This is the August 2022 50-man roster for the Edmonton Oilers. There are five goalies, 16 defencemen, 10 centers and 19 wingers. That’s 50. Except there are three junior players, and an additional six men who are on AHL only deals. So, it’s 41. This was typical of the Ken Holland era, meaning the team’s depth was poor. The Oilers played right at the cao and often with fewer than 23 roster players, so most of the impact landed with the Bakersfield Condors. That hurts the AHL team and the prospects trying to grow. Let’s take a quick look at the current 50 man:
50-man roster (46)
- Goalies (7): Frederik Andersen, Tristan Jarry, Devon Levi, Connor Ungar, Samuel Jonsson, Matt Tomkins, Nathan Day
- Left Defense (9): Mattias Ekholm, Jake Walman, Ryan Shea, Shakir Mukhamadullin, Spencer Stastney, Damien Carfagna, Riley Stillman, Atro Leppanen, Tomas Cibulka
- Right Defense (6): Evan Bouchard, Connor Murphy, Ty Emberson, Alec Regula, Josh Brown, Beau Akey
- Center (8): Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jason DIckinson, Josh Samanski, Viljami Marjala, Owen Michaels, William Nicholl,
- Left Wing (8): Matthew Savoie, Vasily Podkolzin, Colton Dach, Mattias Janmark, Max Jones, Eduards Tralmaks, Connor Clattenburg, Brady Stonehouse
- Right Wing (8): Zach Hyman, Ike Howard, Kasperi Kapanen, Trent Frederic, Mathieu Joseph, Quinn Hutson, Atu Raty, James Stefan,
Stan Bowman has two additional goaltenders, three more left defensemen, the same number of right defensemen, one fewer center (and that’s with me moving Nuge to the middle), the same number of left wingers and one more right winger. The positives? The Condors will have more depth, including a bunch of goalies and a damn good defense. The downbeat? Oilers need centers, one as an NHL option and another to replace the two-way ability of James Hamblin. Best news of all: Bowman has cap room and four slots on the 50 man. Waive babies, man. Waive babies.
On the Lowdown today, it’s the round table plus our feature guest is Shawn Belle. I’m going to ask Shawn about versatile players (wingers who can play center, and defensemen who can play their off side) and about how much players worry about the waiver wire. Plus World Cup, Home Run Derby, CFL and more. Noon to 2pm on Sports 1440 and You Tube.
Mantha is signing/signed with NJ. 2 years at $4.75 million. 9 million total. Per Friedman.
Holy hell, I would not have signed him to that contract.
I’m glad Bowman steered clear of him.
Stevie Y finally fired.
Or at least, promoted out of the front office to “friend of the owner”.
3 hits for the NL in the All-Star game? Yikes.
It isn’t a golden era for pitchers either…
So many strikeouts.
I got this second hand (I haven’t listened to the pod yet) but, from a couple reputable accounts, it appear that on Spittin’ Chickets, Keith Yandle has said that Cutter Gauthier won’t sign for a penny less than Leon Carlsson”……
If that’s true, Verbeek must be drinking Pepto Bismol like I drink coffee.
Sounds like mutiny either overpay or start the rebuild over.
Definitely going to throw a wrench into the machine. Verbeek has done yeomans work rebuilding the team but maybe like Yzerman in Detroit, he should step back and hand the reins to a new GM.
I don’t doubt it. He’s put up similar numbers to Carlsson over the past 2 seasons. No reason why he shouldn’t hold out for the same money.
If that is the case i think he will be sitting this season out. I don’t think I believe Yandle’s intel on this though
He is not offer sheet eligible. He will have no choice but to negotiate a short term one or two year deal which will satisfy neither side. Nobody will pay him Carlsson money. He is NOT a centre.
I figure his best bet is to force a one year deal to get to offer sheet eligibility.
There is no winner in this Gauthier Verbeek negotiation. Both sides will hate the deal, but they have to make a deal to get to the main event next summer, or the summer after that.
Conceivably he could force a trade, but he is not getting Carlsson money in a sign and trade, except from Seattle or Chicago.
Trade him back to Philly? They have the money. Drastic times call for drastic measures.
FIFA really does need to do something to reduce the amount of diving in their sport. Until they do, it’s hard to see the average North American sports fan fully embracing it. When you’re raised on contact sports like we are, it’s hard to take athletes seriously when they’re writhing around on the ground like children having a tantrum.
