# 1978–79 Edmonton Oilers season

The 1978–79 Edmonton Oilers season was the Oilers' seventh season of operation. The Oilers placed first and made it to the Avco Cup Final, losing to the Winnipeg Jets. This was the organization's last season in the WHA before joining the National Hockey League.

## Regular season
### Final standings

Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF= Goals for, GA = Goals against, Pts = Points
| WHA Team | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | PIM |
| Edmonton Oilers | 80 | 48 | 30 | 2 | 98 | 340 | 266 | 1220 |
| Quebec Nordiques | 80 | 41 | 34 | 5 | 87 | 288 | 271 | 1399 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 80 | 39 | 35 | 6 | 84 | 307 | 306 | 1342 |
| New England Whalers | 80 | 37 | 34 | 9 | 83 | 298 | 287 | 1090 |
| Cincinnati Stingers | 80 | 33 | 41 | 6 | 72 | 274 | 284 | 1651 |
| Birmingham Bulls | 80 | 32 | 42 | 6 | 70 | 286 | 311 | 1661 |
| xIndianapolis Racers | 25 | 5 | 18 | 2 | 12 | 78 | 130 | 557 |
| #Soviet All-Stars | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 27 | 20 | 77 |
| #Czechoslovakia | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 33 | 107 |
| #Finland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 2 |
x-team folded during season #-played limited schedule

