This year’s Oilers camp is going to be unusual, which is different than saying it will be memorable. The Connor McDavid contract will dominate all pages you read save this one, as I’ve decided to sit out the verbal tail-chasing (which sounds dirty but I don’t mean it that way).
We’ll talk lines and pairings, injury, the ‘ABS’ brakes will be in full bloom as Stuart Skinner prepares for another season as the team’s starter, and the young wingers will be under a microscope.
One thing we would do well to remember? How much we don’t remember about training camp once the season begins. Examples are everywhere. For instance, Mike Hoffman, Noah Philp, Travis Dermott and Noel Hoefenmayer were among the top five-on-five scorers in the preseason. Philp played in the final preseason game before losing his No. 4 center role to Derek Ryan. It was Ryan between Vasily Podkolzin and Corey Perry opening night.
In 2019, Ken Holland hurriedly added Anton Burdasov to the TC roster, and he played in a couple of games. One would have imagined Tyler Benson should get a look the same fall, and he did, but Joakim Nygard got a better one and secured the job.
Do you remember Brendan Perlini? Five goals at five-on-five in 2021-22. Amazeballs. The team played the hell out of Markus Niemelainen the following year, and last year Sam O’Reilly impressed enough to get into four preseason games (that’s a high number).
So, this fall, when someone who viewed the rookie games against Calgary and comes out with a hot take, maybe take the longer view. We all know hockey, we all have bias, we all love being correct.
Folks, I’ve got news for you. It’s all guessing. Even if your hot take proves true, it was a guess at the time. We don’t know what we don’t know. Let these young men show you what they can do over a larger canvas. Allow the coaching staff and management the opportunity to evaluate.
There are things we can discuss right now, like what the team needs to do in order to better prepare for the season. That’s worth discussing. However, I’ve read a bunch about Ike Howard and Beau Akey being failures and it’s just impossible to make that kind of declaration with any kind of fact-based knowledge at this time. Surely we can agree on this one thing.
Imagine these young men are your brother, or your son. Would you write about them on a blog in this way? I don’t think you would. I’ve been watching young Oilers arrive in town since the 1970’s, and I’ve cheered for every one of them. I wish them all the best. If you don’t feel the same way, then I believe you are missing a grand part of sports. Renewal.
Delight in new experiences and fresh opportunities delivered by surprising performance spikes. Don’t run over these kids. Let them write their own story. That’s what each man and woman deserves, in all walks of life. Thanks for reading.
On the Lowdown today, it’s the roundtable, where two or more young people will verbally flatten an old man who can’t remember the 1979 expansion draft rules and goes off on a tangent. It’ll be fun, and now you can watch us on You Tube as well as hear us on Sports 1440 AM radio.
McDavid gave an interview to Freidman and Kyle B.
Copy-typing live so didn’t get it near perfect but I tried.
Feels good – focused on the year – excited to get camp going and getting in to a routine.
As far as that other stuff, I’m not focused on it.
Nothing has changed. I’ve said I’m going to take my time about it and I’m going to. Its a big decision. Everything in my life has been leading to this moment.
EF asked if he should be surprised as he is that its
My wife and I obviously love being here in Edmonton and we have every intention to win in Edmonton. I have full faith in the 2025/26 season and beyond that, we’ll see. We have time. We’ve earned the right to make this decision and we are going to take my time.
What do I need to see. I guess the answer is nothing. All the pieces are here for 2025/26. Its going to be a feeling. When the time is right, the moment is right, its going to be a feeling.
As of right now, just excited to get the season started.
So super vague again about his intentions. The more he does that, the more I too am getting a feeling … it’s the one I get when I know someone is trying to gaslight me.
Yes, not very encouraging. Thanks OP for taking notes. Sounds like this is his response until there is a decision. He doesn’t owe us anything and I’m grateful we had him all these years. But he has a NMC, so we have no leverage, he can walk to free agency if it suits him. I will be upset if that happens. On last cup run would be fun but I’d rather have the assets from a trade if he is heading out.