Officiating makes a huge difference. The guy who reffed MAR v NED was hands down the best I’ve seen for not blowing the whistle, keeping the play moving, and completely disregarding the flops and falls and on-field theatrics. Guys could play the injury or foul card if they like, but, even chance all they accomplish is leaving their side shorthanded on the enduring rush.
Folks smartened up quick, whereas the way the CAN v NED ref tried to handle physical contact and contested plays – throwing out cards left and right and awarding free kicks by the bushel – only encouraged and exacerbated that sort of bad behavior. Certainly, it was less in evidence in the early going (the counter narrative is that CAN was getting away with a lot of fouls early on but…man, it wasn’t anything compared to MAR aggression vs NED, and as mentioned I thought the way that game was called that was brilliant).
Anyways clone the NED v MAR guy and make him the standard and half the sport’s issues in that area are resolved.
Though I do kinda wonder if that sort of objective, even-handedness would be encouraged or permitted in matches featuring the game’s biggest stars and classic, titan countries. I wouldn’t say WC26 is building a strong record in that regard, seems someone always has a thumb on the scale when it’s FRA ENG ARG BRA GER etc. vs… anybody.
Aw man I made a big long post in response to this and only went back to correct one typo. Now the whole post is flagged.
LT? Somebody? Can I get approval…?
Copy it and paste it from the flagged pst – fix whatever has it held up before posting.
And now it’s not even pending? it’s just gone? Did I say something off colour..? #muchconfuse
It wouldn’t be difficult either. SImply make doing the theatrics an infraction, just like it is in every reputable sport.
Then again, there are a whole bunch of straightforward fixes that would make soccer popular, and fast, in NA, but no one seems to care. So on we go. I don’t care near enough about the sport to fight for those things…but you’d think they would be obvious to a league trying to make money…
One of the things that really differentiates the big 4 North American sports from soccer is the willingness of the former to embrace innovations to improve the games and entertainment value. FiFA seems a little too shackled by football tradition.
They’ve only recently integrated instant replay and many of the traditionalists hate it. Crazy that when you consider it’s a sport where the final result can easily be swung on one bad call.
It’s interesting for me as both a fan of football and hockey to see people coming to terms with the fact that even with VAR decisions are still manipulated to suit the “bigger” teams or the governing body’s agenda.
That said, as much as I know Scotland should have had a penalty versus Morocco we still sucked so hard we didn’t deserve to make it out of the group, so it’s kind of a moot point. I can’t wait for the 64 team world cup where Scotland still can’t make it out of the group stage 😀 There’s something comforting in failure.
The diving and theatrics though, yeah I’ll never be on board with that part. We need more Erling Haalands and less Mo Salahs/Cristiano Ronaldos.
I mean, the NHL does not improve the game? The refs still do not consistently call the rule book. The league does not drug test in the playoffs.
Soccer is the fastest growing sport in North America so I am not sure the diving is really holding it back.
The NFL and MLB have really been proactive on innovations. The NHL had to be coming out of the lost lockout year but they’ve been too static since. The NBA is becoming worse imo with the 3 point shot dominating at the expense of the inside game, but that’s less the league and moreso coaching tactics and player skillsets.
If anyone doesn’t believe that your Captain is not telling his teammates-buddies what the benefits of taking a certain substance is naive. The travel was brutal for both teams in the cup final yet Florida had a certain pep in their step. The league is small certain players will do anything to stay in the game or have an edge over an opponent.
The grumbling about VAR is more or less the same as the grumbling about the coaches challenge or unclear goalie interference in the NHL.
Remember, football introduced goal line sensors to determine goals more than a decade ago, (you listening, NHL?) and uses motion/impact sensors on the ball to supplement the referee on decision making.
That’s exactly what they did to that Swiss player against Argentina on the video review for “mistaken identity” (e.g. a nice way of saying that they were reviewing the play for diving).
All the conspiracy theorists came out of the woodworks as a result.
The fact they need video replay for this sort of thing in the slowest mainstream sport in the world, rather than just having appropriate levels of officials and officiating, says most of what you need to know.
The other issue too is what are you teaching your kids accepting this diving behaviour? It’s the antithesis of good sportsmanship.
