The Oilers’ roster has been in motion all summer, and the turnover doesn’t stop with Edmonton’s own dressing room. A handful of players from the 2025-26 team have already landed elsewhere, while a few others are still waiting on their next move. Either way, the opening-night look for 2026-27 is going to feel very different.
Darnell Nurse is the biggest name in the bunch, and for the first time since Edmonton drafted him in 2013, he’ll suit up for somebody else. The Oilers dealt him to the San Jose Sharks on July 1 in a move that sent a pair of defensemen back the other way. Nurse is coming off a full 82-game season with 24 points, and even if the defensive numbers were uneven, he was a heavy-minute player throughout his Oilers run and still has room to grow.
San Jose is building around a young core and trying to move closer to contention, and Nurse should slide right into a major role on the blue line. The Sharks also added Jacob Trouba, giving Nurse a partner in toughness and veteran presence. There’s a real path here for him to log big minutes, help steady a young group that includes Sam Dickinson, and contribute on the power play as well.
Jack Roslovic also found a new home, signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs after giving Edmonton a nice boost last season. He scored 21 goals and finished with 36 points, bringing speed and a finishing touch the Oilers could use up front. Toronto is trying to rebound after missing the playoffs last season, and Roslovic could be a useful piece next to Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and the rest of that group.
His shot is a real weapon, and the numbers back it up: he shot 14.9% and 15.8% over the last two seasons and has reached the 20-goal mark three times. That kind of profile can fit on power plays and in four-on-four situations, which gives the Maple Leafs some flexibility if they can slot him with the right linemates.
Calvin Pickard’s move to the Minnesota Wild is a little different. Minnesota already has an elite tandem, so the signing raised some eyebrows, but Pickard could still have a role if the Wild decide to move on from one of their goalies. Last season in Edmonton was rough by the numbers, with a .871 save percentage and a 3.68 goals-against average in 16 appearances.
Still, Pickard has been around long enough to bring value in the room, and he’s had stretches of solid hockey in his career. If Minnesota gives him a chance, he could step in as a backup, help mentor a younger goalie, and chip in with a few wins. With the Wild expected to contend again, goaltending and team defense will matter.
A few former Oilers are still on the market. Adam Henrique, now 36, was a key piece in Edmonton’s recent playoff runs, and his faceoff work plus smart puck decisions should still appeal to teams looking for experience. Curtis Lazar appeared in 45 games last season, and while his ice time was down, his edge and work rate still make him a useful depth forward who can kill penalties and handle situational minutes.
Noah Philp has already moved on from the game. He retired from professional hockey earlier this month after playing 30 games over two seasons with Edmonton and two more with the Carolina Hurricanes.
He finished his career with two goals and five points. He had signed with HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), but decided to call it a career.
Connor Ingram is still unsigned for next season. Edmonton’s playoff starter put together a strong regular season with a .899 SV% and 2.60 GAA, though the postseason was tougher. Even so, he could still be a strong backup or part-time starter in the right setup, and it’ll be worth watching whether a team takes a chance on him before camp.
Roby Järventie is in a different situation. He remains a restricted free agent, but Edmonton hasn’t shown signs that a deal is coming, and he has already lined up his future elsewhere.
In May, he signed a two-year deal with HC Ambri Piotta of the National League (NL) in Switzerland. If the Oilers don’t sign him, he’s headed overseas, though he still remains a young prospect with upside.
There’s still time for more movement, but these ex-Oilers are already spread across the map, and the full picture won’t come into focus until the season starts in just over a month.
In Other News...
Sharks Are Taking An Early Goalie Prospect Gamble
The Sharks are already taking a long look at Yaroslav Korostelyov, a recent seventh-round pick whose path to North America is arriving sooner than many late-round goalie selections do. After spending most of his time in Russias MHL and getting only a brief taste of the pro level in the VHL, the young netminder is set up as more of a developmental project than a finished product, the kind of swing San Jose can afford to take at that stage of the draft.
Korostelyov has ended his contract with SKA St. Petersburg and is slated to join the Sharks organization for the 2026-27 season, giving the club a chance to bring him into its system and evaluate him up close. The early expectation is that he may begin with Wichita in the ECHL instead of jumping straight to San Jose in the AHL, which tells you plenty about how measured this move is likely to be as the Sharks try to build depth in goal. [Read more 🡒]
Sam Dickinson Puts Sharks In A Crucial Development Dilemma
Sam Dickinsons first NHL season gave the Sharks exactly the kind of reminder they hoped to avoid, even if it came with the benefit of seeing a prized young defenseman against top competition. The 19-year-old was pushed into the league before he was fully ready because of the way the eligibility rules shook out, and the results were uneven. His defensive numbers were rough, the offense did not pop, and yet the broader picture still looked familiar to anyone tracking young blue-liners around the league.
Kevin Korchinskis path in Chicago only sharpens the stakes for San Jose. He looked like a comparable player at a similar age, but his development went backward after a trip to the AHL, which is exactly the sort of detour the Sharks want to avoid with Dickinson. San Jose now has to thread a narrow needle with him, figuring out how to protect the long view without losing the value of immediate NHL experience. [Read more 🡒]
Sharks Add Intriguing Goalie Prospect With A Big Development Question
The Sharks have added another interesting name to a prospect pool that has begun to draw real attention, with goaltender Korostelyov emerging as the latest player worth tracking. A 2024 seventh-round pick, he put up strong numbers in the MHL during the 2025-26 season, and the expectation is that his next step will come in North American pro hockey as he continues his development within the organization.
Jonathan Becher appeared to confirm the report over the weekend, even though the club had not issued an official statement by Sunday morning, leaving the final details to settle in. For San Jose, it comes on the heels of a busy stretch that also included contract extensions for Macklin Celebrini and Collin Graf, with Celebrinis record-setting season and EA Sports NHL 27 cover nod adding to the sense that the franchises young core is starting to define the present as much as the future. [Read more 🡒]