A rough season can leave a roster looking far worse than it really is, and that was the case for the Edmonton Oilers last year. The team never found much rhythm, barely scraped into the postseason, and then got bounced in the opening round by an Anaheim Ducks club that nobody expected to send them home that early.
Not everything can be pinned on the bench, though the coaching was clearly part of the problem and Mike Babcock is being counted on to clean that up. Edmonton also had a cluster of important players who simply didn’t deliver, especially the ones lower in the lineup and in goal. Injuries played a role in that mess, which is why there’s real reason to think some of those names could look a lot different in 2026-27.
Trent Frederic tops the list. At 28, he was the most disappointing Oiler by a wide margin after putting up just 4 goals, 3 assists and 7 points in 74 games.
Edmonton handed him a puzzling eight-year extension and expected him to give the bottom six some grit, structure and finishing touch. Instead, he disappeared for long stretches.
Frederic admitted this summer that he was still dealing with the after-effects of an ankle injury, but said he is feeling much closer to 100 per cent now. If he’s healthy and gets more chances under Babcock, a rebound is there for the taking.
Jake Walman is another player who should be better with a cleaner bill of health. The 30-year-old posted 8 goals, 12 assists and 20 points in 51 games, which isn’t disastrous, but it wasn’t the impact Edmonton wanted after giving him a seven-year, $49-million extension last October.
Injuries clearly got in the way, and he also spent much of the year on his off-hand. With Darnell Nurse gone, Walman now appears set to settle into his natural left side, which could make a big difference.
Kasperi Kapanen may not fit the classic “bounce-back” label, but he belongs in the conversation anyway. The 30-year-old winger finished with 8 goals, 9 assists and 17 points in only 41 games, and injuries were the main reason he missed so much time.
When he was available, he looked useful, and that carried into the playoffs. He also picked up a raise this offseason, and staying in Edmonton gives him a chance to push for more this year.
In net, Tristan Jarry is carrying plenty of the bounce-back burden. The 31-year-old went 18-9-3 with an .883 save percentage and a minus-4.1 GSAx last season, and he lost the starter’s job after a brutal stretch following his trade to Edmonton.
Still, the Oilers believe he can be a much better goalie than that run showed. A full summer to settle in with the organization, plus what they hope is a stronger defensive setup, gives him a path back.
With competition all over the crease, Jarry has every reason to fight for the net.
Frederik Andersen rounds out the group. The 36-year-old won the Stanley Cup, so the “bounce-back” label sounds strange at first glance, but his regular season was a different story.
He finished 16-14-5 with an .874 save percentage and a minus-3.3 GSAx, a sharp drop from the kind of performance he delivered in the playoffs. That regular-season slump looked like an outlier, and Edmonton will be expecting better numbers from him this time around.
In Other News...
McDavid Trade Noise Is Back But Oilers Fans Know The Real Issue
Connor McDavid trade chatter has a way of resurfacing whenever the Oilers hit any patch of uncertainty, and this latest round came courtesy of NHL Network analyst E.J. Hradek. He floated the Flyers, Red Wings and Rangers as possible landing spots if McDavid ever left Edmonton, a list that says as much about the appetite for speculation as it does about the actual hockey realities around those teams.
For Oilers fans, the more pressing question is not which jersey McDavid might wear someday, but why the conversation keeps jumping to destinations that are not currently positioned as true contenders. There have been no substantial reports indicating he wants out of Edmonton, no confirmation of a trade path, and no real evidence to suggest this is anything more than another round of summer noise with very little backing behind it. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Babcock Could Put Several Oilers Roles Under Immediate Pressure
Mike Babcocks arrival in Edmonton figures to bring a different kind of daily pressure, one built on accountability and an insistence that every role be earned, not assumed. Leon Draisaitl, Trent Frederic, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jake Walman and Evan Bouchard are all the sort of established names who will have to get used to that standard quickly, while younger players such as Colton Dach, Matt Savoie, Isaac Howard and Josh Samanski are already in the kind of spot where nothing will be handed to them.
Babcock has never been shy about correcting players no matter where they sit on the depth chart, and that alone makes this a consequential camp story for the Oilers. It is one thing for prospects to fight for a place, but it is another when veterans have to wonder whether their usual lineup spots are as secure as they once were, especially if the coach sees a better fit elsewhere and decides to use it. [Read more 🡒]
Why Mike Babcock's Oilers Setup Could Decide Team Stability
Edmontons early look at Mike Babcocks setup has as much to do with the people around him as the man himself. The Oilers are betting that the coaching structure can keep the room steady while still getting the edge Babcock is known for, with associate coach D.J. Smith playing a central part in that mix.
For Edmonton, the interest is not just whether Babcock can get results, but whether the entire bench arrangement can hold together over time. There is always a balance to strike with a coach whose style can demand plenty from players, and the Oilers are trying to make sure that push does not tip into something harder to manage. [Read more 🡒]