It’s also a sport that encourages and requires dogging it for long stretches because you’re not allowed to play all your players…despite the fact that rosters are more than large enough to accommodate a high-paced game for the entire time. Very few strong principles in that approach either.
Heaven forbid we see these athletes at their peak more often…and for most if not all of a game…that would be crazy…ugh.
Want to watch an endurance sport? There are triathlons for that.
I can certainly get behind stamping out diving, but I get the sense that you may simply clash with the game of (association) football on a fundamental level. This last submission reminds me a bit of this classic Onion piece.
I see tremendous potential for a truly enjoyable game played by very high level athletes from around the world being wasted and operated at the lowest common denominator rather than advancing it to its logical ends. It is a shame.
Anyways I made that point that the official and the officiating can make a difference.
I held up the example of the ref for the NED v MAR game, who I thought was A+, and contrasted it with that of the ref for the CAN v MAR game who took basically the opposite approach and failed (imo) to successfully manage/contain shenanigans.
It’s up to the Refs and also video. I believe they can give a yellow or even a red card for simulation. Have you not played soccer sometimes it looks like a flop and then on replay the defender clips you enough to fall. This has been wonderful Soccer the Spaniards put on a clinic today. If you can’t appreciate the tactic’s that Spain used then so be it. Your post sounds like sour grapes? I myself is very happy that I didn’t go with the Frenchman.
Not sour grapes at all. Lived in Spain for a number of years and was rooting for them . Just felt the game was marred by all the shameless diving.
The diving is one thing. What’s worse imo is all the fake writhing around like they’re mortally injured. Then the minute they’re awarded a free or penalty kick, they bounce right up miraculously healed. 🙄
It’s been wonderful Soccer every game has been a nail biter. Calls are always missed. Do you actually believe giving a red card on a play that is debatable say midfield is the direction FIFA should be going? Holy shit this is extreme this will open up a can worms that would possibly ruin the game.
Yes, I absolutely think they should red card obvious dives where the player is not contacted by the other player. Take a zero tolerance tack on it and the players would stop doing it almost overnight. With players faking injuries, the NFL does this: If you claim an injury, you have to leave the field for a minimum of 3 plays. You could do the same thing in soccer, player has to leave the field for a minimum of 1 minute. That would stop all the faking of injuries that occurs. There was easily 7 or 8 instances of that in the game today. Shameful
None of these changes would ruin the game. They would eliminate the player behaviours that are ruining the game.
The NHL is the most inconsistent, bush league on the planet. Especially where the Oilers are concerned. The Panthers as a recent example don’t have to dive and writhe around, they just flinch and they get a call. FIFA running things would be an upgrade.
Evander Kane was treated like an escape prisoner. If Kane was allowed to tune Bennett and Tkachuk we have 2 cups. Our coach didn’t have the balls to publicly rant about the mistreatment of Kane. We all know about Colin Campbell and his relationship with a juiced up Florida squad. Sour Grapes yet if K.K goes full bull we would be talking about McDavid 8 year contract extension with Bouchard to follow.
Evander Kane kept high-sticking the opposition in his face and throwing bodychecks with his stick in the air – if anything, he was playing like an escaped prisoner but, in any event, he deserved all of his many minor penalties.
Yeah that, the Stetcher calls, non too many men call, etc., turned the series. The narrative that Kane deserved it is nonsense. Just having your stick high is NOT a penalty. Reputation call and Marchand flinched at just the right time. It was a joke.
It’s funny how we can see it’s different rules for the sun belt teams. Yet our own fans feel us having the same penalty minutes or more while Leon-Connor are interfered 10 times a game is good ol’ hockey.
Top 100 drafted prospects.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7416111/2026/07/14/nhl-prospects-top-100-ranking-2026/?source=user_shared_articleTop 100 drafted NHL prospects ranking: McKenna, Stenberg, Martone lead summer 2026 list
Ike Howard barely makes the list at #99
Sam O’Rielly makes it at #65
Hmmmm
Yet not much said about O’Reilly at all besides he’s pretty solid, good pro ect. Projects as a third line center.
Significant amount said about Ike, lots of upside, lots of risk still. Maybe reaches middle 6 winger, but not even sure hes NHL.
Believe the ranking or go with the higher potential talent? Based on little to compare, I am taking Howard for speed, quickness, and finishing ability.
