Last week, the conversation around the Edmonton Oilers’ depth turned quickly into a debate about Josh Samanski.
The suggestion was simple enough: add a little more insurance at centre by looking at veteran professional tryout options such as Luke Glendening or Curtis Lazar. Somehow, that turned into a wave of online pushback from Oilers fans who seemed convinced the idea meant Samanski should be pushed aside.
That was never the point.
Samanski looked good in his 24-game run with the big club last season, and there’s every reason to think he can come into camp and win a regular job. He should be considered a strong candidate to make the team when opening night rolls around.
But that still doesn’t make it a sure thing. Development doesn’t move in a straight line, and the Oilers have already seen that play out before.
Anton Lander is a clear example. He played 56 games for Edmonton in the 2011-12 season, then appeared in just 11 NHL games the following year and spent most of that season in the AHL.
Ryan McLeod needed a quick return to the AHL at the start of the 2021-22 season before he was ready to settle in as a full-time NHL player. Neither case is a perfect match for Samanski, but they do show how unpredictable progress can be.
That’s why the idea of bringing in another centre shouldn’t be controversial. The Oilers’ current group down the middle includes Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Jason Dickinson and Samanski.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins can also play there, though the 33-year-old is probably better suited to the wing. Trent Frederic saw some time at centre last season, too.
Even so, the team could use more depth. Out of their five most-used centres from last season, based on faceoffs taken, two are gone now in Adam Henrique and Curtis Lazar. Another, Nugent-Hopkins, is likely to spend more time on the wing.
If the Oilers want their 13th forward to be someone who can win draws and kill penalties, a veteran like Glendening or Lazar makes sense. Those are the kinds of players you can park in the press box for stretches without worrying about their development. They’d also likely clear waivers at the start of the season, which would give Edmonton useful organizational depth.
The bigger issue is the false choice some fans seem to be making: either a veteran comes in and blocks a young player, or the team hands a job to a prospect by default. That’s not how good organizations operate.
If Samanski earns the spot in camp, he should get it. But the Oilers shouldn’t hand him anything just because he’s young.
The same logic applies to Ike Howard. He shouldn’t be gifted a top-six role simply because there’s an opening and he finished last season well in Bakersfield.
He should, however, get every chance in camp to prove he belongs there.
That’s the real difference here: giving a player the inside track to win a job is not the same thing as locking him into the lineup before camp even starts.
The Oilers can still keep looking for a top-six winger through trade. They can still bring a veteran centre to camp. They can even do it as a safeguard against injuries or simply to have an extra body available for a couple preseason games.
There’s no real downside to adding one more steady centre. For Edmonton, it’s a low-risk move that only adds another layer of depth when the injury bug inevitably shows up.
In Other News...
Oilers Goaltending Depth Just Created A Problem They Cant Ignore
Goaltending depth is supposed to be a good problem, but this one is starting to look more like a bottleneck. Stan Bowmans move to bring Matt Tomkins into the Bakersfield Condors mix came after a solid AHL showing, and on paper it gave Edmonton another experienced option in the pipeline. In practice, it has added another body to a crease that already needs innings for younger goalies trying to push their way up.
Samuel Ungar and Samuel Jonsson are the names most affected here, because their development depends on getting heavier AHL work, not just spot duty. With Tomkins in the picture, those reps become harder to come by, and that makes the organizations next move worth watching. If Edmonton wants to keep its goaltending pipeline moving, it may eventually have to decide whether Tomkins is helping the depth chart or slowing it down. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Goalie Prospect Rumour Just Changed A Crowded Pipeline Conversation
Rumors about Samuel Jonsson heading back to Sweden for the upcoming season had started to swirl, but the picture around the Oilers goalie prospect now looks much clearer. Edmonton insider Bob Stauffer pushed back on that chatter, and for a prospect who is already viewed as one of the organizations better young netminders, the expectation is that his development path will stay on this side of the Atlantic.
Jonsson, a former fifth-round pick, spent last season in the ECHL and remains part of a crowded goaltending pipeline below the NHL level. With several prospects already signed into the system, the Oilers are juggling more than just talent evaluation here, since where Jonsson lands next becomes part of a larger depth-chart conversation in a position group that never has much room for error. [Read more 🡒]
Leon Draisaitl Explains Why Oilers Backed This Risky Coaching Reset
Before Mike Babcock was hired as head coach, Edmontons key players, including Leon Draisaitl, sat down with him for an open and honest conversation about where the team was headed and what it needed from its next coach. It was the kind of meeting that told you plenty about how the Oilers approached the decision: no guesswork, no polish, just a direct look at whether the fit made sense for a group that has been trying to get itself back on track.
Draisaitl said Babcock moved quickly to earn the leadership groups support, and the expectation now is that the tone around the team is going to change. After time away from NHL coaching, Babcock has a chance to show his methods still travel, while Edmonton is betting that a more demanding voice can help push a talented roster through the kind of recent struggles that have hung over the season. [Read more 🡒]