The Edmonton Oilers have a skill problem brewing in their prospect system, and the fix may have to come from outside the organization.
For years, Edmonton has leaned less on the draft and more on trades, veteran pickups and undrafted free agents to fill out the pipeline. That approach has kept the AHL Bakersfield Condors stocked, but it has also left the organization light on forwards who can truly drive offense. The concern is simple: if more first-round picks keep leaving the system in deadline deals, the shortage of high-end skill only gets worse.
That shift started out of necessity. Under Ken Holland, the Oilers often signed college players and junior graduates to AHL-only contracts. It produced some useful depth pieces, including Vincent Desharnais and James Hamblin, but it also kept the team shopping in the bargain bin instead of landing players with real scoring upside.
Stan Bowman has taken a different tack since arriving. He has targeted younger free agents on NHL deals, especially from U.S. colleges and European leagues.
In last week’s top 20 prospects for summer 2026, three college players signed by Bowman - Damien Carfagna, Quinn Hutson and Owen Michaels - were ranked highly. Add in two European signings from Bowman’s time in charge, Josh Samanski and Viljami Marjala, and the prospect pool looks different than it did before.
Still, the same question hangs over it: who in this group can actually move the needle as a scorer?
That’s the problem with the AHL pipeline. Most forwards who end up spending real time on NHL scoring lines either skip the minors entirely or barely touch them.
Oilers history makes that clear. Miro Satan played 25 AHL games and scored 24 goals in 1994-95.
Ryan Smyth played just nine AHL games and put up 11 points. Those are the kinds of brief stops you expect from real offensive talent.
The Oilers moved away from that model once Holland arrived in 2019. A club that had been drafting in the top five - often at No. 1 - became comfortable with pushing June draft picks into the NHL almost immediately. Even elite talent like Evan Bouchard was handled carefully, and everyone else was slowed down even more.
Matt Savoie and Ike Howard each spent one year in the AHL. If Howard is ready to graduate this fall, Edmonton could be left without a potential top-six forward developing in Bakersfield this season. Bowman dealt with that issue last year and solved it by acquiring Howard from the Tampa Bay Lightning for two-way centre Sam O’Reilly in early July.
The question now is whether he can do something similar again. There isn’t anyone in the system who looks ready to step into a prime offensive role, and the Oilers would have loved it if Russian power winger Maxim Berezkin had signed. So if Edmonton wants another young skill forward who can help Bakersfield now and maybe the NHL soon after, it may need to shop elsewhere.
Free agency names like Anthony Mantha and Vladimir Tarasenko will get attention, but Bowman may prefer to preserve cap space for September and next year’s deadline. A younger offensive player, more in the Howard mold from a year ago, might make more sense. That kind of addition could spend time in Bakersfield and still project as a recall option down the road.
One place to look is a team crowded with young talent, and the Carolina Hurricanes fit that description. Felix Unger Sörum stands out as a possible target.
He turns 20 in September and has already played two AHL seasons with the Chicago Wolves. Last season, he posted 17-49-66 in 72 games and got his first NHL action with Carolina.
Scott Wheeler at The Athletic said he “processes the game at a high level,” and that sort of skill is exactly what Edmonton needs. He’s more of a playmaker than a shooter, but with Howard already looking NHL-ready as a first-shot scorer, Unger Sörum could fit in Bakersfield first and Edmonton later.
Carolina also seems to be working through roster moves of its own, with Alexander Nikishin and Jesperi Kotkaniemi mentioned as players the Hurricanes are trying to move while continuing to pile up draft picks. With all incumbent right-wingers expected back for Carolina, there may be an opening for Edmonton to pounce. Unger Sörum would be exempt from waivers in 2026-27.
Bowman has already shown he’ll work the waiver wire. Since taking over as Oilers general manager in late summer 2024, he has used it often, with Kasperi Kapanen and Alec Regula standing out as roster additions. There could be more chances this fall, especially with Bowman able to carry a full 23-man roster and use the final spot to hunt for upgrades.
He could also wait for a player to clear waivers and then try to trade for him, the way Holland once landed Klim Kostin from the St. Louis Blues in October 2022.
The need is only going to grow. Edmonton’s NHL skill forwards are aging, and last season Savoie replaced Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the No. 1 line in the second half.
That process figures to keep unfolding over the next several seasons. With long contracts and no-movement clauses tied up in several veterans, Bowman needs young, inexpensive talent to keep the lineup stocked.
He already found part of the blueprint by moving O’Reilly for Howard. Now he needs to do it again.
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