Also, a huge number of 2007 players ranked high.
Wheeler consistently underrates Oilers prospects.
Which ones?
The fact that you largely pump Wheelers work over others is a tell. You know the answer, you just don’t want to admit it.
Hopefully Babcock straightens this mess out. Bowman needs to either pivot and make a trade as Ike still has value. It would sure be a punch in the gut if O’Reilly makes the team out of training camp while Ike is still picking is nose in the desert.
O’Reilly would need to beat out 35 year old Yanni Gourde for the 3C spot in Tampa Bay.
Could happen.
Tampa is a really well run organization they don’t let feelings get in the way.
I have no concerns about Howard. He had a stellar year in the AHL, and looks primed to be breakout candidate for the Oilers next season. I can see him subbing into RNH’s spot on PP1 throughout the season whenever that unit starts to get stale and needs another shooter threat.
A year too late hopefully the Oilers didn’t burn a bridge like they did with Broberg-Holloway. I smell a trade incoming.
The Oilers burned no brides – Howard was a great Condor, acknowledged he needed to work on areas of his game, took the advise of his org, developed as a player and, from the looks of things had a ton of fun.
If anything, Howard likely has gratitude towards the org for helping him become a better player and not trying to force him in to a league his overall game (and mental and physical abilities) were not ready for yet.
What mess?
The Oilers acquired Howard, helped him with his development in his rookie pro season, he had a FANTASTIC year in one of the best pro leagues in the world and looks ready to break through as an every day NHL player who can impact.
Sam O’Reily had a great year as a 19-20 year old in his draft plus 2 playing against kids and has never played a game against men.
With the news that Seattle have agreed to find Shane Wright a new home he’d have been a nice option for that additional centre the Oilers need. I doubt a deal could be done seeing as we’re kind of low on draft picks for 2027, unless there’s some way to cobble together a package of a prospect and the second rounder?
For what it’s worth he rocked a 55.6 GF% and a 53.0 XGF% last year, but only put up 12-15-27 in 74 games played. Still he’s young, in the last year of his ELC with a $886k cap hit. Somebody is going to get a good prospect. Good luck to the young man wherever he lands (hopefully not another division rival).
He has expressed a desire to be traded to Vancouver since he believes he would fit in with the rebuild underway there.
I see the fit for both him and the team. The dreaded division rival landing spot. I wondered about Philly potentially making a play for him too, or maybe Boston? They both could be doing with a young centre prospect.
I’m not sure Vancouver would have the appetite.
They have a bunch of young centres already on the roster…Marco Rossi, Filip Chytil, Aatu Raty and Braeden Cootes.
Perhaps they might send one the other way as part of a package.
Chytil will never be healthy. Raty and Cootes are at best 3rd liners, and Rossi is an undersized C, who ideally lines up at 2nd line centre on a playoff contender. Wright would instantly be on the Canucks first or second line C.
Elias Pettersson for Wright and other picks and futures.
At this point, Pettersson is the closest thing that Seattle are going to get to a potential superstar forward, and the Canucks would be able to move on from this drama.
There’s the fit and the deal. That seems fair for both teams. Again, crappy it’s in division.
Don’t think Wright has 1C potential either.
Pettersson isn’t living up to his 1C salary either. Wright (+ picks/prospects) for Pettersson is an old fashioned hockey trade … two players that need a change of scenery, and two teams that are looking for what the other team has.
Is this like a reverse whammy? Be funnier than hell if Wright goes to a new team, pots 30 goals and 70 assists as the prototypical #1C.
Strange considering you were saying Wright/Beniers would be the next McDavid/Draisaitl.
I think Wright will turn into a 3-C on a very good team.
Me too.
Patrick Kane would be an incredible add to this group…
And people are getting the problem wrong with Frederic. It is that he can’t shoot and is positionally bad. Good hitters are strong positionally. They don’t have to whip around the ice because they’re already there. And he can’t play with any kind of talent because he misses too much. Ankles don’t have much to do with your brain or your shooting.
Kane would be a great add. I was shocked to see he put up 57 in 67 last year. He still drives offence 5v5.
Podz Drai Kane would be hot.
Kane is a point magnate what a wonderful career he’s had do far. It was hard to imagine him coming back after an injury at his age while playing at the highest level is very commendable.
