Being the National Hockey League's northernmost franchise means that the Edmonton Oilers are forced to do a lot of travelling. That's true for every team, but there is a gap between the west coast franchises like the Vancouver Canucks and Seattle Kraken, and the closely situated teams of the Metropolitan conference. Fewer miles means more time resting, recuperating, training, or strategizing, and in a league where every team is looking for an edge, a softer travel schedule is a big one.
The Oilers will travel 45,872 miles over the course of the 2026-27 regular season. They'll cross 36 time zones between their first puck drop and the final whistle in Game 84. Those are big numbers, but comparatively, they've been done a bit of a favor by the league's scheduling department. The worst travel schedule belongs to the Kraken, who will cover 6000 more miles (almost 10,000 kilometers), and cross almost twice as many time zones (60).
Studies have shown that travel has a tiring effect on the human body. While you might think you're simply sitting still on an airplane, your muscles are constantly performing micromovements, and each of those takes a physical toll.
Middle of the runway
The Oiler travel schedule is the 14th longest in terms of distance travelled. Five of their Pacific division foes will put more miles behind them over the course of the season, and the sixth, the Anaheim Ducks, are in 15th place on the list. Notably, the Vegas Golden Knights have the third worst travel schedule. It's highly favorable for the Oilers, who've been chasing a divisional title for Connor McDavid's entire career, to know that their perennial rival for the top seed is at a fairly large disadvantage in terms of travel versus rest.
A surprising additional fact is that Edmonton's lighter travel load isn't due to an outsized number of back-to-back games either. The team only has 8 back-to-back series, and a few of those are matinee, followed by evening game, giving more than 24 hours to recover. That's also on the low end of the league. It may be that someone has a soft spot for the Oilers over at head office.
What to do with this information
New head coach Mike Babcock is going to need to incorporate this into his strategizing if he's going to take advantage of it. When playing tired divisional opponents, at any time, though particularly as the post-season nears, the Oilers may find an advantage by playing a high tempo game. That may wear out older players or rookies unaccustomed to the NHL's heavy schedule, leading to mistakes, Oiler offensive chances, and goals.
There will hopefully be a side effect on team health as well. If the Oilers, no longer one of the league's younger rosters, can make the post-season with all their stars in good health, they may be able to quickly dispatch a Round 1 opponent, granting themselves more rest, while other teams slog toward six or seven game outcomes. The Oilers can hit the ice ready and refreshed, and then the stars can do what they do best.
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