With training camp still more than a month away, the Oilers have a few roster puzzles to sort through before the 2026-27 season gets rolling. The biggest questions are spread across the blue line, the forward group and the crease, and there’s also a good chance the club stays quiet when it comes to professional tryouts.
On defense, the numbers already point to a squeeze. Edmonton has eight defensemen fighting for what will likely be seven jobs, and it doesn’t sound like the team wants to risk trying to sneak any of the bottom-pairing options through waivers. Spencer Stastney, Ty Emberson and Shakir Mukhamadullin are the names to watch in camp, but the early lean is that Stastney is the one on the outside looking in.
That would be notable after the Oilers signed Stastney to a new deal this offseason, but Mukhamadullin appears to have the clearest path to staying. Edmonton acquired him in a trade with the San Jose Sharks and then signed him to a two-year deal, and he brings the kind of profile that makes him tough to leave off the roster: he can play both sides, he’s younger, and he looks ready for a full-time NHL role.
That leaves Stastney and Emberson in the most awkward spot. The logic, as it stands, seems to favor keeping the right-shot defender.
If Stastney sticks, the Oilers would be carrying five left-shot defensemen and only two right-shot defensemen, which doesn’t make much sense. Nothing here is being framed as a report, but the signs point in one direction, and Stastney could still hold value on the trade market.
A fourth-round pick in return is a possibility, which would be a decent outcome after Edmonton used a third-round pick to get him from the Nashville Predators last season.
Up front, Ike Howard is the name drawing the most attention. He tore it up offensively with the Bakersfield Condors in the American Hockey League last season and now looks lined up for the opening-night roster, where he’ll get a bigger opportunity right away. Edmonton didn’t add a top-six forward this summer, and that leaves a real opening for Howard to grab a spot and make it his own.
There is still a chance the Oilers bring in someone like Vladimir Tarasenko, a player they’ve been linked to all summer, but for now the club has cap flexibility and room to be patient. The way it looks from here, Edmonton wants to give Howard every chance to prove he can be a regular NHL forward. That flexibility could let the team wait until closer to the trade deadline before deciding whether to replace him with a more established scorer or use that cap room somewhere else.
For the moment, Howard is going into camp with a real opportunity. He’s probably pencilled in on the third line to start, though a strong preseason could put him in the conversation for a look beside Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl depending on what Mike Babcock wants early on.
Then there’s the goalie situation, which may be the most fascinating of the bunch. Frederik Andersen looks like the obvious frontrunner after winning the Stanley Cup and putting up a +6.0 goals-saved-above-expected through 16 games.
Over his last three regular seasons combined, he’s at +17.9 GSAX. The concern, as always, is health.
Tristan Jarry can’t be dismissed, either. Edmonton paid assets to bring him in, and even though last season went badly for him, there’s still a belief he can rebound and settle in at least a little above league average. He’s also the highest-paid goalie on the roster, so it wouldn’t be shocking if the Oilers give him the first crack at the net just to see whether he can handle the load before making a call.
Devon Levi is the wild card. Edmonton spent a draft pick to get him, and while he still hasn’t proven he can be a full-time NHL goaltender, the upside is obvious. The expectation is that he begins the season in the NHL as the third string, but a strong camp and preseason could earn him more work once the games start counting.
Who gets the crease in the playoffs, if the Oilers get there, is a separate issue altogether. One of these three could seize the job well before then, or Edmonton could still be shopping for a new answer by the 2027 Trade Deadline.
For now, though, the Oilers at least have a different look in goal, and that alone buys them some breathing room.
As for PTOs, don’t expect many, if any. There doesn’t appear to be much need for them unless Edmonton wants a veteran willing to sign a two-way deal and serve as injury insurance, and even that may not be necessary given the depth already in the organization. Jim Matheson said he doesn’t expect many players, if any, to be at camp on PTO, noting that with only four exhibition games instead of the usual eight and veterans needing to play two games minimum, there simply isn’t much room for that kind of audition.
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