The Edmonton Oilers have a centre problem, but it’s not the kind that gets solved by piling more bodies into the middle of the ice.
That became painfully clear in the 2026 playoffs, when injuries kept hammering the position. Leon Draisaitl sat out the final 13 games of the regular season and still looked limited against the Anaheim Ducks.
Jason Dickinson got hurt even closer to the playoffs. Then Connor McDavid and Adam Henrique both picked up injuries during the series.
After reaching back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals and then grinding through a regular season that never really looked sharp, the Oilers were never built for a deep run this time around. In a strange way, that may help them now.
The long off-season gives them room to reset before 2026-27, and this is already shaping up as a major summer. Edmonton has re-signed two of its more notable unrestricted free agents in Dickinson and Connor Murphy, and Darnell Nurse is expected to be moved sooner rather than later.
That’s where Scott Laughton comes in.
On paper, he makes sense. In practice, he might be more of a luxury than a necessity.
The Oilers’ centre depth tells the story. McDavid and Draisaitl are the clear top two down the middle, but after that things get messy.
There’s at least a chance they could be used together, though that’s not the preferred setup. If that happened, Edmonton would suddenly need a true second-line centre, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins probably isn’t the answer there.
Dickinson is currently penciled in as the third-line centre after re-signing, and he brings real value on the defensive side. But offense has never been his calling card. Outside of a 22-goal, 35-point season with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2023-24, the Georgetown product has never hit double digits in goals.
That kind of production profile is better suited for the fourth line, which is where the picture gets crowded because of Josh Samanski. Signed late in the 2024-25 season, Samanski posted strong numbers in the American Hockey League and earned a shot with Edmonton. The 24-year-old centre is defensively responsible, scored two goals and four points in 24 regular-season games, and added a goal and two points in five playoff games.
If Laughton were added, somebody from that group would have to shift to the wing. And if the Oilers ever decided to move Draisaitl off centre, then they’d need to go hunting for a legitimate second-line centre instead. Robert Thomas would be a nice answer, but that feels highly unlikely.
What Laughton does offer is a cleaner fit for the third-line centre spot than Dickinson. The 32-year-old brings more offense, with double-digit goals in eight of the last nine seasons. The only exception was the 2020-21 shortened year, when he scored nine.
He’s not Dickinson defensively, but he is still a dependable bottom-six centre. He also helps on the penalty kill, logging 100 minutes or more in each of the last five seasons. In 2023-24, the Philadelphia Flyers allowed eight goals with Laughton on the ice while shorthanded.
A centre group of McDavid, Draisaitl, Laughton, and Dickinson would give Edmonton one of the strongest middle-of-the-ice units in the league. The real question isn’t whether Laughton fits. It’s whether the Oilers should spend the money.
And that decision still comes back to Nurse.
If Edmonton keeps him, it would have just over $7.415 million in cap space. That’s enough to chase Laughton, but it would also leave other needs hanging, especially in goal and on the bottom six. If the Oilers can free up $5 million or more, then Laughton starts to look less like a priority add and more like a worthwhile luxury, with the savings available to patch holes elsewhere.
As it stands, he looks like a good player in a spot where Edmonton already has enough bodies. A bottom-six centre who kills penalties, wins faceoffs, and chips in offense is always useful. The issue is that the Oilers may need that money for something more urgent.
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Oilers May Have Found The July Fix They Desperately Need
With free agency now open and Edmonton still working through how to spend its remaining cap room, the Oilers are in the market for a middle-six forward who can help tilt the ice without creating another expensive headache. Matias Maccelli has emerged as a logical name to watch because of the kind of offense and vision he brings, and his profile fits a roster that has been searching for more secondary scoring around its stars.
The attraction is easy to understand for a team that has been burned before by big July swings that did not land cleanly. Edmonton has already poked around on Maccelli once before, which is why the fit feels more than theoretical now, and the question is whether this is finally the kind of move that lines up with both need and budget. [Read more 🡒]
A Major Oilers Blue Liner Is Suddenly At The Center Of Trade Buzz
As the NHL edges closer to free agency, a growing number of big names have started to surface in trade chatter, and Darnell Nurse has landed in the same conversation as some of the leagues more recognizable players. For Edmonton, that matters because any buzz around a core defenseman carries obvious ripple effects, even when the broader market is still in its early, messy stages and no deal has been completed.
Nurses situation has become one to watch because the trade discussion around him comes with a layer of control that can shape where this goes next. A few clubs are believed to be in the mix, but the process still feels fluid, with no clear indication that anything is nearing the finish line. In a market already packed with uncertainty, Edmonton may have to wait for the picture to sharpen before it knows whether this is just noise or the start of something bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Suddenly Look Tied To The Top Six Move Fans Want
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The complicating factor is Pittsburghs side of the equation. The Penguins are open to listening, but Kyle Dubas has not been in a hurry to move Rakell before, and the price has stayed high in previous talks. Any serious Edmonton pursuit would have to clear that hurdle while also navigating Rakells eight-team no-trade list, which can narrow the path quickly if the interest gets real. [Read more 🡒]