## Schedule and results

| No. | R | Date | Score | Opponent | Record |
| 1 | W | October 13, 1978 | 3–2 | Cincinnati Stingers (1978–79) | 1–0–0 |
| 2 | L | October 17, 1978 | 1–2 | New England Whalers (1978–79) | 1–1–0 |
| 3 | W | October 20, 1978 | 4–3 | @ Indianapolis Racers (1978–79) | 2–1–0 |
| 4 | L | October 21, 1978 | 3–4 | @ Cincinnati Stingers (1978–79) | 2–2–0 |
| 5 | W | October 22, 1978 | 6–2 | @ Winnipeg Jets (1978–79) | 3–2–0 |
| 6 | L | October 24, 1978 | 2–3 | Birmingham Bulls (1978–79) | 3–3–0 |
| 7 | L | October 29, 1978 | 2–6 | Quebec Nordiques (1978–79) | 3–4–0 |
| 8 | L | October 31, 1978 | 4–5 | Quebec Nordiques (1978–79) | 3–5–0 |
| 9 | W | November 3, 1978 | 4–3 OT | Winnipeg Jets (1978–79) | 4–5–0 |
| 10 | L | November 5, 1978 | 0–2 | @ Quebec Nordiques (1978–79) | 4–6–0 |
| 11 | W | November 8, 1978 | 6–5 | @ Quebec Nordiques (1978–79) | 5–6–0 |
| 12 | L | November 9, 1978 | 1–6 | @ New England Whalers (1978–79) | 5–7–0 |
| 13 | W | November 11, 1978 | 5–3 | @ Birmingham Bulls (1978–79) | 6–7–0 |
| 14 | L | November 12, 1978 | 3–5 | @ Cincinnati Stingers (1978–79) | 6–8–0 |
| 15 | W | November 17, 1978 | 6–1 | Indianapolis Racers (1978–79) | 7–8–0 |
| 16 | W | November 19, 1978 | 6–3 | Cincinnati Stingers (1978–79) | 8–8–0 |
| 17 | W | November 21, 1978 | 4–1 | Quebec Nordiques (1978–79) | 9–8–0 |
| 18 | W | November 24, 1978 | 4–3 OT | Quebec Nordiques (1978–79) | 10–8–0 |
| 19 | W | November 28, 1978 | 8–2 | Indianapolis Racers (1978–79) | 11–8–0 |
| 20 | W | December 1, 1978 | 8–2 | New England Whalers (1978–79) | 12–8–0 |
| 21 | L | December 3, 1978 | 0–7 | New England Whalers (1978–79) | 12–9–0 |
| 22 | L | December 6, 1978 | 3–6 | @ Quebec Nordiques (1978–79) | 12–10–0 |
| 23 | L | December 7, 1978 | 3–5 | @ New England Whalers (1978–79) | 12–11–0 |
| 24 | L | December 9, 1978 | 2–6 | @ Birmingham Bulls (1978–79) | 12–12–0 |
| 25 | L | December 10, 1978 | 4–6 | @ Indianapolis Racers (1978–79) | 12–13–0 |
| 26 | W | December 12, 1978 | 5–2 | @ Cincinnati Stingers (1978–79) | 13–13–0 |
| 27 | W | December 15, 1978 | 5–3 | Soviet All-Stars (1978–79) | 14–13–0 |
| 28 | W | December 19, 1978 | 5–2 | @ Birmingham Bulls (1978–79) | 15–13–0 |
| 29 | L | December 22, 1978 | 4–5 | Winnipeg Jets (1978–79) | 15–14–0 |
| 30 | L | December 26, 1978 | 3–5 | @ Winnipeg Jets (1978–79) | 15–15–0 |
| 31 | W | December 27, 1978 | 5–3 | Winnipeg Jets (1978–79) | 16–15–0 |
| 32 | W | December 30, 1978 | 5–1 | Czechoslovakia (1978–79) | 17–15–0 |
| 33 | L | January 9, 1979 | 3–4 OT | @ Winnipeg Jets (1978–79) | 17–16–0 |
| 34 | W | January 13, 1979 | 3–0 | @ New England Whalers (1978–79) | 18–16–0 |
| 35 | W | January 16, 1979 | 3–1 | Winnipeg Jets (1978–79) | 19–16–0 |
| 36 | W | January 17, 1979 | 6–3 | @ Winnipeg Jets (1978–79) | 20–16–0 |
| 37 | W | January 19, 1979 | 11–3 | Birmingham Bulls (1978–79) | 21–16–0 |
| 38 | L | January 21, 1979 | 3–4 | Birmingham Bulls (1978–79) | 21–17–0 |
| 39 | W | January 23, 1979 | 5–1 | New England Whalers (1978–79) | 22–17–0 |
| 40 | L | January 26, 1979 | 2–5 | Cincinnati Stingers (1978–79) | 22–18–0 |
| 41 | W | January 28, 1979 | 3–0 | Cincinnati Stingers (1978–79) | 23–18–0 |
| 42 | L | January 31, 1979 | 3–6 | @ Winnipeg Jets (1978–79) | 23–19–0 |
| 43 | L | February 2, 1979 | 2–4 | @ Winnipeg Jets (1978–79) | 23–20–0 |
| 44 | L | February 4, 1979 | 3–6 | @ Quebec Nordiques (1978–79) | 23–21–0 |
| 45 | W | February 6, 1979 | 6–2 | Birmingham Bulls (1978–79) | 24–21–0 |
| 46 | W | February 7, 1979 | 8–5 | Cincinnati Stingers (1978–79) | 25–21–0 |
| 47 | W | February 9, 1979 | 3–0 | Quebec Nordiques (1978–79) | 26–21–0 |
| 48 | W | February 11, 1979 | 4–3 OT | Birmingham Bulls (1978–79) | 27–21–0 |
| 49 | W | February 13, 1979 | 6–1 | Quebec Nordiques (1978–79) | 28–21–0 |
| 50 | W | February 16, 1979 | 4–2 | @ New England Whalers (1978–79) | 29–21–0 |
| 51 | W | February 18, 1979 | 6–3 | @ Birmingham Bulls (1978–79) | 30–21–0 |
| 52 | W | February 20, 1979 | 8–2 | New England Whalers (1978–79) | 31–21–0 |
| 53 | W | February 23, 1979 | 3–1 | Cincinnati Stingers (1978–79) | 32–21–0 |
| 54 | W | February 25, 1979 | 5–4 | Birmingham Bulls (1978–79) | 33–21–0 |
| 55 | T | February 27, 1979 | 1–1 | New England Whalers (1978–79) | 33–21–1 |
| 56 | W | March 2, 1979 | 5–2 | Cincinnati Stingers (1978–79) | 34–21–1 |
| 57 | W | March 3, 1979 | 6–4 | @ Cincinnati Stingers (1978–79) | 35–21–1 |
| 58 | L | March 6, 1979 | 3–4 | @ Quebec Nordiques (1978–79) | 35–22–1 |
| 59 | L | March 7, 1979 | 3–6 | @ Quebec Nordiques (1978–79) | 35–23–1 |
| 60 | T | March 9, 1979 | 4–4 | @ Birmingham Bulls (1978–79) | 35–23–2 |
| 61 | W | March 11, 1979 | 4–0 | @ Birmingham Bulls (1978–79) | 36–23–2 |
| 62 | L | March 13, 1979 | 1–5 | @ Cincinnati Stingers (1978–79) | 36–24–2 |
| 63 | W | March 16, 1979 | 6–1 | Quebec Nordiques (1978–79) | 37–24–2 |
| 64 | L | March 18, 1979 | 2–7 | Quebec Nordiques (1978–79) | 37–25–2 |
| 65 | W | March 20, 1979 | 8–4 | Finland (1978–79) | 38–25–2 |
| 66 | W | March 21, 1979 | 7–4 | @ Winnipeg Jets (1978–79) | 39–25–2 |
| 67 | L | March 23, 1979 | 4–6 | Winnipeg Jets (1978–79) | 39–26–2 |
| 68 | W | March 25, 1979 | 6–5 | @ Cincinnati Stingers (1978–79) | 40–26–2 |
| 69 | L | March 28, 1979 | 0–3 | @ Quebec Nordiques (1978–79) | 40–27–2 |
| 70 | W | March 30, 1979 | 3–1 | @ New England Whalers (1978–79) | 41–27–2 |
| 71 | W | April 1, 1979 | 5–3 | @ New England Whalers (1978–79) | 42–27–2 |
| 72 | W | April 3, 1979 | 5–1 | @ Cincinnati Stingers (1978–79) | 43–27–2 |
| 73 | L | April 4, 1979 | 2–4 | @ Quebec Nordiques (1978–79) | 43–28–2 |
| 74 | W | April 6, 1979 | 7–2 | New England Whalers (1978–79) | 44–28–2 |
| 75 | W | April 8, 1979 | 5–4 | Birmingham Bulls (1978–79) | 45–28–2 |
| 76 | L | April 10, 1979 | 4–6 | Winnipeg Jets (1978–79) | 45–29–2 |
| 77 | W | April 13, 1979 | 6–4 | @ Birmingham Bulls (1978–79) | 46–29–2 |
| 78 | L | April 14, 1979 | 6–7 | @ Birmingham Bulls (1978–79) | 46–30–2 |
| 79 | W | April 15, 1979 | 4–1 | @ New England Whalers (1978–79) | 47–30–2 |
| 80 | W | April 18, 1979 | 9–3 | Winnipeg Jets (1978–79) | 48–30–2 |

