The Oilers joined the NHL in 1979 and spent the next decade rewriting the league record book. Most of what they set then still stands, in Edmonton and in the NHL.
Wayne Gretzky holds every Oilers scoring record. Goals in a season, assists in a season, points in a season, career goals, career assists, career points. The single-season three are NHL records as well, and have been for forty years.
Which brings us to what surprises people most about this list. Connor McDavid has won the scoring title five times in Edmonton and holds none of them.
Who has the most points in Oilers history?
Wayne Gretzky, with 1,669 in nine seasons.
| # | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wayne Gretzky | 1,669 |
| 2 | Connor McDavid (active) | more than 1,200 |
| 3 | Leon Draisaitl (active) | more than 1,050 |
| 4 | Jari Kurri | 1,043 |
| 5 | Mark Messier | 1,034 |
Gretzky’s 1,669 came in 696 games. It is a club record, not an NHL record — his league-career total, 2,857 points across four clubs, is the larger number.
McDavid is second and climbing, and the gap is around 450 points. At his rate, that is four or five seasons, which makes it reachable rather than likely.
READ MORE: Brent Gretzky played 13 NHL games — and holds a record with Wayne that will never be broken
Who has scored the most goals for the Oilers?
Gretzky, with 583.
| Career record | Holder | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | Wayne Gretzky | 583 |
| Points | Wayne Gretzky | 1,669 |
| Assists | Wayne Gretzky | 1,086 |
| Games | Kevin Lowe | 1,037 |
| Penalty minutes | Kelly Buchberger | 1,747 |
| Seasons with the club | Kevin Lowe, Ryan Smyth and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | 15 |
Jari Kurri is second in goals with 474, and both McDavid and Draisaitl have passed 400 and are closing on him. Draisaitl is the nearer of the two.
What are the Oilers single-season records?
| Record | Holder | Figure | Season | NHL record too? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goals | Wayne Gretzky | 92 | 1981-82 | Yes |
| Assists | Wayne Gretzky | 163 | 1985-86 | Yes |
| Points | Wayne Gretzky | 215 | 1985-86 | Yes |
| Points by a rookie | Jari Kurri | 75 | 1980-81 | No |
| Penalty minutes | Steve Smith | 286 | 1987-88 | No |
| Power-play goals | Leon Draisaitl (active) | 32 | 2022-23 | No |
| Shorthanded goals | Wayne Gretzky | 12 | 1983-84 | unconfirmed |
| Goals by a defenseman | Paul Coffey | 48 | 1985-86 | unconfirmed |
| Points by a defenseman | Paul Coffey | 138 | 1985-86 | No |
Three of these are the highest figures any player has recorded in NHL history, and all three belong to Gretzky in Edmonton. The 215-point season in 1985-86 is 16 clear of anything anyone else has managed.
Coffey’s 138 points from the blue line in 1985-86 is second in NHL history by one point, behind Bobby Orr’s 139 in 1970-71.
There is a trap in the rookie record worth knowing about. Gretzky’s 137 points in 1979-80 was not a rookie season in the league’s eyes, because he had played the previous year in the WHA. The rookie record is Kurri’s.
READ MORE: What happened to Jimmy Carson
What are the Oilers team records?
| Record | Figure | Season |
|---|---|---|
| Most wins | 57 | 1983-84 |
| Most points | 119 | 1983-84 and 1985-86 |
| Most goals for | 446 | 1983-84 |
| Fewest goals against, 82-game season | 182 | 2001-02 |
| Best points percentage | .744 | 1983-84 and 1985-86 |
| Longest winning streak | 16 games | 2023-24 |
| Worst points percentage | .357 | 1992-93 |
The 446 goals of 1983-84 is the NHL record, and the Oilers own the top five team scoring seasons in league history: 446, 426, 424, 417 and 401. Boston’s 399 in 1970-71 is sixth.
The 16-game winning streak in 2023-24 is the newest entry in the book and the second-longest in NHL history, behind Pittsburgh’s 17 in 1992-93. The previous club record was nine.
READ MORE: Connor McDavid is running ahead of Gretzky’s 215-point season, game by game
Who holds the Oilers goaltending records?
Four different goaltenders hold the seven marks, which is unusual.
| Record | Holder | Figure | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wins, career | Grant Fuhr | 226 | career |
| Shutouts, career | Tommy Salo | 23 | career |
| Games, career | Bill Ranford | 449 | career |
| Wins, season | Cam Talbot | 42 | 2016-17 |
| Shutouts, season | Curtis Joseph and Tommy Salo | 8 | 1997-98 and 2000-01 |
| Goals-against average, season | Tommy Salo | 2.22 | 2001-02 |
| Save percentage, season | Mike Smith | .923 | 2020-21 |
None of these is in play. The club used two goaltenders new to the franchise this season, so every career figure above is complete and will not move.
Fuhr’s 226 wins came behind the highest-scoring teams in history, which is the context his goals-against numbers need.
READ MORE: Connor McDavid’s best and worst team, in ten different categories
Who has the most power-play goals in Oilers history?
Leon Draisaitl, and he passed Gretzky to reach that mark.
He has more than 175 career power-play goals for the club, surpassing Ryan Smyth and Glenn Anderson with 126 and then Gretzky with 125. The gap is now large enough that the record is effectively his for as long as he plays.
His 32 power-play goals in 2022-23 are the club’s single-season record, and the second-highest total in NHL history behind Tim Kerr’s 34 in 1985-86.
Does Connor McDavid hold any Oilers records?
No. Not one.
He has led the NHL in scoring, has more than 1,200 points for the club and sits second on its all-time list, and every individual record above belongs to somebody else. Gretzky has eight separate seasons that outscore McDavid’s best of 153.
The closest record is career assists. Gretzky’s 1,086 is a little under 300 away, which at McDavid’s rate is three or four seasons, and it is the one major mark he is most likely to take.
READ MORE: Connor McDavid’s points against every NHL team
Which records could fall next?
The most imminent does not involve either of the two obvious names.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins finished the 2025-26 season within a handful of games of Kevin Lowe’s career record of 1,037, and a sixteenth season in Edmonton breaks the record for seasons with the club outright, a mark he shares with Lowe and Ryan Smyth.
After that:
| Record | Holder | Challenger | Roughly how far |
|---|---|---|---|
| Career games, 1,037 | Kevin Lowe | Nugent-Hopkins | within one season |
| Second in career goals, 474 | Jari Kurri | Draisaitl | within one season |
| Career games, 1,037 | Kevin Lowe | Draisaitl | two to three seasons |
| Career assists, 1,086 | Wayne Gretzky | McDavid | three to four seasons |
| Career points, 1,669 | Wayne Gretzky | McDavid | four to five seasons |
Gretzky’s single-season records are not among them. Nobody in the league has scored 200 points in a season since he left, and the three marks from 1981-82 and 1985-86 are the safest in hockey.
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