Randy Gregg’s announcement that 1989-90 would be his final season forced the Oilers into a different kind of roster conversation. Muckler had to start carving out room for younger players like Geoff Smith, Chris Joseph, Francois Leroux and Corey Foster, while the forward group also had openings for Martin Gelinas, then 19 and coming over in the Gretzky deal, along with David Haas and Dan Currie on the left side.
That wasn’t a small shift, either. The Oilers had managed just 325 goals in 1988-89, the lowest total in team history, so someone had to step forward.
And over time, that’s exactly what happened: Gelinas worked his way up the depth chart during the season, Smith settled in and became a regular, and a pre-Christmas trade for Vladimir Ruzicka from the Maple Leafs added another pure scorer. He was an offensive dream and a defensive madman (not in a good way).
Then came another major swing, this one with the Detroit Red Wings, that brought in Adam Graves, Joe Murphy and Petr Klima. If you line up the spring 1989 playoff team against the one that came later in 1990, the amount of turnover under Muckler in his first season as coach jumps right out.
Some of that change came because of injury, with Fuhr hurt, but the moves were made with scoring in mind. Ruotsalainen was basically a rover, the Kid Line scored goals that spring, and Klima chipped in as well.
That history is why I’m bringing it up now: before training camp started, plenty of people thought the roster was already locked in. It wasn’t then, and it isn’t now.
For one thing, can anyone really pin down who will be playing on the third and fourth lines next spring? It’s wide open.
Mike Babcock is running auditions, and this week, against some tough opponents, should be the biggest test yet. It’s fair to say the 2026 playoff team, the one that lost to Anaheim, could look 8-10 players different year over year.
A new coach brings change, and Babcock knows what he wants, even if he doesn’t know its name yet. Pretty sure.
On The Lowdown today, Jason Gregor will join the show to talk Oilers, Elks, NFL weekend, MLB playoffs and the changes we might see this week. Noon to 2pm on Sports 1440 and You Tube.
In Other News...
Oilers Keep Finding Big Moments And Fans Have Another Reason To Believe
The Oilers keep piling up the kind of nights that make a long season feel a little lighter, and this one came with another dramatic finish. Edmonton outlasted the Minnesota Wild 4-3 in overtime, with the special teams again doing a lot of the heavy lifting as the club went 3-for-5 on the power play and a perfect 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.
Connor McDavid was once again at the center of it all with three assists, keeping the offense humming while the Oilers found yet another way to get a result. The team has built a habit of delivering in big moments lately, and this latest win added another layer to the growing sense that Edmonton is finding its stride when the pressure rises. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Are Winning In A Way Fans Arent Used To
The Oilers early standing has been built in a way that feels a little different from the usual script in Edmonton. They are sitting near the top of the NHL table despite having played fewer games than some of the teams around them, and the numbers behind the start point to something more subtle than a one-man surge. A look at the advanced stats shows that few Oilers are near the top of the league in the usual individual categories, which suggests the early success has come more from system execution and efficient finishing than from one gaudy leaderboard presence.
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are still driving the conversation, of course, but the bigger story may be how the group has responded to the standards being set under new head coach Mike Babcock. For a fan base that has spent years waiting for the team to look organized and dangerous at the same time, this opening stretch has offered a version of the Oilers that is winning with structure as much as star power, even if the full test of that approach is still to come. [Read more 🡒]
Nugent-Hopkins Return Creates A Big Oilers Top-Six Decision
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is finally set to rejoin the lineup, giving Edmonton its first real top-six shuffle of the season after he missed the opening stretch with an undisclosed injury. Mike Babcock confirmed the veteran forward will make his season debut against the Carolina Hurricanes, and the timing matters for a team that has already had to patch together its forward combinations without one of its most dependable playmakers.
The biggest question now is where Nugent-Hopkins fits once the puck drops. Edmonton is expected to use him in a prominent second-line role, and the ripple effect could be felt throughout the forward group as the staff sorts out the best mix around him. With the Oilers trying to settle into a rhythm early, his return adds needed stability, but it also forces a lineup decision that could reshape the balance of the entire top six. [Read more 🡒]