# 1977–78 Edmonton Oilers season

The 1977–78 Edmonton Oilers season was the Oilers' sixth season of operation. The Oilers placed fifth to qualify for the playoffs, losing in the first round.

## Regular season
### Final standings

Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF= Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points
| WHA Team | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | PIM |
| Winnipeg Jets | 50 | 28 | 2 | 102 | 381 | 270 | 988 |
| New England Whalers | 44 | 31 | 5 | 93 | 335 | 269 | 1255 |
| Houston Aeros | 42 | 34 | 4 | 88 | 296 | 302 | 1543 |
| Quebec Nordiques | 40 | 37 | 3 | 83 | 349 | 347 | 1185 |
| Edmonton Oilers | 38 | 39 | 3 | 79 | 309 | 307 | 1296 |
| Birmingham Bulls | 36 | 41 | 3 | 75 | 287 | 314 | 2177 |
| Cincinnati Stingers | 35 | 42 | 3 | 73 | 298 | 332 | 1701 |
| Indianapolis Racers | 24 | 51 | 5 | 53 | 267 | 353 | 1189 |
| Soviet All-Stars | 3 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 27 | 36 | 120 |
| Czechoslovakia All-Stars | 1 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 21 | 40 | 87 |

## Schedule and results

| No. | R | Date | Score | Opponent | Record |
| 1 | L | October 12, 1977 | 3–7 | Winnipeg Jets (1977–78) | 0–1–0 |
| 2 | W | October 14, 1977 | 4–2 | Quebec Nordiques (1977–78) | 1–1–0 |
| 3 | L | October 15, 1977 | 2–6 | @ Quebec Nordiques (1977–78) | 1–2–0 |
| 4 | L | October 19, 1977 | 3–6 | New England Whalers (1977–78) | 1–3–0 |
| 5 | L | October 26, 1977 | 7–8 OT | @ Houston Aeros (1977–78) | 1–4–0 |
| 6 | W | October 28, 1977 | 3–2 | @ Birmingham Bulls (1977–78) | 2–4–0 |
| 7 | L | October 30, 1977 | 2–5 | @ Winnipeg Jets (1977–78) | 2–5–0 |
| 8 | L | November 2, 1977 | 3–6 | Winnipeg Jets (1977–78) | 2–6–0 |
| 9 | W | November 4, 1977 | 3–1 | Indianapolis Racers (1977–78) | 3–6–0 |
| 10 | W | November 6, 1977 | 7–1 | Houston Aeros (1977–78) | 4–6–0 |
| 11 | L | November 8, 1977 | 3–7 | @ Quebec Nordiques (1977–78) | 4–7–0 |
| 12 | L | November 10, 1977 | 3–5 | @ New England Whalers (1977–78) | 4–8–0 |
| 13 | W | November 11, 1977 | 3–2 | @ Cincinnati Stingers (1977–78) | 5–8–0 |
| 14 | T | November 12, 1977 | 1–1 | @ Birmingham Bulls (1977–78) | 5–8–1 |
| 15 | W | November 16, 1977 | 6–4 | Cincinnati Stingers (1977–78) | 6–8–1 |
| 16 | W | November 18, 1977 | 4–3 OT | Cincinnati Stingers (1977–78) | 7–8–1 |
| 17 | L | November 20, 1977 | 4–5 OT | New England Whalers (1977–78) | 7–9–1 |
| 18 | W | November 22, 1977 | 4–2 | Winnipeg Jets (1977–78) | 8–9–1 |
| 19 | L | November 24, 1977 | 4–5 OT | @ Indianapolis Racers (1977–78) | 8–10–1 |
| 20 | W | November 26, 1977 | 3–1 | @ New England Whalers (1977–78) | 9–10–1 |
| 21 | W | November 30, 1977 | 4–2 | Birmingham Bulls (1977–78) | 10–10–1 |
| 22 | L | December 2, 1977 | 5–7 | Birmingham Bulls (1977–78) | 10–11–1 |
| 23 | W | December 4, 1977 | 3–2 | @ Winnipeg Jets (1977–78) | 11–11–1 |
| 24 | W | December 7, 1977 | 5–4 OT | Cincinnati Stingers (1977–78) | 12–11–1 |
| 25 | L | December 9, 1977 | 3–5 | Houston Aeros (1977–78) | 12–12–1 |
| 26 | L | December 11, 1977 | 2–4 | Houston Aeros (1977–78) | 12–13–1 |
| 27 | W | December 14, 1977 | 6–1 | Czechoslovakia (1977–78) | 13–13–1 |
| 28 | L | December 18, 1977 | 2–3 | @ Birmingham Bulls (1977–78) | 13–14–1 |
| 29 | L | December 20, 1977 | 4–6 | @ Houston Aeros (1977–78) | 13–15–1 |
| 30 | W | December 21, 1977 | 5–2 | Soviet All-Stars (1977–78) | 14–15–1 |
| 31 | W | December 27, 1977 | 9–3 | Quebec Nordiques (1977–78) | 15–15–1 |
| 32 | W | December 30, 1977 | 8–5 | Indianapolis Racers (1977–78) | 16–15–1 |
| 33 | L | January 1, 1978 | 1–2 | Houston Aeros (1977–78) | 16–16–1 |
