He also endured a few rocky seasons with the Sabres that ended in him being bought out. In his first year with the Edmonton Oilers, he’s gone from a high-profile free-agent signee to someone struggling to get into the lineup.

It has not been the type of season that the Edmonton Oilers had envisioned for free-agent signing Jeff Skinner.

How far down the Oilers' pecking order has Skinner dropped? He played 13:34 in Thursday's 6-2 win over Vancouver − and that was his biggest ice time total since Dec. 3.

Hart Winner Leon Draisaitl is ridiculous pic.twitter.com/ToWCTxSkC0 The only thing I disliked about Leon Draisaitl’s performance last night is that more people out east probably didn’t stay up to watch it.

Zach Hyman had two goals and an assist and Leon Draisaitl had a goal and two assists as the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Vancouver Canucks 6-2 on Thursday. “Happy with all the players,” Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said after the game.

Edmonton has a better points percentage in games without its captain this season, which bodes well for the Oilers' championship aspirations.

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored two goals to help the Edmonton Oilers beat the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 on Saturday. Edmonton improved to 21-6-1 in its last 28 games. It also moved into first place in the Pacific Division, one point up on the idle Vegas Golden Knights.

Hopkins' second goal of the game snapped a tie with 11:01 left as the Connor McDavid-less Edmonton Oilers overcame a barrage of Buffalo shots in the final two periods to beat the Sabres, 3-2, Saturday at Rogers Place.

How old is too old? As Brandon Saad leaves St. Louis, the team now being run by his old GM from Chicago — Stan Bowman — is musing about whether he'd be a smart add. Mark Spector looks at whether the Oilers should add the 32-year-old winger.

The Red Wings practiced at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center on Wednesday morning before departing for Edmonton. Patrick Kane (upper body) and Vladimir Tarasenko (illness) both participated, but J.T. Compher (upper body) and Jeff Petry (undisclosed) did not.

Once a coach, always a coach. So when Steve Yzerman called former Detroit assistant coach Todd McLellan a month ago, looking to make a head coaching change behind the Wings bench, replacing Derek Lalonde,

According to NHL insider Andy Strickland, the Edmonton Oilers are among the favourites to sign star forward Mikko Rantanen if he leaves the Carolina Hurricanes in free agency.