The Top 15 Edmonton Oilers In Franchise History To Date
Before the NHL season gets here, I think it might be fun to look back at some of the top players in Edmonton Oilers’ history.
The Edmonton Oilers have played in 42 seasons in the NHL. They have won the Stanley Cup five times, they have been in the playoffs 23 times and they have some of the best players in NHL history in their organization, both past and present.
Today we are going to look at 15 of the best players in franchise history. This list will be growing and changing as the years go on, as right now there are three current players on the list that definitely will move up at some point depending on how things go.
Before we get started I have to mention this was not an easy list to come up with. The Oilers have such a successful past that it is hard to pick just 15 players to mention. Let me know in the comments any other players you think I missed or that should be higher on the list as at the end of the day this is just my opinion.
Okay let’s dive in with the first selection:
15 Doug Weight
Doug Weight spent nine years with the Edmonton Oilers from 1993 to 2001. During that time he played in 588 games and put up 577 points. While the team was not at its best during that time, Weight and the Oilers did go to the playoffs five times during that run, getting out of the first round twice.
Weight did not win a Stanley Cup with the Oilers but he would go on to win one with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006.
14 Shawn Horcoff
Shawn Horcoff played 12 years with the Edmonton Oilers from 2000 to the 2012-13 season Horcoff played in 796 games with the Oilers putting up 447 points during that time. He would go with the Oilers on the run to the 2006 Stanley Cup Final during that time he had seven goals and 12 assists.
Horcoff ended his time in Edmonton being the captain of the team. He was the 13th captain in Oilers history named in 2010. He would then be traded in July of 2013 to the Stars for Philip Larsen.
13 Kevin Lowe
Kevin Lowe was drafted 21st overall in the 1979 NHL Draft. He then jumped straight into the league and started playing hockey with the Oilers where he will spend 15 years and win five Stanley Cups.
Lowe is first on the list in Oilers history when it comes to games played. He played in 1037 games with the Oilers before going to New York and winning another Stanley Cup with the Rangers. Lowe pout up 383 goals with the Oilers and was one of the team’s best defencemen during their runs for the Stanley Cup.
Lowe would go on to be the general manager and the head coach with the Oilers, and he is set to have his number four retired this season in November.
12 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
The next two spots on the list belong to two players still in the league. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins still has a lot of hockey ahead of him, all with the Oilers thanks to the massive contract he signed with the team.
He is currently ninth all-time for goals and he is tenth all-time for points with 478. Nugent-Hopkins is not going to be remembered as the best first overall pick the team had, but he will be remembered as an all-time great especially depending on what happens during the next few seasons.
11 Leon Draisaitl
Leon Draisaitl will be higher on this list when all is said and done. Draisaitl is currently seventh all-time for goals with 199, ninth all-time for points with 506, and he has one of the best points per game percentage in team history with 1.06.
Draisaitl is already going to be remembered for being one of the best German-born players ever, but on top of that, he can jump a lot of players on this list depending on if he can add some more hardware to his trophy case.
Draisaitl won the Hart, Ted Lindsay Award, and Art Ross in 2019-20 when he put up 110 points in just 71 games. I cannot wait to see what he does this season.
10 Al Hamilton
Al Hamilton only played 31 games with the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL, but he did play 455 games with the Edmonton Oilers while they were a part of the WHA. He will always be remembered as one of the best captains during those early years for the Oilers and he is someone the team can look at as one of the best defencemen in franchise history. With the Oilers in the WHA, he put up 311 points, and during his one year with the Oilers in the NHL, he had 19 more in 31 games.
9 Esa Tikkanen
Esa Tikkanen won four Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers and spent eight years with the team playing in 522 games putting up 436 points during that time. Tikkanen has an interesting story when it comes to entering the league.
His first NHL game came during the 1985 Stanley Cup Playoffs and he won the Stanley Cup before playing a regular-season game in the league. Tikkanen was still young when the Oilers were winning but he became a vital part of the offence spending time with Wayne Gretzky on the top line.
8 Ryan Smyth
Ryan Smyth is second all-time for games played with the Edmonton Oilers he played in 971 NHL games with the team from 1994 to 2007. Smyth put up 631 points during that time including 296 points.
Smyth is definitely a fan favorite for not just what he brought to the ice but also for being a great part of the community in Edmonton. He would go on to come back to Edmonton after getting traded in 2007. He finished his career with the Oilers playing three more years in 2011-2014.
7 Connor McDavid
Connor McDavid might be at seven on this list right now, but just give him a little more time to rise up. At the end of his career, there is no doubt McDavid could be competing in the top three all-time. He is one of the most skilled players ever not just on this team. Hopefully, he can bring home a Stanley Cup or two before all is said and done.
6 Glenn Anderson
Genn Anderson is a hall of fame defenceman who played 845 games with the Edmonton Oilers from 1980 to 1991. Anderson won the Stanley Cup five times with the Edmonton Oilers and an additional time with the New York Rangers in 1994.
Anderson ranks fourth all-time in Oilers history in games played, assists, and points. He is third all-time in goals as well. Anderson’s number nine is retired in the Oilers franchise and his contributions to the team are a big reason they won the Stanley Cup five times. His best year came in 1982 when he put up 105 points.
5 Grant Fuhr
Next up is Grant Fuhr the goalie for the first four Stanley Cups the Oilers secured in their dynasty. Fuhr played 10 years in Edmonton after being drafted in the first round in 1981. He made an immediate impact winning 28 games in his first season.
Fuhr played in 423 games with the Oilers winning 226 during that time. He is first all-time in wins and won the Vezina trophy once in 1988.
4 Paul Coffey
Paul Coffey played seven years with the Edmonton Oilers from 1980 to 1987. Coffey is one of the best defencemen in NHL history and won three Stanley Cups with the Oilers. He won an additional championship with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991.
Coffey is fifth all-time in points and assists in Oilers history and he is sixth all-time in goals. The amazing thing is he did all of that as a defenceman. He scored 48 goals in one season in 1985-86, the most as a defenceman still.
3 Jari Kurri
Jari Kurri is a five-time Stanley Cup champion and one of the best Edmonton Oilers ever. He is second all-time in Oilers history in goals with 474, he is third all-time in assists with 569, and he is second all-time in points with 1043.
Kurri is arguably the best linemate Wayne Gretzky ever could have asked for. The two put up a lot of points together and although a lot of his success was thanks to Gretzky, he was also a great defensive forward on his own as well. Kurri helped lead the Oilers to their fifth Stanley Cup, and he did so without Gretzky on the team.
2 Mark Messier and 1 Wayne Gretzky
I do not think these top two players were up for debate at all. Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky are the two best players ever to play for the Edmonton Oilers. Combined they have nine Stanley Cups in Edmonton and a heck of a lot of fun seasons along the way.
Both are regarded as two of the best players in NHL history as members of the Hall of Fame and the top 100 players in NHL history. When looking at the Oilers it is hard not to picture Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid as the team’s new top stars like Messier and Gretzky, but no one can compare to these two legends.
Gretzky, also known as the great one, leads the NHL in goals, assists, and points. He was one of the most prolific players ever. Messier on the other hand was the best leader ever to play, having captained two different teams to the Stanley Cup.
The amazing thing when looking at both of these players is that they both did not finish their careers with Edmonton. The Oilers had two of the best players in NHL history and yet they both left the team at one time or another. Hopefully, they do not lose McDavid and Draisaitl too early.