| 34 | L | January 6, 1978 | 1–4 | Winnipeg Jets (1977–78) | 16–17–1 |
| 35 | W | January 8, 1978 | 4–2 | @ Houston Aeros (1977–78) | 17–17–1 |
| 36 | W | January 11, 1978 | 2–0 | @ Cincinnati Stingers (1977–78) | 18–17–1 |
| 37 | L | January 13, 1978 | 0–2 | @ New England Whalers (1977–78) | 18–18–1 |
| 38 | L | January 14, 1978 | 4–7 | @ Quebec Nordiques (1977–78) | 18–19–1 |
| 39 | W | January 15, 1978 | 4–3 OT | @ Winnipeg Jets (1977–78) | 19–19–1 |
| 40 | W | January 18, 1978 | 1–0 | New England Whalers (1977–78) | 20–19–1 |
| 41 | L | January 20, 1978 | 3–5 | @ Birmingham Bulls (1977–78) | 20–20–1 |
| 42 | W | January 21, 1978 | 3–2 | @ Indianapolis Racers (1977–78) | 21–20–1 |
| 43 | L | January 22, 1978 | 2–5 | @ Cincinnati Stingers (1977–78) | 21–21–1 |
| 44 | W | January 25, 1978 | 6–2 | Indianapolis Racers (1977–78) | 22–21–1 |
| 45 | W | January 27, 1978 | 9–6 | Quebec Nordiques (1977–78) | 23–21–1 |
| 46 | L | January 29, 1978 | 3–4 | Quebec Nordiques (1977–78) | 23–22–1 |
| 47 | W | January 31, 1978 | 6–4 | @ Indianapolis Racers (1977–78) | 24–22–1 |
| 48 | L | February 1, 1978 | 3–4 | @ New England Whalers (1977–78) | 24–23–1 |
| 49 | W | February 3, 1978 | 6–3 | @ New England Whalers (1977–78) | 25–23–1 |
| 50 | W | February 4, 1978 | 4–3 OT | @ Quebec Nordiques (1977–78) | 26–23–1 |
| 51 | L | February 5, 1978 | 3–4 | @ Winnipeg Jets (1977–78) | 26–24–1 |
| 52 | T | February 8, 1978 | 6–6 | Cincinnati Stingers (1977–78) | 26–24–2 |
| 53 | W | February 12, 1978 | 7–0 | Birmingham Bulls (1977–78) | 27–24–2 |
| 54 | W | February 14, 1978 | 4–1 | Birmingham Bulls (1977–78) | 28–24–2 |
| 55 | L | February 15, 1978 | 5–6 | @ Winnipeg Jets (1977–78) | 28–25–2 |
| 56 | W | February 17, 1978 | 6–4 | Quebec Nordiques (1977–78) | 29–25–2 |
| 57 | W | February 19, 1978 | 4–3 OT | Indianapolis Racers (1977–78) | 30–25–2 |
| 58 | L | February 22, 1978 | 5–6 | Houston Aeros (1977–78) | 30–26–2 |
| 59 | W | February 24, 1978 | 5–4 OT | Houston Aeros (1977–78) | 31–26–2 |
| 60 | L | February 26, 1978 | 5–6 | New England Whalers (1977–78) | 31–27–2 |
| 61 | L | March 1, 1978 | 4–6 | Cincinnati Stingers (1977–78) | 31–28–2 |
| 62 | L | March 3, 1978 | 6–8 | Indianapolis Racers (1977–78) | 31–29–2 |
| 63 | W | March 5, 1978 | 4–3 | @ Birmingham Bulls (1977–78) | 32–29–2 |
| 64 | L | March 7, 1978 | 3–4 | @ Houston Aeros (1977–78) | 32–30–2 |
| 65 | L | March 9, 1978 | 5–6 | @ Cincinnati Stingers (1977–78) | 32–31–2 |
| 66 | L | March 11, 1978 | 0–2 | @ Cincinnati Stingers (1977–78) | 32–32–2 |
| 67 | L | March 14, 1978 | 3–6 | @ Quebec Nordiques (1977–78) | 32–33–2 |
| 68 | L | March 15, 1978 | 4–8 | @ Winnipeg Jets (1977–78) | 32–34–2 |
| 69 | W | March 17, 1978 | 6–2 | Winnipeg Jets (1977–78) | 33–34–2 |
| 70 | W | March 19, 1978 | 4–2 | Cincinnati Stingers (1977–78) | 34–34–2 |
| 71 | L | March 22, 1978 | 3–5 | Birmingham Bulls (1977–78) | 34–35–2 |
| 72 | W | March 24, 1978 | 4–0 | Indianapolis Racers (1977–78) | 35–35–2 |
| 73 | L | March 26, 1978 | 3–5 | @ New England Whalers (1977–78) | 35–36–2 |
| 74 | W | March 28, 1978 | 4–3 OT | @ Indianapolis Racers (1977–78) | 36–36–2 |
| 75 | L | March 30, 1978 | 1–5 | @ Houston Aeros (1977–78) | 36–37–2 |
| 76 | L | March 31, 1978 | 2–5 | @ Birmingham Bulls (1977–78) | 36–38–2 |
| 77 | W | April 1, 1978 | 4–1 | @ Indianapolis Racers (1977–78) | 37–38–2 |
| 78 | L | April 4, 1978 | 1–9 | @ Quebec Nordiques (1977–78) | 37–39–2 |
| 79 | T | April 5, 1978 | 4–4 | New England Whalers (1977–78) | 37–39–3 |
| 80 | W | April 7, 1978 | 4–2 | Winnipeg Jets (1977–78) | 38–39–3 |