They do if your reaction time is based on being faster but your body isn’t getting you there in time.
The way he moves and reacts is based on 15 years of playing hockey and how fast he should get to places or be in certain positions, if his body is injured and not allowing him the speed to get there that he should have, he will be out of position.
When i read LT’s article and see he was playing with coyle at center in his “breakout” year….just yeah.. charlie coyle is the best 3rd line center in game past 3-5 years at least essentially.
Patrick Kane is merely a PP specialist at this point in his career. The Oilers have the PP covered.
Huh? I assume you just said this without looking at Kane’s stats last season.
Kane had 31 points 5v5 last season. That would have ranked him 5th on the Oilers. He scored 2.01 p/60 5v5, which would have ranked 4th on the Oilers.
How much of that even strength production is predicated on Kane receiving significant power play time?
Jeff Skinner all over again. The argument for Skinner was identical.
Many scoring forwards’ even strength production is predicated on the scoring forward receiving significant power play time.
How many forwards who cannot PK and/or who do not check can the Oilers have on their roster?
I am not sure what you mean when you say even strength scoring is predicated on power play time? How does one’s power play time impact even strength scoring?
Because it does.
Many scoring forwards only score at even strength because they score on the power play. Taking away cherry PP ice time, and consistent rhythmic ice time (which PP time enables), and the even strength offense fades away.
The vast majority of scoring forwards who the Oilers have brought it who received minimal power play time here have underperformed their even strength production achieved elsewhere.
either way, surely we could find some PP minutes for Patrick Kane.
Skinner produced at 5v5 with the Oilers. He had 27 points at 5v5 in only 13 minutes a game. That is excellent production.
Skinner’s issue was that he didn’t backcheck. He did not have issues scoring.
I say yes it does as well because players can get cold if they don’t belong to the PP or Pk. Sometimes 1/2 period goes by with rapid penalty calls and no shifts for some.
That statement does not ring true for any of the following from last season:
Podz
Kap
Roslovic
Jones
Savoie
I said “many scoring forwards” not “all scoring forwards”.
Only Roslovic qualifies as a predominantly scoring forward, and I said “many” not “all”. Regular season success, playoff failure.
Kapanen has minimal production away from Draisaitl.
Podkolzin and Savoie are all around forwards not “scoring” forwards. It is not like they have a lot of production away from McDavid and Draisaitl, and they are not missing regular ice time when they are playing with them.
Roslovic and Perry have sort of been the exceptions amongst scoring forwards.
Imo anyone that argues against adding a Patrick Kane just doesnt enjoy the sport.
He’s still a 5×5 producer, that’s undeniable.
Jeff Skinner was still a 5×5 producer. It was undeniable.
Skinner still produced here, he was third on the team in 5v5 P/60. The coach just would not play him
We don’t need anymore blasts from the past. Kane, Tarasenko. This was well covered by Ken Holland previously and I’m not sure it worked out that well. The only Kane I’d entertain is Evander, the younger version. No more famous names please
Ankles have an incredible amount to do with shooting and mobility affects positioning.
“Shot Stability and Power Generation
A powerful shot requires transferring energy from your legs through your core and into your arms and stick. Any instability in this chain means lost power and reduced accuracy. Balance board exercises that incorporate upper body movement, stick handling, or simulated shooting motions train your body to maintain that stable base under dynamic conditions. You learn to stay balanced while your arms and core are creating movement, exactly like the demands of taking a shot in a game situation.”
Source: https://www.relentlesshockey.com/post/the-significance-of-ankle-mobility-for-hockey-players
Kane had 12G/31P at 5 on 5 last season, marginally better than Matt Savoie.
Yes, of course, he drove that production (I presume) and Savoie got much of his playing on McDavid’s wing, I get that and I acknowledge that Kane is a more material offensive player even at the stage of his career but I don’t think he’s taking a $3MM or less type deal to come to Edmonton and I wouldn’t pay for historical value that likely isn’t there any longer.
Frederic has a long history of positive goal share and I thought he was responsible 2-way. That “positionally bad” opinion doesn’t seem to line up with what I’ve seen and the numbers portray.
If this summer doesn’t dispel the idea of Patty Kane coming to Edmonton, then I don’t know what else will.