He was pretty clear he’s committed to the Oilers for 2025/26 and has made no decision beyond that.
Pretty much what Marner said heading into his final season with the Leafs.
Much will depend on how the team starts the season. If they come out hot, then the good vibes may lead to an extension in season.
If they don’t, then I can see McDavid leaving after this season if they don’t win a Cup.
He clearly wasn’t misspeaking or taken out of context when he said that one of the options available to him was “no term”.
He has an NMC, so the team is at his mercy.
That is not super encouraging. As much as I don’t like typing this, he has to consider waiving his NMC and they have to consider trading him if he wants to go the route of free agency. We cannot lose him for nothing. I was 17 when Gretzky was sold, it was gut wrenching. I cannot believe that we are here again.
While this is somewhat obvious, It’s the first time I’ve actually seen a media source say explicitly why McDavid has yet to sign an extension:
“His biggest point of reticence, per league sources, remains an aging roster, which he believes can contend again in 2025-26 but which doesn’t look to be constructed to sustain a championship level over the long term.
And he more or less said as much publicly in June, “If I feel that there’s a good window to win here over and over again, then signing is no problem.
Three months later, he’s still unsigned.”
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6635346/2025/09/16/connor-mcdavid-oilers-training-camp-extension/
Ryan Holt mentioning that player numbers are organizational wide – what a player wears in Bako is what they’ll wear in the NHL.
Berezkin had an assist and a goal that was taken away on a coach’s challenge as well as 4 shots, a hit and a takeaway in a 6-1 win.
He may step in the top 6-9 without missing a beat next year if Howard and Savoie pan out that’s 3 top 6ish Wingers for peanuts. It drives me nuts when the trolls say ooh McDavid is leaving because Holland gutted the future.
For about seven hours every six days, back in ’64, I delivered the Saskatoon Star Phoenix to about 32 homes on the West Hill in Prince Albert…the Rick Ducommun and Dave Balon households among them.
One Saturday evening, Dave invited PA minor hockey to a show and tell autograph signing with Terry Harper at what passed as a rec centre at that time. So now that old Sherbrook had two signatures on it and was no longer usable. Dad had to buy me new one.
It was important. I was freezing my ass off playing left wing two minutes every Saturday afternoon with the West Hill Black Hawks. Thing is, I had a number nine on my back and as cool as Terry Harper and the mighty Habs were, I kinda wish it was a Bobby Hull signature.
As for Rick, we walked to school together. Later, he ended up in LA doing standup. I ended up in LA concurrently, doing rock’n’roll. We both did the tonight show for about two minutes…he in front of the curtain, me behind it. Kinda weird.
Hmm, this hour took 72 years;)
Rick had his meatiest role in Neighbors with Tom Hanks.
— where do I pre-order your auto biography?
— glad your back telling your stories !
— my best friend was born in Prince Albert as well
I quit drinking about five years ago. The result leavened the bombast. The liquid courage fled and I find it difficult stringing two fluent sentences together. Besides, I have very little memory for the kind of detail that kind of story telling requires. Thanks tho. I might have a quip if an LT header hints at one.
I too have missed your reveries. Tis a treat when you’re so inspired.
From a quick count it looks like only 6 AHL-only contracts (4F and 2D) on the camp roster, which seems about right or maybe even lower than recent years. These are probably the guys who are most likely to play a big role in Bakersfield and, aside from Griffith, have at least a plausible path to an NHL pact if things break right.
I think it’s more important to build team chemistry than decide on the last forward in training camp, but I’m also not against a couple PTOs to guys with the potential to have an impact (like Kostin) if there’s a realistic path to a contract and filling a gap, even if it’s more for org depth.
There are times when veteran players are brought in on PTO’s primarily so the team has the necessary roster flexibility for exhibition games.