## Playoffs
### New England Whalers 4, Edmonton Oilers 1 – Preliminary Round

| # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | Record |
| 1 | April 14 | Edmonton | 4–6 | New England | 0–1 |
| 2 | April 16 | Edmonton | 1–4 | New England | 0–2 |
| 3 | April 19 | New England | 0–2 | Edmonton | 1–2 |
| 4 | April 21 | New England | 9–1 | Edmonton | 1–3 |
| 5 | April 23 | Edmonton | 1–4 | New England | 1–4 |

## Player statistics

Regular season :
Scoring :
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PPG | SHG | GWG |
| Ron Chipperfield | C | 80 | 33 | 52 | 85 | 48 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| Bill Flett | RW | 74 | 41 | 28 | 69 | 34 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Blair MacDonald | RW | 80 | 34 | 34 | 68 | 11 | −12 | 7 | 4 | 0 |
| Mike Zuke | C | 71 | 23 | 34 | 57 | 47 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Al Hamilton | D | 59 | 11 | 43 | 54 | 46 | 24 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Brett Callighen | C | 80 | 20 | 30 | 50 | 112 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Paul Shmyr | D | 80 | 9 | 40 | 49 | 100 | −9 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Joe Micheletti | D | 56 | 14 | 34 | 48 | 56 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Norm Ferguson | RW | 71 | 26 | 21 | 47 | 2 | 14 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Juha Widing | C | 71 | 18 | 24 | 42 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Pierre Guite | LW | 60 | 12 | 21 | 33 | 71 | −7 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Randy Rota | C/LW | 53 | 8 | 22 | 30 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dave Langevin | D | 62 | 6 | 22 | 28 | 90 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Bryan Campbell | C | 53 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 12 | −17 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Ron Busniuk | RW | 59 | 2 | 18 | 20 | 157 | −8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ab DeMarco | D | 47 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 20 | −7 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Pierre Jarry | LW | 18 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 4 | −1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gary MacGregor | C | 37 | 11 | 2 | 13 | 29 | −2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Dave Semenko | LW | 65 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 140 | −4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dennis Sobchuk | C | 13 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 4 | −4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Don McLeod | G | 33 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ken Baird | D | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Warren Miller | RW | 18 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ray McKay | D | 14 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Butch Deadmarsh | LW | 20 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 32 | −1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jerry Holland | LW | 22 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 14 | −1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Cal Sandbeck | D | 11 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 39 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jim Troy | RW | 47 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 124 | −11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rick Morris | LW | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | −7 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Craig Topolnisky | D | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dave Dryden | G | 48 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dave Inkpen | D | 19 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 | −6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Owen Lloyd | D | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | −1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gerry Pinder | LW | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | −1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kevin Primeau | RW | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Ahrens | D | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | −5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ken Broderick | G | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jim Cross | LW | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bob Falkenberg | D | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Del Hall | C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dale McMullin | LW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frank Turnbull | G | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Goaltending :
| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SO |
| Dave Dryden | 2578 | 48 | 21 | 23 | 2 | 150 | 3.49 | 2 |
| Don McLeod | 1723 | 33 | 15 | 10 | 1 | 102 | 3.55 | 2 |
| Ken Broderick | 497 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 42 | 5.07 | 0 |
| Frank Turnbull | 60 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 6.00 | 0 |
| Team: | 4858 | 80 | 38 | 39 | 3 | 300 | 3.71 | 4 |
Playoffs :
Scoring :
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | PPG | SHG | GWG |
| Mike Zuke | C | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Paul Shmyr | D | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ron Chipperfield | C | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pierre Guite | LW | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Blair MacDonald | RW | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Randy Rota | C/LW | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brett Callighen | C | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dave Langevin | D | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joe Micheletti | D | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pierre Jarry | LW | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dennis Sobchuk | C | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ray McKay | D | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Juha Widing | C | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ron Busniuk | RW | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ab DeMarco | D | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dave Dryden | G | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Norm Ferguson | RW | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Don McLeod | G | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kevin Primeau | RW | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cal Sandbeck | D | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dave Semenko | LW | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jim Troy | RW | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Goaltending :
| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | GA | GAA | SO |
| Don McLeod | 207 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 4.64 | 1 |
| Dave Dryden | 91 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3.96 | 0 |
| Team: | 298 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 22 | 4.43 | 1 |
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;