## Playoffs
### Edmonton Oilers 4, New England Whalers 3 – Semifinals

| # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | Record |
| 1 | April 26 | New England | 2 – 6 | Edmonton | 1–0 |
| 2 | April 27 | New England | 5 – 9 | Edmonton | 2–0 |
| 3 | April 29 | Edmonton | 1 – 4 | New England | 2–1 |
| 4 | May 1 | Edmonton | 4 – 5 | New England | 2–2 |
| 5 | May 3 | New England | 2 – 5 | Edmonton | 3–2 |
| 6 | May 6 | Edmonton | 8 – 4 | New England | 3–3 |
| 7 | May 8 | New England | 3 – 6 | Edmonton | 4–3 |

### Winnipeg Jets 4, Edmonton Oilers 2 – Avco Cup Finals

| # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | Record |
| 1 | May 11 | Winnipeg Jets | 3–1 | Edmonton Oilers | 0–1 |
| 2 | May 13 | Winnipeg Jets | 3–2 | Edmonton Oilers | 0–2 |
| 3 | May 15 | Edmonton Oilers | 8–3 | Winnipeg Jets | 1–2 |
| 4 | May 16 | Edmonton Oilers | 2–3 | Winnipeg Jets | 1–3 |
| 5 | May 18 | Winnipeg Jets | 2–10 | Edmonton Oilers | 2–3 |
| 6 | May 20 | Edmonton Oilers | 3–7 | Winnipeg Jets | 2–4 |

