Mike Babcock may not have taken the Edmonton Oilers’ roster for a spin yet, but veteran coaches usually leave a familiar trail. They lean on their trusted players, use ice time like a blunt instrument, define roles fast and start pushing buttons. That’s the lens worth using here, especially with Todd McLellan’s old habits in mind.
Back in the fall of 2017, McLellan gave a practice look that suggested he was ready to stop tinkering and settle on a real four-line setup. The lines he rolled then offer a useful blueprint for how a veteran coach can sort through an Oilers roster.
One of the clearest examples came with Patrick Maroon, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The appeal of that trio was obvious enough, and McLellan’s comments at the time hinted that the bigger concern was how the other three lines would hold up.
That matters because NHL coaches, especially right before opening night, usually aren’t experimenting for fun. If they’re still testing combinations that late, it means something is unsettled.
In that case, this line ended up opening the season together and made a real dent in the result: 15:19 of ice time on opening night, 18-5 in shots, 2-0 in goals and 81 percent expected goals at five-on-five, with Edmonton winning 3-0.
That kind of setup is the sort of thing Babcock could chase in Edmonton this fall, with McDavid and Draisaitl together and a winger like Zach Hyman or maybe Vasily Podkolzin filling the other spot. Babcock also had a long-ago line of criticism for McLellan’s handling of McDavid’s deployment, and he’s brought that same idea back while talking about the Oilers for 2026-27. It may be a side note, but it’s worth keeping in mind.
The next group from that 2017 look featured Ryan Strome in the middle, with Jussi Jokinen and Drake Caggiula on the wings. That line was built around balance.
Strome gave the team a right-shot center and a 200-foot game, Jokinen could tilt possession, and Caggiula brought a strong forecheck. On opening night against Calgary, that trio played 8:49, went 7-4 in shots, didn’t score and posted 57 percent expected goals.
Strome, in particular, stood out as the kind of center who could do a little of everything. Caggiula eventually scored 13 goals, Jokinen was later dealt to the Los Angeles Kings for Mike Cammalleri, and the whole setup feels like the kind of thing a coach would still be hunting for now: a Strome-type who can make the structure work.
The closest current fit might be Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, though he’s older now. Josh Samanski?
The scoring question is there. Jason Dickinson is more of a pure shutdown center.
Finding that exact blend is the issue.
Another line from that fall was Milan Lucic, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Kailer Yamamoto. If that held, it meant the young Yamamoto had not only made the NHL roster but landed a meaningful top-six role.
It also suggested his early trial with McDavid showed he wasn’t ready for the top line yet, which turned out to be true. That version of the third line barely lasted on October 4, 2017, playing just 5:55, going 2-3 in shots, with no goals and 30 percent expected goals.
Yamamoto was soon removed, and Zack Kassian stepped in. That version of the line went 3-0 in shots and posted 100 percent expected goals in 5:48.
Yamamoto kept sliding down the depth chart that fall and was back in junior after only nine games. The Oilers’ habit of trying to rush young players into the lineup didn’t stop there, but at least in his case the process moved in the right direction. A similar kind of line today might be Trent Frederic with Nugent-Hopkins and either Ike Howard or Kasperi Kapanen in the other wing slot, though neither version feels perfectly clean.
The one line that looked the most settled in that 2017 snapshot was the fourth unit. Mark Letestu, Jujhar Khaira and Zack Kassian made a tidy, effective group.
They were on the ice for 5:04, posted 6-3 in shots, had no goals and finished at 51 percent expected goals. Khaira in particular drew praise, and Kassian was still in the lower part of the lineup before eventually moving up with McDavid.
Letestu was an underrated player in Edmonton, and Khaira was a force to watch. The same general idea today could be Colton Dach, Josh Samanski and Trent Frederic, and that’s a line that could very well open the season together.
There was also an extra/AHL-level group in that 2017 picture: Iiro Pakarinen, Chris Kelly and Jesse Puljujarvi. That was not the spot you wanted to be in less than a week before the season.
Pakarinen looked like the likeliest roster piece, while the rest of the situation was murkier. Edmonton could have signed Chris Kelly, kept Kailer Yamamoto and sent Puljujarvi to Bakersfield.
That would have left the team at 50 contracts and eventually meant making a trade to clear space, though the club could stay at 50 if it chose.
Puljujarvi ended up playing 65 games that season, Pakarinen got about half a season, and Kelly later landed with the Anaheim Ducks. McLellan putting Yamamoto ahead of Puljujarvi was another sign.
Neither player was ready, but Edmonton still pushed hard to force them into the lineup. Peter Chiarelli had already twisted the roster into shape to get Milan Lucic, and that move cost the team Taylor Hall and at least on Stanley.
So what does all of that suggest now? A possible opening-night alignment could be Draisaitl-McDavid-Savoie, Podkolzin-Nuge-Hyman, Joseph-Dickinson-Kapanen and Dach-Samanski-Frederic.
That doesn’t mean it’s the best version of the Oilers. It just feels like the kind of structure a veteran coach might reach for when the calendar starts closing in.
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