The current CBA requires that for each and every exhibition game, the team is required to have a playing roster with a minimum of 8 veterans. A veteran is defined as a skater who played 30 games last season in the NHL or 100 NHL games in their career or a 1st round draft pick from this past draft (2025). The only difference for goalies is 30 games played or 50 games dressed last season.
I believe the Oilers currently only have 21 players that qualify as veterans under this rule and Hyman will miss camp, so only really only 20 (18 skaters, 2 goalies). If any other veteran gets hurt in camp, even to be out only a few days, that reduces the roster flexibility even more.
Since the team is playing 8 exhibition games and knowing that more of the veterans will play in probably 2 of the last 3 games, having one or two veteran players on PTO can take up one of those spots particularly in a few of the earlier exhibition games allows the team to not dress contracted veterans more than they or the player would want to.
Last season the team had ~25 that qualified as veterans in camp and most of the veterans that were staying with the NHL squad played 4 of the 8 exhibition games. McDavid played 5 and Nurse only 2. Podkolzin played 5 games too, but he was fighting not to get waived, which he avoided. Travis Dermott came in on a PTO, played 5 games and got a contract and then played 10 games early in the regular season before being waived and claimed by the Wild. Hoffman was on a PTO as well, played 4 games, but did not get signed by the Oilers.
As an aside, it seems likely that the substantial shortening of the exhibition season starting next year could limit the opportunities for unsigned veterans to showcase themselves on PTOs in preseason games.
This is a excellent take on the life of PTO’s
even if Hyman is out, if he’s not on LTIR, they likely carry 13F which means two of Philp, Lazar, Howard, Tomasek, Kapanen, Janmark are cut (all need waivers but for Howard and Tomasek) (in addition to Jones, Hamblin and Jarventie)
Those three make it 16F.
Is there are reasonable path for a contract for Kostin?
I mean, he could score 5 goals in 5 games and it would mean about as much as when Perlini did it. I’d rather all those forwards listed (plus give some reps to the likes of Marjala and Samanski and the newly drafted forwards, etc.).
Can we please get Klim Kostin a PTO here? I believe he is better than many players on the Oilers now, just the right age, and a force physically. 3rd line ability and able to move up and down the lineup as needed. Even if he doesn’t make the Oilers sending him down to the farm and being able to call him up would be a blessing in disguise. What if he finds his game down there, and plays consistently after finally getting significantly minutes? It wouldn’t hurt us in any way and the player type really does not exist on this current version of the Oilers. He would be cheap which this version of the Oilers needs in spades due to careless spending over the years, including this one.
May I ask what this would be based on? He hasn’t been anything close to what you described except for a couple 2-week stretches a few years ago.
Brilliant post today, Mr. Mitchell.
Well said. As you so often point out we don’t know what we don’t know.
But what I do know is that every player at camp wants to do their very best. With all their heart.
Will they succumb to the pressure? Are they fighting an injury? Will they lose a bit of confidence? Are they just not ready? Or are they on a hot streak?
Who knows? But we should all give them a little kindness. They all so desperately want to succeed and it’s sad when they stumble or just can’t pass the bar.
We should all support them, as you said, just like we would a son or a brother.
Kalle Larsson said to Bob that each step is of course an adjustment, but more so for offensive players than grinders. Grinders grind and they keep at it, scorers have to figure out their game against better and stronger players. There are not really soft spots on NHL rosters like in lower leagues
The worst NHL player is a pretty good hockey player. I won’t be surprised that they send Howard down, and Savoie sticks as he has a full pro season. If Tomasek has NHL skating he will stick as well, having talent, experience and being a big fella
Based off his success in Sweden you have to think his skating must be at least OK. Might come down to quickness, but he’s got decent size so that helps. Hopefully fans will give him 20(?) games to adjust and find his game.
I’m not sure with the overall increase in players’ skill now that there’s many Alexandre Giroux’s still out there. He should be able to carve himself a spot in the bottom 6 at least if he’s willing to adapt. And I can’t imagine he expected to land in the top 6 with the Oiler’s roster. It’ll be a fun storyline in camp and hopefully Stan has weaved a little magic.
