Edmonton Oilers get league-leading 18 games nationally broadcasted in the United States next season

The Edmonton Oilers will go national 18 times in the United States next year offering Americans a better chance to see the magic that is Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the club’s other cast of characters.

This number, according to aggregation of the NHL broadcast schedule by PuckReportNHL, is the highest among all of the league’s 32 clubs. The Colorado Avalanche place second with 17 nationally broadcasted games, while the Los Angeles Kings and New Jersey Devils will have 16 a piece.

With 15 are teams like the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Buffalo Sabres.

Among Canadian teams, the Oilers have a leg up on the other six clubs by a large margin. The next closest team is the Toronto Maple Leafs, who will have 11 nationally broadcasted games in the U.S. Then, it’s the Vancouver Canucks with two, while the Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets, Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators won’t be seen on a nation stage south of the 49th parallel.

ESPN has seven of the Oilers games highlighted:

• Dec. 12 – ESPN doubleheader with Detroit Red Wings visiting the St. Louis Blues, followed by the Chicago Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard facing the Edmonton Oilers’ former number one pick Connor McDavid (ESPN)
• Dec. 19-22 – Last season’s Hart Trophy winner, Connor McDavid, leads the Edmonton Oilers through a Big Apple push with three games in four nights vs. the New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers (ESPN+/Hulu)
• March 5 – Boston Bruins host Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers in interconference play between two of the league’s best teams from last season (ESPN+/Hulu)
• April 18 – ESPN doubleheader featuring the regular season finales of the Minnesota Wild hosting the Seattle Kraken, followed by the Colorado Avalanche hosting the Edmonton Oilers (ESPN)

While TNT has four games highlighted:

• Hart Trophy winner Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers will take center ice on Wednesday December 6 at 9:30 p.m. against Sebastian Aho and the Carolina Hurricanes. McDavid will make five additional appearances on TNT:
• The Oilers travel to play Crosby and the Penguins on Sunday, March 10 at 1 p.m.
• Ovechkin and the Capitals visit the Oilers on Wednesday, March 13 at 10 p.m.
• And, on Wednesday, April 10 the Golden Knights take on the Oilers at 8:30 p.m.

As a whole, it’s interesting to finally see the Oilers getting more games on a larger stage. The NHL as a whole over the last umpteen years could’ve been doing a much better job of marketing the Oilers, McDavid, and Draisaitl given the fact they have been a top-10 team in the league for a number of years, but that notwithstanding, the extra push this season will be great.

Here’s a full look at the Oilers U.S. broadcast schedule.