## Player statistics

Regular season :
Scoring :
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PPG | SHG | GWG |
| Wayne Gretzky | C | 72 | 43 | 61 | 104 | 19 | 23 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Blair MacDonald | RW | 80 | 34 | 37 | 71 | 44 | 35 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| Brett Callighen | C | 71 | 31 | 39 | 70 | 79 | 29 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| Ron Chipperfield | C | 55 | 32 | 37 | 69 | 47 | 25 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Bill Flett | RW | 73 | 28 | 36 | 64 | 14 | 26 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Dennis Sobchuk | C | 74 | 26 | 37 | 63 | 31 | 24 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Stan Weir | C | 68 | 31 | 30 | 61 | 20 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Joe Micheletti | D | 72 | 14 | 33 | 47 | 85 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Paul Shmyr | D | 80 | 8 | 39 | 47 | 119 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Al Hamilton | D | 80 | 6 | 38 | 44 | 38 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Steve Carlson | C | 73 | 18 | 22 | 40 | 50 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Peter Driscoll | LW | 69 | 17 | 23 | 40 | 115 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Dave Hunter | LW | 72 | 7 | 25 | 32 | 134 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Claire Alexander | D | 54 | 8 | 23 | 31 | 16 | -5 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Dave Langevin | D | 77 | 6 | 21 | 27 | 76 | 33 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Dave Semenko | LW | 77 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 158 | -12 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| John Hughes | D | 41 | 2 | 15 | 17 | 82 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Doug Berry | C | 29 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 4 | -9 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Garnet Bailey | LW | 38 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 22 | -8 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Dave Dryden | G | 63 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Risto Siltanen | D | 20 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bill Goldsworthy | RW | 17 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 14 | -3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jim Neilson | D | 35 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pierre Guite | LW | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | -5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Eddie Mio | G | 22 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wes George | LW | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hannu Kamppuri | G | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jim Mayer | RW | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cal Sandbeck | D | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rudy Tajcnar | D | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ed Walsh | G | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Goaltending :
| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SO |
| Dave Dryden | 3531 | 63 | 41 | 17 | 2 | 170 | 2.89 | 3 |
| Eddie Mio | 1068 | 22 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 71 | 3.99 | 1 |
| Hannu Kamppuri | 90 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 6.67 | 0 |
| Ed Walsh | 144 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 3.75 | 0 |
| Team: | 4833 | 80 | 48 | 30 | 2 | 260 | 3.23 | 4 |
Playoffs :
Scoring :
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | PPG | SHG | GWG |
| Wayne Gretzky | C | 13 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Ron Chipperfield | C | 13 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Blair MacDonald | RW | 13 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brett Callighen | C | 13 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Dennis Sobchuk | C | 12 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Al Hamilton | D | 13 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joe Micheletti | D | 13 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Risto Siltanen | D | 11 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bill Flett | RW | 10 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Stan Weir | C | 13 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Peter Driscoll | LW | 13 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dave Semenko | LW | 11 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Paul Shmyr | D | 13 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dave Hunter | LW | 13 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 42 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bengt-Ake Gustafsson | RW | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steve Carlson | C | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bill Goldsworthy | RW | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| John Hughes | D | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dave Dryden | G | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dave Langevin | D | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Garnet Bailey | LW | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eddie Mio | G | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Goaltending :
| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | GA | GAA | SO |
| Dave Dryden | 687 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 42 | 3.67 | 0 |
| Eddie Mio | 90 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4.00 | 0 |
| Team: | 777 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 48 | 3.71 | 0 |
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals  MIN = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts;

## Awards and records

Regular Season :
| Player | Milestone | Reached |
| Claire Alexander | 1st WHA Game 1st WHA Goal 1st WHA Assist 1st WHA Point | October 13, 1978 |
| Dave Hunter | 1st WHA Game |
| Dave Hunter | 1st WHA Assist 1st WHA Point | October 20, 1978 |
| Ed Walsh | 1st WHA Game | October 21, 1978 |
| Doug Berry | 1st WHA Goal 1st WHA Point | October 22, 1978 |
| Garnet Bailey | 1st WHA Goal 1st WHA Point | October 31, 1978 |
| Brett Callighen | 100th WHA Point | November 8, 1978 |
| Stan Weir | 1st WHA Assist 1st WHA Point | November 8, 1978 |
| Garnet Bailey | 1st WHA Assist | November 11, 1978 |
| Doug Berry | 1st WHA Assist | November 19, 1978 |
| Dave Hunter | 1st WHA Goal | November 19, 1978 |
| Stan Weir | 1st WHA Goal | November 21, 1978 |
| Jim Neilson | 1st WHA Assist | November 24, 1978 |
| Stan Weir | 1st WHA Hat-Trick | November 28, 1978 |
| Wayne Gretzky | 1st WHA Hat-Trick | December 12, 1978 |
| Dave Dryden | 200th WHA Game | December 19, 1978 |
| Wayne Gretzky | 2nd WHA Hat-Trick | January 13, 1978 |
| Dennis Sobchuk | 300th WHA Point | January 28, 1979 |
| Ron Chipperfield | 300th WHA Point | February 7, 1979 |
| Dave Dryden | 100th WHA Win | February 23, 1979 |
| Paul Shmyr | 300th WHA Point | March 16, 1979 |
| Risto Siltanen | 1st WHA Goal | March 18, 1979 |
| Al Hamilton | 300th WHA Point | March 20, 1979 |
| Hannu Kamppuri | 1st WHA Game | March 20, 1979 |
| Peter Driscoll | 100th WHA Assist | April 4, 1979 |
| Bill Flett | 100th WHA Goal | April 4, 1979 |
| Wayne Gretzky | 3rd WHA Hat-Trick | April 10, 1979 |
| Wayne Gretzky | 100th WHA Point | April 13, 1979 |
| Joe Micheletti | 100th WHA Point | April 14, 1979 |
| Wayne Gretzky | 4th WHA Hat-Trick | April 15, 1979 |

