Which player will lead Oilers in hits with Evander Kane out long term

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Liam McCormick
September 28, 2024 (1:59 PM)

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The Edmonton Oilers are going to lose their team leader in hits for the majority of the regular season with Evander Kane injured, so who will be a physical presence this year?

Evander Kane led the Oilers in hits last season despite playing through significant injuries all year long. In 77 games, Kane threw 250 hits for a total of 3.25 hits a game. Turns out, the Oilers may look towards a couple of newcomers to be a physical presence.

Vasily Podkolzin and Ty Emberson have been extremely physical players in their short stints in the NHL. Podkolzin laid 70 hits in just 19 games, for a pace of 3.68 hits a game. If he's able to maintain that pace over 82 games, Podkolzin would've ranked 3rd in the league in hits last season with 302. Emberson has only played 30 NHL games and he dished out 90 hits in that time.

Last season, Darnell Nurse was the Oilers player second in hits. He threw 168 hits in 81 games, for an average of 2.07. After him, Mattias Ekholm, Vincent Desharnais, Connor McDavid, Cody Ceci, Dylan Holloway, and Warren Foegele were the only forwards with 89 hits or more. Many of these players have left the team in the offseason, meaning the Oilers lost many of their most physical players.

It's a good thing that some newcomers in Podkolzin and Emberson can replace some of the physical players heading out. As two younger players looking to really break into the NHL, the Oilers will be looking for speed, energy, and physicality from them. If Podkolzin keeps up hitting at his torrid pace, he'll definitely make some fans in Oil Country.

Source for hitting Stats: Statmuse