At age 29 (he\u2019ll turn 30 in January), McDavid will still be in his prime this coming season. He\u2019s going to be exceptionally motivated, driven by not only the disappointment of last season, but a sense of urgency stemming from his contract expiring in 2028.<\/p>\n
![\"Connor](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Connor-McDavid-Oilers-10-1200x800.jpg\")
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers (Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n
With all that in mind, it\u2019s easy to see McDavid leading the NHL in points yet again and capturing his seventh Art Ross Trophy. And if McDavid leads the league in points, then he\u2019s going to be in contention for the Hart Trophy.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s always a chance that McDavid could capture the \u201cRocket\u201d Richard Trophy too. It largely depends on how much of a goal-scoring role he takes on.<\/p>\n
After he led the NHL with 64 goals in 2023-23, McDavid\u2019s goal totals plummeted to 32 and 26, respectively, in the two seasons that followed. But he bounced back in 2025-26 with 48 goals, finishing third in the NHL, five back of league leader Nathan MacKinnon. If McDavid pushes for 50 goals, he\u2019ll challenge for his second career \u201cRocket\u201d Richard Trophy.<\/p>\n
Leon Draisaitl<\/p>\n
Just as is the case with McDavid, there\u2019s always a chance of Leon Draisaitl receiving another award or two. The veteran Oilers centre is a one-time winner of each of the Art Ross Trophy (2020), Hart Trophy (2020), Ted Lindsay Award (2020) and Maurice \u201cRocket\u201d Richard Trophy (2025).<\/p>\n
Also like McDavid, Draisaitl isn\u2019t yet out of his prime (he turns 31 in October), and has no shortage of reasons for motivation. While Draisaitl is under contract through 2033, his championship window with the Oilers is for only as long as McDavid is in Edmonton.<\/p>\n
Unless McDavid gets hurt, Draisaitl is unlikely to lead his own team in points, never mind the entire league. The same could be said about Draisaitl\u2019s chances of being named MVP of the NHL.<\/p>\n
But while the Art Ross and Hart Trophies are long shots, the Cologne native should be a serious contender to capture the Maurice \u201cRocket\u201d Richard Trophy for a second time in three seasons.<\/p>\n
Draisaitl finished well back in the goal race last season, ranking 24th with 35 goals. But he also missed 17 games. Had Draisaitl played all 82 contests, he would have been on pace for 44 goals, which would be tied for eighth in the league.<\/p>\n
Going into the 2025-26 season, Draisaitl had finished no lower than fourth in the Maurice \u201cRocket\u201d Richard Trophy race in six of the seven prior seasons. Since 2018-19, he\u2019s scored at a rate of 53 goals per 82 games. If Draisaitl stays healthy this season, there\u2019s every reason to think he\u2019ll light the lamp 50-plus times in 2026-27, and once again finish at or near the top of the goals leaderboard.<\/p>\n
Evan Bouchard<\/p>\n
Despite having one of the most statistically impressive NHL seasons by a defenceman in recent memory, Oilers blueliner Evan Bouchard wasn\u2019t a finalist for the Norris Trophy in 2025-26. The 26-year-old finished fourth in voting<\/a>, behind winner Zach Werenski<\/a> of the Columbus Blue Jackets, runner-up Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche, and finalist Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres.<\/p>\n Many saw that as quite an egregious snub<\/a>. Bouchard led all defencemen in points (95), assists (74), and even-strength points (60), while ranking inside the top five among blueliners in goals (21), even-strength goals (14), power-play goals (seven), power-play points (33), game-winning goals (five), and shots (221). Bouchard became only the third defenceman in NHL history with at least 70 assists and five game-winning goals in a single season, and one of only 10 different blueliners to reach 95 points in a season.<\/p>\n But there may not have been any stat, no matter how incredible, that could have overcome Bouchard\u2019s reputation as a defensive liability. Fair or not, many view Bouchard as a McDavid beneficiary who is responsible for just as many pucks ending up in his own team\u2019s net as that of the opponent.<\/p>\n There was a noticeable shift in the latter part of the season, however, with more and more observers defending the defenceman against criticism. Bouchard even received near-universal praise for his all-around play at the World Championships in May.<\/p>\n As appreciation grows for his unique ability, Bouchard is finally starting to be respected. With that in mind, should Bouchard have another season like he just did, then it\u2019s almost impossible to see him not being a Norris Trophy finalist. Especially if his defensive game continues to evolve.<\/p>\n Considering that Bouchard is just coming into his prime, there is every reason to believe he will put up Norris Trophy-worthy numbers again in 2026-27.<\/p>\n Mike Babcock<\/p>\n Before being named the Oilers\u2019 new head coach in June, Mike Babcock had been persona non grata in the NHL for the last three years since resigning from the Blue Jackets amid reports that he invaded the privacy of players.<\/p>\n While an NHL investigation concluded that there was\u00a0no current basis to restrict<\/a>\u00a0the Stanley Cup-winning coach\u2019s employment in the league, that didn\u2019t make his hiring any less controversial.<\/p>\n Even if the Oilers are willing to look past Babcock\u2019s purported transgressions<\/a>, which predate his brief stint with the Blue Jackets, there is doubt about whether he can actually be successful in this era. The 63-year-old\u2019s style is of another time, and it\u2019s been nearly two decades since he guided the Detroit Red Wings to the Stanley Cup. He hasn\u2019t so much as won an NHL playoff series since 2012-13.<\/p>\n This is the backdrop for which Babcock steps behind the Oilers bench, taking over a team that got to the Stanley Cup Final in 2024 and 2025, but couldn\u2019t win the big one.<\/p>\n While they\u2019ve had their lengthy playoff runs, the modern-day Oilers have never been a truly great regular-season team, often because of their propensity for slow starts. During the McDavid era, Edmonton\u2019s highest placing in the NHL overall standings is seventh, and the Oilers\u2019 streak of not finishing atop their division now stands at 39 years.<\/p>\n![\"Evan](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Evan-Bouchard-Oilers-1200x800.jpg\")
Evan Bouchard, Edmonton Oilers (Jess Starr<\/a>\/The Hockey Writers)<\/p>\n