The Oilers don’t need a reminder about what Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl bring to the table. Same goes for Evan Bouchard and Zach Hyman. Those are the names Edmonton can pencil in and trust, year after year.
But 11 years and zero Stanley Cups after winning the 2015 lottery has made one thing painfully clear: stars alone don’t finish the job in the NHL. The Oilers need more than the headliners. They need the guys in the middle of the roster to hit, and hit hard.
One of the biggest swing pieces is Vasily Podkolzin. All he has to do is keep rolling from where he left off last season.
That winter was the best kind of surprise for Edmonton, with the Russian reclamation project - acquired from the Vancouver Canucks for a fourth-round pick - putting up a career-high 19 goals, carving out a top-six role and becoming the toughest player on the team. He also fits the room: humble, team-first, and willing to do whatever his teammates need.
That combination is rare.
The Oilers need that version of Podkolzin again, and there’s no reason to think it won’t be there. He works, he cares, and if he settles in beside Draisaitl, there’s even a chance he takes another step. That would be a problem for opponents.
Jake Walman is another name that suddenly matters a lot more. Darnell Nurse’s locker stall isn’t even cold yet, and Edmonton already has another second-pairing defenceman signed to what some view as one of the NHL’s worst contracts. Seven years at $7 million a season is going to be judged one of two ways: perfectly fine if Walman delivers, or a giant headache if he doesn’t.
With Nurse gone, Walman is moving from softer third-pairing minutes into a much bigger job. He looked good in the playoffs, and his best version is good enough for that kind of responsibility. The concern is obvious, though: injuries have been an issue, and if he misses significant time again or can’t handle the heavier workload, the Oilers will be in a bind.
In Other News...
Sean Monahan Trade Looks Different For Flames Than Fans First Thought
When Sean Monahan left Calgary for Montreal, the move was widely framed as a straightforward salary-cap decision, a way for the Flames to get out from under an injured players contract and reset part of their books. At the time, it seemed like a deal that said as much about the Flames roster pressures as it did about Monahans future, especially after the injuries had altered the way his career was being viewed.
What has unfolded since has made that transaction look far less simple than fans first assumed. Montreal came to see Monahan as a useful asset, and his value kept showing up in ways that reached beyond that first trade, with his name surfacing in later moves as teams around the league tried to manage him as part of a broader asset cycle. For Calgary, it is a reminder that even trades made for financial relief can end up looking different once a player keeps finding ways to contribute elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Prospect Depth Looks Better Than Fans Might Realize
With 38 players eligible for the Flames' summer prospect rankings, the organization has more young depth than it may first appear, and not all of the interesting names are clustered near the top of the list. Beyond the obvious headliners, Calgary can point to a few lower-profile prospects whose backgrounds and development paths still make them worth tracking as the offseason unfolds.
Luke Misa, Yan Matveiko and Jakob Leander all landed outside the top 20, but each brings a different kind of intrigue. Their draft status, previous playing history and next steps in development give the Flames more layers in the pipeline than a simple rankings list can capture, which is why the bottom half of the pool could end up being just as important to watch over time. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Fans Still Have Reason To Debate The Tyler Toffoli Trade
Nearly four years after the deal, the Tyler Toffoli trade still gives Flames fans plenty to chew on. Montreal sent the winger to Calgary on Feb. 14, 2022, and the return was a mix of immediate depth and future value in Tyler Pitlick, Emil Heineman, a first-round pick and a fifth-round pick. For Calgary, Toffoli brought the kind of reliable offense the club was looking for right away, and he kept producing after his time in red and white ended.
The reason the debate lingers is simple: the Canadiens were playing the long game, turning the package into rebuilding capital that helped them keep building out the roster and maneuver for other moves. Heineman and the draft picks became part of that larger asset pile, while Calgary had to decide whether the scoring it got in the moment was worth what it gave up. Even now, the trade sits right in the middle of the classic deadline dilemma: win now, or keep collecting pieces for what comes next. [Read more 🡒]