With training camps winding down across the NHL, the waiver wire is starting to matter again. It’s the time of year when teams try to sneak useful players through to the minors, but it’s also when smart clubs can find help in plain sight.
That’s the lane the Edmonton Oilers may be looking down over the next week. Not every waiver claim turns into a headline-grabber, but every now and then a team lands a player who fits a real need.
Florida’s waiver of Brandon Bussi at this point last season is a good reminder of how much value can be hiding there. Carolina grabbed the goalie, and he ended up going 31-6-2 while finishing the Hurricanes’ playoff run with the final three wins, including a shutout in the deciding Game 6.
A player doesn’t have to be that dramatic a success to matter to Edmonton. What the Oilers may be shopping for is a depth piece who can help now, especially in a fourth-line role or on the penalty kill.
Cole Reinhardt fits that kind of profile. The Florida Panthers forward signed a two-year deal with Vegas in July 2025, then became a semi-regular for the Golden Knights last season.
He managed three goals and seven points in 44 games before being waived and claimed by Florida last March. Once he arrived with the Panthers, he found another gear, scoring six goals and eight points in 15 games down the stretch, including five goals in the final four games of the season.
He has carried that into the preseason, scoring twice in Florida’s opener against Carolina. At 84th percentile skating speed according to NHL Edge, he brings speed, size, and penalty-killing value - exactly the sort of package that can appeal in a bottom-six role.
Reid Schaefer is another name that could land on Edmonton’s radar if he hits the market. Originally drafted by the Oilers in the first round of the 2024 draft, he was later moved to Nashville in the Mattias Ekholm trade.
He spent two-and-a-half years with Milwaukee before getting recalled last season, when he contributed six goals and eight points. At 6-foot-5 and 226 pounds, he has the kind of frame that should play a heavy game, and that’s where his strengths show up: forechecking, getting to the hard areas, and doing the work that comes with a power forward style.
He may not be the first-rounder some expected, but there is still a path to NHL value there.
Oskar Sundqvist is the kind of player who could check several boxes for Edmonton at once. The St.
Louis Blues center could fill a fourth-line center job and help on the penalty kill, which would matter if the Oilers decide Josh Samanski is not ready for that role full-time and Curtis Lazar needs replacing. Sundqvist also brings a little offense, with five goals and 17 points in 52 games last season.
He would be attractive not just for the defensive work, but also because he is a right-handed center, and Edmonton does not currently have one.
There are also a couple of names who may be less likely to shake loose, but would still be worth a look if they do. Jakob Pelletier is one.
The Tampa Bay Lightning winger just won the John B. Sollenberger Trophy as the AHL’s leading scorer after putting up 28 goals and 77 points in 63 games.
Tampa Bay’s forward depth makes his roster spot far from guaranteed, even though he has a real chance to stick. At 5-foot-10 and 173 pounds, he is undersized, but his offensive touch, hockey sense, and relentless puck pursuit make him an intriguing option if he becomes available.
Ivan Miroshnichenko is in a similar spot with the Washington Capitals. He is a skilled winger trying to crack a deep forward group, and his profile includes goal-scoring, hard forechecking, and age on his side - he is only 22. His defensive game still needs work, but the raw tools are there, and that alone would make him a player worth monitoring if Washington can’t find room for him.
Edmonton’s waiver position won’t make the process easy. The Oilers finished 14th overall last season, and until November 1 the claim order runs in reverse of those standings, so plenty of teams will be ahead of them. Still, if a useful defensive forward or scoring winger gets exposed, Edmonton should be ready to pounce.
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Oilers Keep Circling Kirby Dach And This Rumor May Not Fade
Kirby Dachs name keeps coming up around the Oilers, and the timing makes sense with Edmonton always looking for ways to add more size and skill down the middle. The Montreal Canadiens forward is under contract through the 2026-27 season, but his long-term fit in Montreal has been a talking point for a while, especially as he works to re-establish himself after an injury-riddled stretch and push for a steady role in the lineup.
NHL insider Frank Seravalli reported that both Edmonton and Calgary have shown real interest in Dach, with the Oilers viewed as especially aggressive in their pursuit. For Edmonton, the appeal is obvious: a player still young enough to fit a core timeline, with enough upside to make the chase worth monitoring whether it happens before the season, at the trade deadline, or later if circumstances change. [Read more 🡒]