Edmonton Oilers fans are waking up with a familiar feeling. They’ve seen this movie before, and they know how it usually ends. That’s the backdrop as the McDavid-era Oilers head into Game 12 of ’26-27, with Mike Babcock trying to sort through a roster that still looks very much in motion.
Babcock’s decision to open the season with McDavid-Draisaitl together makes sense on paper. It only works, though, if the rest of the lineup can hold up around that kind of firepower. That’s been the same problem cycle Edmonton has been living with since 2015-16.
There has been some help on the goaltending side. Devon Levi settled things down in net, which has changed the mood there for now. But the Oilers also took a hit when Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was injured just before the season started.
The minutes tell the story of who Babcock trusts most right now. Among goalies and defensemen, Devon Levi, Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm, Ryan Shea and Connor Murphy are the names showing up in that inner circle. Levi and Shea stand out in particular, especially with Tristan Jarry and Jake Walman getting pushed down the pecking order.
Up front, the obvious names are still driving everything. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Vasily Podkolzin are locked in, and so are Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Kasperi Kapanen and Jason Dickinson.
But the more interesting part is how Babcock is distributing the rest of the forward ice time. Mathieu Joseph and Colton Dach are both averaging more than 12 minutes a night at five-on-five.
Alex Formenton and Owen Michaels are close to 12. Everyone else among the forwards is sitting under 10 minutes at five-on-five.
Ike Howard and Trent Frederic have been in the lineup in all but one game, so they’re still in the picture. Even so, it doesn’t feel like Babcock will keep giving them endless runway.
There are a few players getting more responsibility than their play has earned. Dach is one, even if there’s appreciation for his game and skepticism about whether he should be playing center.
Michaels looks like someone who may need time in Bakersfield. Frederic already had a healthy scratch coming.
And Formenton, so far, hasn’t justified the usage.
This could be a pivotal day for Babcock. The Saturday night game exposed a few things, starting with the top line sliding a bit - 1-5 goals at five-on-five over the last three games.
The problems don’t stop there. The second, third and fourth lines have been poor too, going 1-7 at five-on-five in that same stretch.
Even with all that, Babcock hasn’t really shuffled the deck or line-matched in any obvious way.
That loss to the TMLs is likely to get his attention. Keep an eye on practice lines, any scratches, and whether Damien Carfagna or Tomas Cibulka get a recall. If Josh Brown or Riley Stillman are the names brought up instead, then any hope for an analytics boost in the daily operations is probably gone.
On the Lowdown today, the featured guests are Rachel Kryshak at 12:40 and Jason Gregor at 1:20. The Oilers will be the main topic, along with the Elks, the World Series and NFL weekend. The show runs from noon to 2pm on Sports 1440 and You Tube.
In Other News...
McDavid Is Driving An Oilers Start That Feels Hard To Believe
The Oilers have opened the season 8-2-1 under new head coach Mike Babcock, and the early results have been driven by a familiar force looking anything but familiar in terms of production. Connor McDavid is already steering Edmontons attack with Leon Draisaitl and Vasily Podkolzin alongside him, and the group has helped give the Oilers the kind of start that feels sustainable in every area from five-on-five play to the power play.
What makes the opening stretch stand out is how far McDavid has pushed past his usual standard, turning every night into a reminder of just how much offense he can generate when the team around him is clicking. Edmonton has benefited from that surge across the lineup, but the bigger question hanging over this start is whether this level of dominance can hold once the schedule gets heavier and opponents start adjusting to the top lines pace. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Hot Start Is Hiding A Lineup Concern Fans Know Too Well
The Oilers hot start has given fans plenty to like, but it has not erased an old roster question that tends to come up whenever the team is trying to separate itself from the pack. Edmonton has leaned on Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl for years, and when the two are carrying the offense together, the overall picture can look a lot cleaner than it does behind them. That is why some around the club keep circling back to the same conversation about lineup balance, especially when the Oilers want their depth to matter more over the long haul.
The issue is not about whether McDavid and Draisaitl can still drive the game at an elite level. It is about what happens when they are not on the ice, and whether Edmonton can build a more stable attack by spreading its top talent across separate lines. For a team that has seen this debate before, the early success only makes the underlying concern easier to spot, and harder to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Linked To Young Winger But One Trade Hurdle Remains
Ivan Miroshnichenkos name is suddenly in the trade conversation after Washington gave the young winger permission to look around for a new opportunity. The 2022 first-rounder has not been short on effort, and Capitals coach Spencer Carbery has praised his professionalism and work ethic, but the NHL path in Washington has been crowded enough that his chances to stick in the lineup have been limited.
For the Oilers, he makes for the kind of buy-low swing that can be hard to resist: a young winger with pedigree, upside and room to grow if the fit is right. The wrinkle, as always, is finding common ground with the Capitals, who are weighing depth against potential and looking for the right return before moving on from a player they still clearly value. [Read more 🡒]