Camp roster is out on the website.
Its pretty much the players that were a rookie camp plus all the other older prospects and vets we’d expect. This includes guys on AHL deals like Luke Prokop, Mason Millman and Seth Griffith.
Bowman plus players speak live at 8:45
I wonder if anyone will ask about McDavid’s contract situation…?
Writing their own stories. You have such an amazing talent for metaphors.
In our own stories, we all want to write a sonnet, and in the end, most write a limerick. But there is nothing wrong with a nice limerick. It is about the creating and the process to me. My sweetie is an artist and I used to be a writer and actor at one time, so that process for us has special meaning in so many facets of life. May you continue, good sir, to live life with heart and perspective and gratitude as always.
I tip my hat to you.
Thank you. The joy of watching someone striving to excel.
I do remember “my team’s” great moments. But mostly, I remember the moments of individual excellence and the stories of individuals persisting, making it against the odds.
As far as teams and sports go, I’m a fair-weather fan, drawn to individual heroics more than team heroics. I became a hockey fan in the spring of 1972, watching a rookie Ken Dryden take the Habs to the Cup. I became an Oilers fan watching Draisaitl put the puck in the net over and over again from impossible angles —and, finally, watching McDavid highlight reels. Lucky for me this was in 2023, so I’ve had the pleasure of watching a great team. Along the way it’s the struggles of individual players to overcome injury, talent or lack thereof, and especially lack of confidence that keeps me glued.
Sure, I want “my team” to win. But I want the players to do well, to understand what limits them, to root for them to be more than their limitations (and especially more than fans’ meanness towards them).
A big reason I read this blog and listen to Lowdown with LT is for the joy and the laughter you bring to all of it, LT. Again, thank you.
The Bruins won the cup in72. Dryden was a rookie in 71 (debued March 71) when he won his first cup.
Dryden won the Conn Smythe and the Stanley Cup in 1971. He won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 1972. The Bruins won the Cup in 1972. Montreal won the Cup in 1971 and 1973
Yes. As I’ve judged posted: My bad. I know this. It’s a typo and it’s too late to correct.
Thank you too, for your keen eye & sense of history! 😊
My bad. I know this. It’s a typo (my fat fingers on a dinky keyboard) and it’s too late to correct. Thank you for your keen eye & sense of history! 😊
The team does need to use this camp to get the NHL players ready to go. On a team like this there isn’t likely to be a youngster that blows the doors off to the degree that they make the team
So give them a taste of what their goal is like, and focus more on the players that are going to be on the team. Decide on Howard and Tomasek, I see Savoie as a go, and get organized quickly. Especially if they have made any system changes
I think professional coaches should be able to tell pretty quickly who isn’t yet NHL ready, and stick to what was said in allowing new players that they keep to make mistakes and develop through the season. Howard has a lot to learn, but he won’t suffer from losing confidence, so if all he needs is some polishing up but the rest is there go for it
Yep. Cut the team down to the lowest possible number right off the bat, get the young guys some reps, but then start working on the lines, pairings and systems in the preseason. Get the team thinking it is go time from game one and no messing around.
I think there is a ton to get done during this year’s training camp.
1) They need to figure out the forwards that are making the team – even if Hyman is out, if he’s not on LTIR, that’s likely 13F which means two of Philp, Lazar, Howard, Tomasek, Kapanen, Janmark are cut (all need waivers but for Howard and Tomasek) (in addition to Jones, Hamblin and Jarventie)
2) They need to figure out some sort of semblance of lines – I mean there are so many forwards that can play up and down the lineup and multiple positions (Nuge, Henrique, Frederic, Tomasek, Mangiapane, etc.)
3) They need to see if they think Regula is a real waivers risk
4) They need to get some potential call-ups in Jarventie and Hutson and Leppanen some reps with legit NHL players.
