4 Oilers Forwards Who Need to Step Up with Savoie Out

The Edmonton Oilers aren’t heading into the 2026-27 season the way they would have liked. This team is already ravaged by injuries, the most recent of which involves Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who is expected to miss roughly two weeks with a lower-body injury.

Nugent-Hopkins joins a lengthy list of injured Oilers such as Jason Dickinson, Matt Savoie, Mattias Janmark, Alec Regula, and goaltender Frederik Andersen. It’s quite concerning for a team that needs to get off to a strong start, and the concern has only grown following an update on Tuesday morning.

Oilers head coach Mike Babcock revealed ahead of his team’s season opener that Savoie will be out for roughly eight weeks. That’s a good portion of the season, and is particularly concerning given that the 22-year-old was one of the key figures expected to help take the offensive load off of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. With his absence, it will be crucial that these four Oilers forwards can step up to help fill the void.

Vasily Podkolzin

Based on line combinations from Monday’s practice, the Oilers will be placing Vasily Podkolzin on their second line alongside Draisaitl for their season opener on Tuesday. It comes as no real surprise, as Podkolzin has spent plenty of time alongside Draisaitl in the past. The German centre has voiced on several occasions just how much he enjoys playing with the 25-year-old.

Podkolzin is never going to be a massive point producer, but has proven he can provide secondary scoring. He’s coming off of a career-best season in 2025-26 which saw him rack up 19 goals and 35 points. The Oilers will need him to continue doing just that, with perhaps even a bit more improvement in his point totals.

Kasperi Kapanen

The biggest key for Kasperi Kapanen this coming season will be staying healthy. He’s proven to be a good fit with the Oilers, which is why management chose to bring him back on a one-year, $2.6 million deal on the opening day of free agency. Should he stay in the lineup, it will help make up for the loss of Savoie.

Kapanen only suited up for 41 games in 2025-26, during which time he racked up eight goals and 17 points. That’s solid production and will be crucial for this Oilers team to kick off the 2026-27 campaign. Now everybody, from management to the fan base, just needs to hope and pray that he can stay healthy.

Isaac Howard

There’s no better opportunity for Isaac Howard than what he’s getting right now. Savoie’s injury looks like it will result in him playing on the Oilers’ top line alongside McDavid and Zach Hyman. It presents a great opportunity for the 22-year-old to establish himself as a true NHLer.

With that opportunity, however, comes plenty of pressure. Despite only entering his second professional season, there is an expectation that Howard will turn a corner and become productive at the NHL level. Failing to do so would not only hurt the Oilers this season, but could impact Howard’s future with the organization.

Trent Frederic

There’s nobody that needed to get away from the game more than Trent Frederic. The 28-year-old was horrendous after inking an eight-year deal with the Oilers, finding the back of the net just four times in 74 outings. That type of production simply can’t happen again, especially with the contract he’s on.

The good news for Frederic is that Babcock has made it clear everybody on the roster will have an important role. That wasn’t always the case under Kris Knoblauch, making it difficult for Frederic to provide much of an impact. He seems to be getting a second opportunity now, and it’s up to him to capitalize.

Big Opportunity for These Four Oilers

With Savoie now expected to miss a significant chunk of the season, the Oilers will need several players to step up and help fill the void. Podkolzin, Kapanen, Howard, and Frederic all have different roles to play, but each will have an opportunity to make a meaningful impact early in the campaign.

It remains to be seen how long the Oilers will have to deal with their current injury issues, but there’s no question they need contributions from throughout the lineup. If these four can provide some added production, it could go a long way toward helping Edmonton navigate what has suddenly become a difficult start to the season.