The Edmonton Oilers have left themselves room to do something before opening night, but that doesn’t mean a move is coming quickly.
That’s the tension hanging over camp after an offseason that was supposed to solve some long-running cap headaches, patch obvious holes and get the roster a little younger. Then the injuries started piling up, turning what looked like a strong summer into a shakier start to fall. Even so, with Mike Babcock taking over behind the bench and two of the NHL’s biggest stars driving the bus, the mood around the team still has some real optimism attached to it.
The latest wrinkle is Matt Savoie’s injury, and it matters because it exposes a thin spot in the forward group. Edmonton has skill on its top lines, but not much cushion behind it.
Ike Howard is the most obvious fill-in, though he doesn’t bring much experience. That opens a small but real window for Stan Bowman to shop for a veteran before the regular season begins.
Bowman does have some things working in his favor. The cap picture is far cleaner than it used to be, at least once injured players return. He also has pieces he can move, and there are reasons to believe some worthwhile names could surface in the near future.
A couple of big names are already floating out there. Connor Hellebuyck and Dylan Larkin have reportedly been made available, but both come with complications for Edmonton.
The Oilers have added Tristan Jarry, Frederik Andersen and Devon Levi over the last 12 months, and none of them has had a fair shot to prove himself when healthy. Jumping to another goalie now would be premature.
Larkin brings a different issue. He’s 30, carries an $8.7 million contract and isn’t eligible for free agency until 2031.
After getting out from under Darnell Nurse’s long-term deal, Bowman should be wary of diving into another expensive, aging contract. The same caution applies to a free-agent play like Vladimir Tarasenko, who is still on the market.
If Edmonton is going to swing, the cleaner fit looks more like a younger player still climbing toward his best years. Kirill Marchenko checks a lot of boxes.
The Columbus winger is 26, costs $3.85 million and is an RFA next summer. If he becomes available, Bowman would have to chase hard.
Another club could absolutely outbid Edmonton, but Marchenko is the kind of target that fits both now and later. The source of the appeal is simple: young, skilled and affordable for this season.
The comparison made here is the Quinn Hughes trade in mid-December, and that kind of timing could make sense again.
There’s also a positional wrinkle that could shape any trade. If Babcock puts Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl together on one line, the need for a second-line center gets sharper fast, especially if McDavid moves to the wing full-time. Larkin would solve that neatly, but the price is steep and the Oilers would still be chasing a younger profile.
Edmonton also needs a right-handed center, and that pool is thin. Claude Giroux was mentioned early in free agency, and Curtis Lazar, who was on the Oilers in 2025-26, remains unsigned.
Dallas right-shot center Arttu Hyry is another name in the mix. He’s 25, wasn’t used against top competition, and averaged more than two minutes per game on the penalty kill.
On the blue line, Spencer Stastney is a name to watch. The Oilers could open with eight defensemen, but that would eventually force a waiver decision, and Stastney is likely No. 8 on the depth chart.
Bowman would be smart to move him before the start of 2026-27, perhaps in a deal that brings back someone like Hyry. Timing could matter there too, especially with injuries still in play.
A deal right before the waiver window closes looks like the most likely path.
A Stastney trade for a pick or a young player feels like the sort of move that may not look huge at first but can matter later. Edmonton has already seen that kind of thing with Vasily Podkolzin and Ty Emberson. Matt Poitras of the Boston Bruins is another possible target, though it isn’t known whether Boston or Dallas would even want to make a move.
For now, though, the likeliest outcome is patience. Bowman has money and assets, but there’s no urgency to force something before the staff has a better read on the roster.
Babcock doesn’t know this group the way he will by late October or closer to the deadline. That means the team fans see in camp may be the team they get for a while.
A look at PuckPedia shows 22 roster players signed to one-way NHL deals, with four players currently on the injured list: Savoie, Andersen, Mattias Janmark and Alec Regula. That list could grow.
The Oilers may start with Jarry and Levi in goal, eight defensemen - Stastney, Emberson, Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm, Jake Walman, Connor Murphy, Ryan Shea and Shakir Mukhamadullin - four centers in McDavid, Draisaitl, Jason Dickinson and Josh Samanski, and nine wingers in Podkolzin, Howard, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Trent Frederic, Kasperi Kapanen, Colton Dach, Mathieu Joseph and Max Jones.
The offseason talk is over now. The real work starts today.
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Still, the reaction has not been uniformly dismissive, and Sidney Crosbys perspective is part of why the conversation has stayed so layered. Crosby worked with Babcock at the Olympics and came away with a positive view of his structure and organization, a reminder that the coachs reputation is not built on criticism alone. For Oilers fans, though, the bigger question is whether that kind of order can matter enough now, and whether the next chapter in Edmonton ends up validating the bet or deepening the debate. [Read more 🡒]
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The timing matters because the Oilers are also dealing with some wing injuries heading into training camp, which has only sharpened the speculation about whether Lazar could be brought in on a professional tryout. His reputation for work ethic, faceoff ability and a physical edge makes him an easy fit to imagine in a depth role, and the question now is whether new coach Mike Babcock sees enough there to give him a closer look. [Read more 🡒]
McDavid Rumor Revives The Oilers Question Fans Can't Ignore
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For Edmonton, the important part is the present tense: McDavid remains committed to the Oilers, and nothing in the discussion amounts to confirmed news. Still, the conversation only underscores how any future decision would be shaped by more than one factor, from team performance to the possibilities that could emerge if free agency ever becomes part of the picture, with Toronto hardly the only destination that would have a say. [Read more 🡒]