Matthew Savoie and Mike Babcock face a hard truth after the Edmonton Oilers' U25 core landed 28th in an NHL ranking.
Puck Empire judged each group by projected prime value, placing Edmonton near the bottom despite several prospects already pushing toward NHL work.
Savoie leads the Oilers' list at 22. The skilled forward carries the biggest offensive expectations in a system short on high-end young players.
Colton Dach ranks second at 23, followed by Isaac Howard at 22. Both will be watched closely as Edmonton searches for affordable support around its established stars.
Shakir Mukhamadullin sits fourth at 24, giving the blue line a young option with size and puck-moving potential. Josh Samanski, also 24, rounds out the top five.
The ranking doesn't say Edmonton has no young talent. It says too few players in the group project as future difference-makers compared with deeper U25 pools around the league.
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Matthew Savoie's latest setback is a tough blow for the Oilers
Devon Levi appears sixth at 24, while 19-year-old Asher Barnett owns the youngest spot among the first seven names. Their development could change the shape of this list quickly.
Rudolfs Berzkalns follows at 18, with David Lewandowski ninth at 19. That pair gives the organization longer-term projects rather than immediate answers for Babcock.
Quinn Hutson is 10th at 24, ahead of Viljami Marjala and Connor Ungar, both 23 or 24. Those placements show how heavily Edmonton's depth leans on older prospects.
Malcolm Gastrin brings another 18-year-old name into the group at No. 13. Tommy Lafreniere, 19, and Connor Clattenburg, 21, complete the 15-player ranking.
The eligibility rule also matters. Any player turning 25 before January 1, 2027, was excluded, narrowing the pool and removing older NHL contributors from consideration.
For Stan Bowman, the result highlights a roster-building problem. Edmonton needs young players on manageable contracts to earn bottom-six minutes, support the blue line and survive an 82-game schedule.
Savoie carries the clearest path to changing the conversation. If he claims a top-six role, the Oilers gain both offensive upside and the type of internal growth this ranking says they lack.
The 28th-place label won't decide Edmonton's season. But it puts real pressure on Savoie, Dach, Howard and Mukhamadullin to prove the organization's future is stronger than the league-wide perception.
Is Edmonton's U25 core better than its 28th-place ranking?
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