There should not be any messing around early in camp – get Savoie on to Drai’s right wing early, for example.
This is a reason that I am against any PTOs – they have lots to figure out among their existing bodies (and the above lists does not even include getting eyes on Marjala and Carfagna and the “last chance guys” like Petrov and Grubbe some reps.
Look at that list of forwards, what can Klim Kostin do in camp to win a job? He could score 5 goals and it would mean as much as when Brandon Perlini did it.
PTO’s for a team in this position are favours to players and agents, and another body at camp maybe. It’s very unlikely a guy with out a contract beats out an incumbent, unless someone goes full 80’s and shows up not ready to go
The actual opportunities for players in house are through – knock on wood – injuries and cap considerations for next season. There are contracted NHL players that are probably looking at the minors this time
— roster for day 1 has been established by management and coaching staff well before pre-season starts.
— It’s no different this year. Except for injuries they already know what the lineup is.
— management and coaching aren’t basing their end of roster choices (especially on vet teams) by how they perform in a few games and practices : it’s plotted out well in advance.
— sure they use it a tool to see how different line combos work etc. The rest is just red meat for fans and chance to look at the development
— we just don’t know management plan. But they do
Perhaps but they do need to figure out which 2 of the 6 mentioned to cut and they do need to figure out a semblance of line structure – both as noted.
Do you disagree?
See above.
They likely know which two they are leaning towards cutting but performances from Philp and pretty much in the 6-potential cut list matter.
Not to mention, not just making the team but where they will play. Tomasek could be AHL, 13F, 4RW or top 6 RW, for example.
I’m sure the likes of Jarventie and Hutson and Regula and Dineen want to leave an impression so they are top of mind when call-up time comes ,
I disagree – per my post, a ton to figure out.
Thought that last year but I think most would agree, camp was poorly run from the start
— while we don’t know but management already does it isn’t a reason to have opinions or thoughts on what we think should happen.
— and yes line combinations is something they look at as I said.
— I’m merely pointing out that fans are fed a narrative about how nothing is decided players have a chance to prove themselves etc.
— it’s not true and thats not what training camp is about.
— Baring injury to someone slotted in all teams know now what their starting roster is. Some players might not know and we certainly don’t know. Doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the process
Management knows because you say they know?
Did they know they were going to waive and assign Janmark when they first signed him and before he was poor in his first camp?
Did they know they were going to waive and assign Josh Brown when they signed him and were entering camp last season?
I do think how the likes of Tomasek and Howard and Philp and some others play can make a difference on opening night roster.
I like your post OP, then you triggered me at the end!
That Miroslav Satan had a pretty good pre-season to my recollection.
Craig Millar and Barrie Moore not so much.
Anton Burdasov, every time I hear that name, I picture media hits with Holland, McClellan and the players singing “He has a dream” like it’s a musical. lol 🤣
LT, thank you for your comments on showing some respect to these young people.
Can we be mean to Shane Corson now?
Sure. But do me a favour a read this first:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/1183302/2019/09/10/youre-not-alone-how-shayne-corson-found-hope-in-his-battle-with-mental-health/
Well played
— oh my goodness I had no knowledge of this. My memories of Corson was being a drunk smug entitled leaf that strutted around with other leafs at clubs pulling women at places like Easy and the Fifth during and after his leaf tenure…
— as a Dad of 4 I now do “mental math” of “what would happen if I die at at that age how old would my kids be” when I read of parents whose Fathers die too young. Or “if I live to 80 how old will my kids be”.
— That’s a really poignant article. Thanks for sharing
When certain players (or others) get attention for bad behavior and some folks want them cancelled or something to happen to them, it makes me think do you know how many other guys have done the same but never got caught or called out publicly? Or worse?
Plenty. Not that they shouldn’t face consequences, but it doesn’t make them pariahs
— in the late 90s early 2000s I think professional athletes didn’t have to worry about “getting caught” as no social media like they do today. Now I don’t go to those types of clubs anymore so maybe they still do?