## Transactions
### Trades

| Date | To Edmonton Oilers | Traded to | Traded for |
| June 1977 | Jim Troy | New England Whalers | Brett Callighen |
| June 16, 1977 (1977-06-16) | Dave Dryden Brett Callighen 1st round pick in 1977 - Ron Areshenkoff 4th round pick in 1977 - Dan Clark | New England Whalers | Jean-Louis Levasseur |
| September 9, 1977 (1977-09-09) | Blair MacDonald Dave Inkpen Mike Zuke | Indianapolis Racers | Barry Wilkins Ed Patenaude Claude St. Sauveur Kevin Devine |
| September 19, 1977 (1977-09-19) | Jeff Jacques Lou Nistico | Birmingham Bulls | Chris Evans Pete Laframboise Danny Arndt |
| September 19, 1977 (1977-09-19) | Future considerations | Indianapolis Racers | Kevin Morrison Bill Prentice Bob Russell |
| September 19, 1977 (1977-09-19) | Don Tannahill Peter Donnelly | Quebec Nordiques | Future considerations |
| October 16, 1977 (1977-10-16) | Dave Semenko | Houston Aeros | Future considerations |
| November 25, 1977 (1977-11-25) | Pierre Guité Don McLeod | Quebec Nordiques | Dave Inkpen Rick Morris Warren Miller Ken Broderick |
| December 16, 1977 (1977-12-16) | Dennis Sobchuk Del Hall | Cincinnati Stingers | Butch Deadmarsh Dave Debol Future considerations Cash |
| March 3, 1978 (1978-03-03) | Pierre Jarry Chris Ahrens | Minnesota North Stars (NHL) | Future considerations |

