joe Gambardella | New Jersey Devils | 2-year | Free agency |
| July 29, 2021 (2021-07-29) | Dmitri Kulikov | Minnesota Wild | 2-year | Free agency |
| August 1, 2021 (2021-08-01) | Patrick Russell | Linköping HC (SHL) | 2-year | Free agency |
| August 3, 2021 (2021-08-03) | Theodor Lennström | Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL) | | Free agency |
| September 1, 2021 (2021-09-01) | Alan Quine | Henderson Silver Knights (AHL) | 1-year | Free agency |
| September 6, 2021 (2021-09-06) | Dominik Kahun | SC Bern (NL) | 3-year | Free agency |
| October 7, 2021 (2021-10-07) | Tyler Ennis | Ottawa Senators | 1-year | Free agency |
| October 9, 2021 (2021-10-09) | James Neal | St. Louis Blues | 1-year | Free agency |
| October 12, 2021 (2021-10-12) | Alex Chiasson | Vancouver Canucks | 1-year | Free agency |
| October 18, 2021 (2021-10-18) | Kirill Maksimov | | | Contract termination |
| December 26, 2021 (2021-12-26) | Kirill Maksimov | Mikkelin Jukurit (Liiga) | 1-year | Free agency |
| January 22, 2022 (2022-01-22) | Tim Soderlund | | | Contract termination |
| January 22, 2022 (2022-01-22) | Tim Soderlund | Djurgårdens IF (SHL) | 1-year | Free agency |
| May 18, 2022 (2022-05-18) | Filip Berglund | Örebro HK (SHL) | 2-year | Free agency |
| May 26, 2022 (2022-05-26) | Ostap Safin | HC Sparta Praha (ELH) | 1-year | Free agency |
| June 8, 2022 (2022-06-08) | Ilya Konovalov | | | Contract termination |
| June 8, 2022 (2022-06-08) | Ilya Konovalov | Dynamo Moscow (KHL) | 2-year | Free agency |
| June 13, 2022 (2022-06-13) | Mikko Koskinen | HC Lugano (NL) | 1-year | Free agency |

### Signings

| Date | Player | Term | Contract type |
| July 24, 2021 (2021-07-24) | Mike Smith | 2-year | Re-signing |
| July 28, 2021 (2021-07-28) | Tyson Barrie | 3-year | Re-signing |
| July 31, 2021 (2021-07-31) | Warren Foegele | 3-year | Re-signing |
| August 6, 2021 (2021-08-06) | Darnell Nurse | 8-year | Extension |
| August 8, 2021 (2021-08-08) | Stuart Skinner | 2-year | Re-signing |
| August 11, 2021 (2021-08-11) | Tyler Benson | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 12, 2021 (2021-08-12) | Slater Koekkoek | 2-year | Re-signing |
| September 6, 2021 (2021-09-06) | Tyler Tullio | 3-year | Entry-level |
| September 11, 2021 (2021-09-11) | Cooper Marody | 1-year | Re-signing |
| September 18, 2021 (2021-09-18) | Kailer Yamamoto | 1-year | Re-signing |
| November 10, 2021 (2021-11-10) | Matvei Petrov | 3-year | Entry-level |
| March 2, 2022 (2022-03-02) | Dmitri Samorukov | 1-year | Extension |
| March 3, 2022 (2022-03-03) | Seth Griffith | 2-year | Extension |
| March 10, 2022 (2022-03-10) | Markus Niemelainen | 2-year | Extension |
| March 31, 2022 (2022-03-31) | Xavier Bourgault | 3-year | Entry-level |
| May 11, 2022 (2022-05-11) | Carter Savoie | 3-year | Entry-level |
| June 13, 2022 (2022-06-13) | Brad Malone | 2-year | Extension |

## Draft picks

Below are the Edmonton Oilers' selections at the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, which were held on July 23 to 24, 2021. It was held virtually via Video conference call from the NHL Network studio in Secaucus, New Jersey.
| Round | # | Player | Pos | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 22 | Xavier Bourgault | C | Canada | Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL) |
| 3 | 90 | Luca Munzenberger | D | Germany | Kolner Junghaie U20 (DNL) |
| 4 | 116 | Jake Chiasson | C | Canada | Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) |
| 6 | 180 | Matvey Petrov | LW | Russia | Krylya Sovetov Moscow (MHL) |
| 6 | 186 | Shane Lachance | LW | USA | Boston Junior Bruins (USPHL) |
| 7 | 212 | Maximus Wanner | D | Canada | Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL) |