— I see Gretz hammered at functions still, chatting up ladies.
— and to be clear Corson he was acting like any other drunk guy at the time : trying to pick up chicks while hanging out with the lads : he just happened to be a pro athlete. I guess today that would be video clips and he would be cancelled and shamed
It’s much worse now for sure. There have always been guys that get a rap for being jerks – which I think was the thing with Corson. Like in anything it seems some get the rap and some don’t, but lots of pros are unsober womanizers and not nice
Per LTs point, we don’t know why, and should be careful not to be too quick to judge. I thought Wayne had cleaned up his act some, around the red wine summit time and a couple of red faced, slurry hits from Oiler games on HNIC, a little surprised at what you mentioned. Not that it matters of course, his life
I watch hockey for hockey I don’t want to hear who McDavid votes for. I was a Goalie for many years as a kid I looked up to Cheevers-Parent-Tretiak-Dryden absolutely loved watching Palmateer and Moog as I got older. I’m glad I didn’t know every personal detail of their lives.
Yessir! That’s a great piece and is why I subscribe.
So, uh, can we still badmouth the Calgary Flames?
Anything less would be uncivilized.
We want them to be good
So we can continue to crush their dreams
If the Flames don’t make the playoffs the Oilers will be challenged to crush their dreams. Edmonton plays the Flames 3 times up to the midpoint of the season, then once on February 4th, the last game before the Olympic break. The Oilers don’t play the Flames at all during the remainder of the NHL regular season.
Setting a schedule for 32 teams certainly has its challenges given the number of constraints they have to deal with, so I understand it can’t be perfect. But the league wants to promote rivalries, so no games down the stretch against their most natural and legitimate rival is somewhat of a fail.
At least the Oilers have the opportunity to make them feel bad over Christmas, playing them home and away on either side of that break on December 23 and 27. If they can also stomp the Flames ahead of the Olympic break that wound can fester over the almost 3 weeks they will have off.
Agreed scheduling would be a tough exercise. I think the league could still try to support natural rivalries better. Other than geographic, playoffs are the other way to build them, but it’s usually more random and changes. Oilers Flames never changes, and of course others
Which is why I hope that they get better, so they can lose in the playoffs. Getting tired of LA
Edmonton’s 2 most common playoff opponents have been LA (11 times;9W/2L) and Dallas (10 times (4W/6L). The Oilers have played the Flames 6 times (5W/1L), but only once since 1991. The Oilers defeated the original Jets franchise 6 times (6W/0L) through 1990, but have played the new Jets only once losing in 2021 in the Canadian division playoffs.
Of course most of the 80s was the Smythe division with Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Winnipeg and LA and you only played series against your own division for the first 2 rounds and 4 out of the 5 were in each year (an extra team in the Patrick Division got hosed each year.
To make things worse in terms of that Oilers/Flames rivalry which ran hot and heavy through that last series to end the 80s rivalry in the spring of ’91 is how seldom both teams have made the playoffs in the same season since. Up to ’91 both teams had made the playoffs in every NHL season from when the cities got into the NHL (Oiler 79/80, Calgary 80/81 from Atlanta). In the 33 seasons since 1991, (no season 04/05), Edmonton has made the playoffs 15 times and Calgary has made the playoffs 14 times*, but both clubs have only been in the playoffs the same season 4 times (05/06, 16/17, 19/20 and 21/22).
But as 21/22 showed when both teams are good, there is no question who is the team’s bitterest rival.
*Let that sink in all those that slam the Oilers’ post cup era overall performance, the Flames’ is worse.
Been listening to Hrudey-McLean-Button-Parros and the rest of the gang bad mouth and continue to dump on the Oilers for 30 years. Yet as you showed we’ve made the playoffs and gone deeper than the Flames the last 30 years. We were so good and Sather was so competive in the 80’s that these sore losers have been trolling us for over 30 years
You can be a dick and also suffer from mental illness. They are not mutually exclusive.