### Players acquired

| Date | Player | Former team | Term |
| August 25, 1977 (1977-08-25) | Doug Berry | Calgary Cowboys | |
| August 25, 1977 (1977-08-25) | Ron Chipperfield | Calgary Cowboys | |
| August 25, 1977 (1977-08-25) | Chris Evans | Calgary Cowboys | |
| August 25, 1977 (1977-08-25) | Don Micheletti | Calgary Cowboys | |
| August 25, 1977 (1977-08-25) | Joe Micheletti | Calgary Cowboys | |
| August 25, 1977 (1977-08-25) | Warren Miller | Calgary Cowboys | |
| August 25, 1977 (1977-08-25) | Perry Schnarr | Calgary Cowboys | |
| August 25, 1977 (1977-08-25) | Steve Stoyanovich | Calgary Cowboys | |
| August 25, 1977 (1977-08-25) | Kevin Devine | San Diego Mariners | |
| August 25, 1977 (1977-08-25) | Norm Ferguson | San Diego Mariners | |
| August 25, 1977 (1977-08-25) | Randy Legge | San Diego Mariners | |
| August 25, 1977 (1977-08-25) | Kevin Morrison | San Diego Mariners | |
| August 25, 1977 (1977-08-25) | Paul Shmyr | San Diego Mariners | |
| September 9, 1977 (1977-09-09) | Butch Deadmarsh | Calgary Cowboys | |
| September 14, 1977 (1977-09-14) | Jerry Holland | New York Rangers (NHL) | |
| September 14, 1977 (1977-09-14) | Gary MacGregor | Indianapolis Racers | |
| September 16, 1977 (1977-09-16) | Juha Widing | Cleveland Crusaders | 2-year |
| October 1977 | Bob Falkenberg | San Diego Mariners | |
| October 12, 1977 (1977-10-12) | Ken Baird | Calgary Cowboys | |
| October 12, 1977 (1977-10-12) | Frank Turnbull | Spokane Flyers (WIHL) | |
| February 19, 1978 (1978-02-19) | Gerry Pinder | San Diego Mariners | |
| March 1, 1978 (1978-03-01) | Dale McMullin | Spokane Flyers (WIHL) | |
| March 1, 1978 (1978-03-01) | Craig Topolnisky | Spokane Flyers (WIHL) | |
| March 5, 1978 (1978-03-05) | Kevin Primeau | Alberta Golden Bears (CWUAA) | |
| March 7, 1978 (1978-03-07) | Jim Cross | St. Albert Saints (AJHL) | |
| March 12, 1978 (1978-03-12) | Ray McKay | Birmingham Bulls | |

### Players lost

| Date | Player | New team |
| | Doug Barrie | Retired |
| | Randy Legge | Retired |
| | Bill Prentice | Indianapolis Racers |
| | Tom Simpson | Broome Dusters (AHL) |
| July 1977 | Bobby Sheehan | Indianapolis Racers |
| November 1977 | Frank Beaton | Birmingham Bulls |
| November 1, 1977 (1977-11-01) | Ken Baird | Released |
| November 6, 1977 (1977-11-06) | Lou Nistico | Colorado Rockies (NHL) |
| November 15, 1977 (1977-11-15) | Gavin Kirk | Birmingham Bulls |
| December 1977 | Ken Baird | Winnipeg Jets |
| December 1977 | Del Hall | Retired |
| December 1977 | Paul Stewart | Cincinnati Stingers |
| March 1, 1978 (1978-03-01) | Robin Sadler | Nova Scotia Voyageurs (AHL) |

### Signings

| Date | Player | Term |
| June 20, 1977 (1977-06-20) | Robin Sadler | 2-year |
| September 6, 1977 (1977-09-06) | Norm Ferguson | |
| September 6, 1977 (1977-09-06) | Paul Shmyr | |
| September 13, 1977 (1977-09-13) | Dave Dryden | |
| September 21, 1977 (1977-09-21) | Ron Busniuk | 1-year |
| September 21, 1977 (1977-09-21) | Al Hamilton | 1-year |
| October 10, 1977 (1977-10-10) | Warren Miller | 1-year |
| October 12, 1977 (1977-10-12) | Ken Baird | |
| October 23, 1977 (1977-10-23) | Dave Semenko | 2-year |
| December 2, 1977 (1977-12-02) | Ab DeMarco | 1-year |
| January 5, 1978 (1978-01-05) | Jim Troy | |
| March 18, 1978 (1978-03-18) | Cal Sandbeck | 2-year |
| March 20, 1978 (1978-03-20) | Owen Lloyd | |

## Draft picks

Edmonton's draft picks at the 1977 WHA Amateur Draft.
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 4 | Mike Crombeen (F) | Canada | Kingston Canadians (OHA) |
| 1 | 11 | Ron Areshenkoff (C) | Canada | Medicine Hat Tigers (WCHL) |
| 3 | 24 | Kim Davis (C) | Canada | Flin Flon Bombers (WCHL) |
| 4 | 33 | Neil LaBatte (D) | Canada | Toronto Marlboros (OHA) |
| 4 | 34 | Dan Clark (D) | Canada | Kamloops Chiefs (WCHL) |
| 5 | 42 | Rocky Saganiuk (RW) | Canada | Lethbridge Broncos (WCHL) |
| 6 | 51 | Julian Baretta (G) | United States | University of Wisconsin (WCHA) |
| 7 | 60 | Dave Hoyda (LW) | Canada | Portland Winter Hawks (WCHL) |
| 8 | 69 | Ray Creasy (F) | Canada | New Westminster Bruins (WCHL) |
| 9 | 77 | Guy Lash (RW) | Canada | Winnipeg Monarchs (WCHL) |
| 10 | 85 | Owen Lloyd (D) | Canada | Medicine Hat Tigers (WCHL) |