American players are showing a clear preference to play in the States.
Detroit is complete dump, and Chicago isn’t much better (I lived there for a couple years); the weather sucks there year round, and there is more crime and violence there.
But American players are used to living outside of the fray in wealthy gated communities … we don’t have such communities in Canada, and they often feel like they’re living in a fish bowl here, where they have no privacy.
Patty Kane is never going to choose to live in Edmonton, and deal with the travel schedule.
While I agree, its unlikely that Patrick Kane will come to Edmonton, lets stop short of painting all American players with the same brush – Ryan Shea, Jack Roslovic, Anthony Stolarz among others all signed in Canada.
Let’s not pretend that the money didn’t have something to do with it either then … Shea, and Stolarz are a couple of late-bloomers. Roslovic has been a journeyman for the past few seasons. The deals that they signed in Canada represent the most lucrative contracts they’ve ever had. None of these guys are Patty Kane who has 125 million in career earnings … American players like that are not signing in Edmonton.
Of course, the money always has something to do with it.
So, you agree your statement about Americans not playing in Canada should be qualified by “except, in most cases, if a Canadian team makes the best contract offer, right?
Ryan Shea got a $4MM AAV – with the d-market, he highly likely could have got that contract in the US if it mattered that much to him.
Is there a reality where Tomkins starts in Fort Wayne, but is still the first recall option? Ungar and Jonsson would benefit the organization’s future way more as the platoon in Bakersfield this entire season.
I suspect they’ll find a new AHL home for him before the regular season.
I’m not so sure on that.
The org has generally valued a veteran goalie in the AHL. I can’t say for sure with Bowman but he’s the one that signed Tomkins for 2 years.
Weirdly, I think it depends on how they see Nathaniel Day. Ungar should get the majority of starts in the AHL and They’ll want Jonsson to play a lot as well. If they see Day as a solid prospect, they should want him to play a lot as well. If they do, Ungar/Jonsson in the AHL makes a lot of sense. If they don’t, Ungar backed up by Tomkins and Jonsson backed up by Day makes a lot of sense. The 3 NHL Goalie plan makes the first call-up less likely and will probably be based more on the situation. Short-term (game or two), Tomkins sits as backup but doesn’t play. Long-term (two Gs out 5 games or more) then I think they see what Ungar can do.
I think there is all but zero chance of that.
I think the fact that they likely carry 3 goalies makes this more realistic. They’d need 2 injuries to need a call up.
Its not about needing a call-up but about setting their AHL franchise up for success and Tomkins was very good for them and they’ll want that stability in net – at least I think.
Question that’s been bugging me:
Why did we flip Savoie to LW and Howard to RW? This runs counter to their handedness. What Intel do we have that this is preferred by each player and benefits the Oilers? Thanks!
Last season, Knoblauch ran Savoie on LW with McDavid. Until we see Babcock lines, I’ll go with what was established. I agree though, it seems unusual.
Hyman has played a lot on the LW but seems to prefer playing on his natural side.
I guess it comes down to whatever works best.
Savoie it seems can play all three forward positions. He’s been a center all his life but might be better suited to play on the wing at the NHL level. But who knows maybe someday we could see him play center? Howard is skilled enough to play either wing.
So it shouldn’t really matter which side they play. I would assume with Savoie’s accredited success on McDavid’s LW that is where he’s slotted in the top six which leaves the only other slot in the top six for Howard on RW with Leon. For the time being anyway. i don’t think anything is written in ink at this early stage.
I’m a bit of a sucker for having wingers that either used to, or can play centre. Helps immensely with faceoff win percentage if lads get booted out the circle and the winger has to step in. Also great for PK reasons if you have to throw two wingers out for a shift and at least one of them has faceoff experience.
It puzzles me why hockey sticks to its ‘sticks to the boards’ tactics. Lacrosse figured it out long ago, it’s all ‘sticks to the middle’. Why? Because angle is important. As a hockey goalie, I know this to be true because it is obvious to me which is harder to stop. Sure, you can argue about picking the puck up off the boards, but that can be a learned skill which can be secondary to the importance of a good attack (or defensive) angle. I’m not sure there’s enough A/B testing evidence to quantify the pros vs cons. But I do recall a certain Mark Messier famously scoring often from his off wing. Angles!
