The 2025-26 National Hockey League (NHL) season has officially begun. Soon, the Edmonton Oilers 2025-26 season will begin as they take on their provincial rival Calgary Flames at home.
The Oilers underwent plenty of turnover this summer, adding many new faces to the team who will be making their debut. Forwards Ike Howard and David Tomasek are set to make their NHL debuts against the rival Flames. While Alec Regula, Andrew Mangiapane, and Curtis Lazar will be pulling on the Oilers jersey for the first time (in the regular season).
As well, plenty of existing players will be debuting fresh off contract extensions with defenceman, Evan Bouchard playing on a new deal, same with forwards Leon Draisaitl and Trent Frederic. As well; forwards Connor McDavid, Vasily Podkolzin, and defenceman Mattias Ekholm have recently inked new contract extensions.
Unfortunately regular players Zach Hyman, Mattias Janmark, and defenceman Jake Walman are currently out with injury. Hyman is expected to remain out until November while Janmark and Walman appear to be much quicker timelines.
The starting goalie for the Oilers tonight projects to be Stuart Skinner. The 26 year old net minder enters the season under the microscope and facing heavy scrutiny. He played 51 games last regular season with a 26-18-4 record and a 2.81 goals against average and .896 save percentage. He hopes to have a bounce back year and prove he can be a long term solution between the pipes.
Where to watch
The Oilers face the Flames in a classic Battle of Alberta showdown. The game will be played at 8:00 PM MST (Mountain Standard Time) at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. There will also be a watch party in Calgary at Cowboys Casino Legendary Sports Lounge.
The game can be caught on Sportsnet on television and CHED880 on radio (Edmonton) and Sportsnet 960 (Calgary).
Lines
The Oilers lineup according to reporter Tony Brar on X
EDM lines & pairings — Morning Skate vs. CGY:
— Tony Brar 🚀 (@TonyBrarOTV) October 8, 2025
Draisaitl - McDavid - Frederic
Mangiapane - RNH - Savoie
Podkolzin - Philp - Kapanen
Howard - Henrique - Tomasek
Lazar
Ekholm - Bouchard
Nurse - Regula
Kulak - Emberson
Walman - Stecher
Skinner
Pickard#Oilers
The Flames projected lineup from Flames reporter Pat Steinberg on X
#Flames opening night in Edmonton:
— Pat Steinberg (@Fan960Steinberg) October 8, 2025
Farabee-Kadri-Klapka
Gridin-Frost-Coronato
Zary-Backlund-Coleman
Lomberg-Kirkland-Sharangovich
Hanley-Weegar
Bahl-Andersson
Bean-Pachal
Wolf
Players to watch
There are plenty of players deserving of a watchful eye to kick off the 2025-26 season but below are the top six in my opinion.
Ike Howard
Ike Howard make his highly anticipated NHL regular season debut after capturing the Hobey Baker award as NCAA MVP. He was arguably the Oilers biggest acquisition this summer after informing the Tampa Bay Lightning he wanted a trade. The Oilers were able to swoop in sending their 2024 first round pick, Sam O’Reilly in a one-for-one swap.
David Tomasek
The Oilers took a major trip to Europe this year, purging some of the top scorers across various leagues to fill out their depth. One prominent player in that group is 29 year old David Tomasek who looks to make his NHL debut and become a solid depth contributor for the Oilers.
Trent Frederic
Although he played in the playoffs, Trent Frederic still is a relatively new addition to the Oilers lineup. He has been used sparingly, playing less than 25 games in total in an Oilers uniform. He is starting the year playing in Zach Hyman’s role on the wing beside captain Connor McDavid.
Andrew Mangiapane
The Oilers big fish in free agency, Andrew Mangiapane is set to make his debut with his new team, facing off against his old team. He lines up in a top-six role where he hopes to be a complimentary winger, producing offence alongside the club's established core.
Matt Savoie
Although not making his debut, Matt Savoie will be featuring in his sixth NHL game and kicking off his first full season. He joined the Oilers last summer, being acquired from the Buffalo Sabres. Ever since then he has been the Oilers top prospect and looks to make his mark as a top six winger in the NHL.
Noah Philp
The story of Noah Philp is a great one, he went from playing USports with the University of Alberta only a few seasons ago and a brief retirement, to becoming a legitimate depth option for the Oilers. He has been a fan favourite since he joined the organization and he will be kicking off the 2025-26 season occupying the third line centre role between Podkolzin and Kasperi Kapanen.