TL;DR I think we should still acquire a legitimate top 6 scoring winger like Tarasenko, re sign a RH4C like Lazar for face offs, and preferably a physical RH6D for the playoffs, although that would be more of a luxury compared to the first two. What do you think?

As of now, the starting line up will probably be some combination of

Hyman - McDavid - Savoie
Podkolzin - Draisaitl - Howard
Nuge - Dickinson - Kapanen
Dach - Samanski - Frederic
Janmark/Joseph/Jones

Ekholm - Bouchard
Walman - Murphy
Shea - Emberson

Andersen
Jarry
Levi

I don’t think there are actually any glaring weaknesses here. Bowman said the goaltending is pretty much set. But my top 3 adds in order would be

1. Legitimate top 6 scoring winger. Even if Howard does have a good season, I’d much rather have an experienced scoring winger going into the playoffs as it may take Howard a couple years to fully adjust. Most of the guys the oilers were “linked” to via trade this offseason are most likely off the table now (Tippett, Marchenko, Batherson, etc) who were pretty unrealistic to begin with. So I think Tarasenko is the only realistic option as of now unless Bowman waits until the deadline with the space accrued to make a bigger move.

He still had 23 goals and 47 points with Minnesota last season, 17 of those goals were 5 on 5. He was also just under half a point a game in the playoffs.

2. Right Handed 4th line centre. I like Samanski and think he still has more to prove, but we got killed on face offs against Florida for 2 years in a row because we didn’t have a good RHC (idk if we even had one at all lol). I’m fine waiting until the deadline so Samanski can prove himself (and also 4Cs are very cheap and easy to find) but I’d also be fine with re signing Lazar now. He’s great on face offs, he’s the happiest guy on the planet, and I thought he was one of the only players who consistently played like he gave a shit last season. Dach - Lazar - Frederic could be a great energy line that hits everything that moves.

3. Better right handed bottom pairing D man. This would definitely be more of a luxury and less of a necessity, especially since I thought Emberson played quietly really well last season. But when we traded Nurse we lost a lot of edge with our Defence. Ekholm’s big and can get into scrums if he really wants to, Walman throws a big hit every now and then, but that’s about it. It would be nice to have a tall 6RHD who’s really annoying to play against and will drop the gloves to spark some momentum. And obviously they still have to be a good defender, not someone like Josh Brown who’s all physicality and can’t play hockey. I don’t have a specific name in mind, but it would be nice to have someone to round out our defence as Emberson is definitely the odd man out (assuming Walman has a bounce back season), but still definitely a luxury

Thoughts?

What Babcock looks for

Hyman is one of the most ferocious forecheckers in the game, proving to be a perfect fit for Babcock. He’s always in pursuit of the puck and has no fear in getting net-front for chances on net. If there’s a Babcock template, it’s Hyman. Brown has many of the same traits, and both men have enjoyed successful careers due to a range of skills. The keys are responsible and aggressive play, and enough of a scoring touch to be productive offensively at five-on-five.

Both men were late draft picks and made Babcock’s first Toronto team. Each man showed a willingness to play with abandon, pay attention to defensive detail (coverage and puck pursuit) and perform any role asked. Among forwards, Babcock has a type, to the point where one could be sure that Carter Verhaeghe would have thrived under him in Toronto if Maple Leafs management hadn’t traded him the year before the new coach arrived. Pierre Engvall, Trevor Moore and others were brought into the system during Babcock’s time with the team but would find their NHL home elsewhere.

The second-worst pipeline in our ranking still has two quality pro prospects in Matt Savoie and Rudolfs Berzkalns, who should materially help the Oilers long-term. The problem is that after them, there’s next to nothing in this farm system.

2025 ranking: 31

2026 NHL Draft grade: C-

Read the article for free here.

What is Michaels today?

Michaels is an undrafted two-way centre with good speed and size. His signing represents a major win for Oilers assistant general manager Kalle Larsson, who was GM of the Dubuque Fighting Saints when Michaels played there. Corey Pronman at The Athletic called him a name to watch in February: “a good-sized center who skates well and works hard at both ends. He’s not the most natural scorer you’ll ever see, but he has enough pure skill and sense in his game to have a chance to get points at the next level and provide off-puck value.”

Based on equivalencies, Michaels should be expected to score between 25 and 30 points in a complete NHL season once he establishes himself. That’s a quality third-line centre, and with his size, speed and checking ability, Michaels could play as early as later this season. At age 24, his time is now. The only thing missing is pro success and experience in the AHL.

The Oilers clearly believe in Michaels. His contract is for two years, and in the second season he will get paid $900,000 whether he plays in the NHL or AHL.

RotoWire's Coach Pressure Index is out and Craig debuts at #3 in the league, right behind Hiller and Babcock. Their point is basically that an org willing to fire a Cup-winning coach isn't going to give a first-timer a long runway, especially coming off a Final loss.

Fair assessment for a rookie HC in this market, or too harsh this early?

I know it’s way too early, especially with the moves teams have made the last few months. But still, just based on the eye test and history, which teams in the east and west (west especially) are you most worried about the Oilers facing next spring? For me, it’s probably Vegas and Minnesota. But I’m interested in your thoughts.

As this team has aged—rapidly under Jeff Jackson then a little less under Bowman—the Oilers 5v5 scoring has also declined.

While 5v5 goals for aren’t the number #1 indicator of success (goal differential and xGF% are far better measures) it is noticeable that this team scores about 20 less goals a season at 5v5 than they used to.

I have my concerns about this team’s 5v5 offense this season, especially as Hyman, Nuge and Ekholm all age.

Really hoping Savoie, Podz, Howard and perhaps Colton Dach (and even Josh Samanski) can help pick up the slack.

This team is in desperate need of 2-3 of these guys becoming 20 goal scorers as McDavid and Draisaitl age.

For general discussion on anything related to the Oilers or the league. A fresh thread will be posted weekly on Saturdays. Default sorted by new.