## Transactions
### Trades

| Date | To Edmonton Oilers | Traded to | Traded for |
| June 16, 1978 (1978-06-16) | Bill Goldsworthy | Indianapolis Racers | Juha Widing |
| September 17, 1978 (1978-09-17) | Larry Hendrick | Minnesota North Stars (NHL) | Cash |
| November 2, 1978 (1978-11-02) | Peter Driscoll Eddie Mio Wayne Gretzky | Indianapolis Racers | ($850,000) Cash |

### Players acquired

| Date | Player | Former team | Term |
| June 8, 1978 (1978-06-08) | Claire Alexander | Vancouver Canucks (NHL) | 1-year |
| June 15, 1978 (1978-06-15) | Wes George | Saskatoon Blades (WCHL) | 3-year |
| June 15, 1978 (1978-06-15) | Stan Weir | Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL) | 2-year |
| June 22, 1978 (1978-06-22) | Dave Hunter | Montreal Canadiens (NHL) | 5-year |
| June 22, 1978 (1978-06-22) | Ed Walsh | Montreal Canadiens (NHL) | 2-year |
| July 6, 1978 (1978-07-06) | Matti Hagman | Quebec Nordiques | |
| July 6, 1978 (1978-07-06) | Mark Napier | Birmingham Bulls | |
| August 18, 1978 (1978-08-18) | George Buat | Seattle Breakers (WCHL) | |
| August 18, 1978 (1978-08-18) | Ron Carter | Sherbrooke Castors (QMJHL) | 2-year |
| September 5, 1978 (1978-09-05) | Jim Neilson | Cleveland Barons (NHL) | |
| November 19, 1978 (1978-11-19) | Rudolf Tajcnár | Maine Mariners (AHL) | |
| December 17, 1978 (1978-12-17) | John Hughes | Indianapolis Racers | |
| March 4, 1979 (1979-03-04) | Mike Brown | New York Rangers (NHL) | |
| March 6, 1979 (1979-03-06) | Hannu Kamppuri | Jokerit Helsinki (Liiga) | 1-year |
| March 6, 1979 (1979-03-06) | Risto Siltanen | Ilves Tampere (Liiga) | 1-year |
| March 8, 1979 (1979-03-08) | Mark Miller | Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL) | |
| March 21, 1979 (1979-03-21) | Bengt-Åke Gustafsson | Färjestad BK Karlstad (Elitserien) | 2-year |

### Players lost

| Date | Player | New team |
| | Ron Busniuk | Retired |
| | Bryan Campbell | Retired |
| | Bob Falkenberg | Retired |
| | Norm Ferguson | Retired |
| | Gavin Kirk | Birmingham Bulls |
| | Gary MacGregor | Indianapolis Racers |
| | Don McLeod | Retired |
| | Gerry Pinder | Retired |
| | Randy Rota | Retired |
| July 6, 1978 (1978-07-06) | Pierre Jarry | Indianapolis Racers |
| July 6, 1978 (1978-07-06) | Don McLeod | Indianapolis Racers |
| July 6, 1978 (1978-07-06) | Jim Troy | Cincinnati Stingers |
| September 29, 1978 (1978-09-29) | Mike Zuke | St. Louis Blues (NHL) |
| October 23, 1978 (1978-10-23) | Ab DeMarco | Boston Bruins (NHL) |
| December 14, 1978 (1978-12-14) | Rudolf Tajcnár | Released |
| March 1, 1979 (1979-03-01) | Bryan Watson | Cincinnati Stingers |

### Signings

| Date | Player | Term |
| June 2, 1978 (1978-06-02) | Al Hamilton | 3-year |
| June 13, 1978 (1978-06-13) | Doug Berry | 3-year |
| June 13, 1978 (1978-06-13) | Blair MacDonald | 4-year |
| June 15, 1978 (1978-06-15) | Bill Flett | 1-year |
| September 22, 1978 (1978-09-22) | Larry Hendrick | |
| October 27, 1978 (1978-10-27) | Garnet Bailey | |
| January 26, 1979 (1979-01-26) | Wayne Gretzky | 10-year |

### Waivers

| Date | Player | Team |
| September 4, 1978 (1978-09-04) | Steve Carlson | from New England Whalers |
| September 4, 1978 (1978-09-04) | Jim Mayer | from New England Whalers |