It also occurs to me that just one player on off wing or defensive side likely doesn’t make a difference, or can be a disadvantage. But perhaps if all four wingers and defense have ‘sticks to the middle’ it very much could be advantageous.
Defensively and for forechecks on dump ins -> it makes a pretty large advantage.
Lots of distressed assets will be available in the weeks to come, either by waiver as you said LT, or from teams needing to shed salary. It is nice to know the team has not boxed itself in with too many contracts.
Likely far less than usual.
Many teams still have significant cap space due to the changing economics of the league.
I agree
Anaheim will need to move out cap commitments if they want Cutter Guathier in their lineup this season (or find some magical LTIR).
Troy Terry and his $7 million cap hit will be on LTIR until the new year.
They are pretty certain to move Frank Vatrano and perhaps
Yes, and?
1) you do know that unless he’s out for the entire regular season and the playoffs, they can only get $3,973,228 of relief? Well, you either didn’t or you chose to ignore and post dishonestly, again.
2) you do know that they will lose the relief when they active Terry
Do you think that, if they have two $18MM (apx) players their only issue is how they fit them in this season?
Of course he knows this – he is just being his typical disingenuous, goal post moving, Oiler hating self.
1) Of course…but his status eases time pressure and allows for other moves.
2) Of course.
3) Chris Kreider ($6.5 million) Alex Killorn ($6.25 million) and Frank Vatrano ($4.57 million all come off the cap in the next 9 months.
That $17.3 million total plus another $9.5 million in cap increase for 2026/27 provides a total of $26.8 million to easily absorb a Gauthier extension.
In the meantime, the Ducks have a significant number of recent draft picks who will very soon be able to fill the holes in the lineup as the expensive older vet contacts are moved out.
Try and think a little more deeply as hard as that might be.
1) No, not “of course” – as you did not mention it and you implied a full $7MM in relief- don’t even try to back track.
2) Again, a tidbit if information that is highly important to your point, if you wanted to actually be conversing in honesty, which, of course, you won’t.
3) So, you think having Cutter Guthier and Leo Carlsson as the two highest paid players in the league is not an issue for their cap structure? Sure they likely get passed on the salary chart over the next few years but its impossible to objectively argue that is a good think for the Ducks as deeply as one might try and think.
I think the Wings are prime for pillaging.
I would love to add DeBrincat mid season. Or my summer pipe dream, Seider.
Dream big! Both!
I really hope somone has nicknamed Seider “Dickens”…
I’ll show myself out. 🤣🤣🤣😬😬😬
Can’t imagine them moving Seider – future Norris contender.
DeBrincat is a legit possibility if Detroit is out of it – pending UFA.
Oilers could fit in that cap hit, maybe even without having to pay for retention, depending on how many injuries and what not they have this year. With that said, they may want to get retainment anyways in order to have under $4MM for the playoff cap, not just under $8MM (AAV acquired, not accrued cap used to fit the player in – for the playoffs).
With that said, I’ve heard shrimps can’t impact in the playoffs…..?
I keep forgetting the new salary cap rules for the playoffs. Very annoying.
Seider is definitely a pipe dream. But I will dream because it’s July.
I think DeBrincat will be available and he is thick enough for the playoffs. Slushi to confirm.
Dach was on with Gregor yesterday. Said he feels comfortable at center and did play a few games at center last season. He is working on his faceoffs this off season. Said he did see Babcock at the rink yesterday but they haven’t detailed where they plan on playing him.
Jones was on Oilers Now. He really seems to think he’s a full time NHL guy and his AHL stint last year was circumstances due to him hurting his hip flexor and cap/CBA business. I hope he realizes he’s got legit comp for a roster spot. He spoke a lot about how close he is with the guys on the team.
Jones did mention that Babcock called him a few weeks back, they have a great conversation that included Babcock detailing what they are expecting of him and how he can have a big role on the team.
If Babcock has talked to both Jones and Dach, and is at the rink on Monday morning, July 13, I presume he’s probably spoke to most guys on the team and seems to be grinding.
Good stuff.
I am sure he has already looked through the pictures on everyone’s phones.
Can’t even joke about Babs anymore good gravy. I chuckled.
Of course we can but have you not seen that exact joke countless times already?
Surely you are not the one to be judging about repeating oneself.
an incredibly tiresome “joke”……….
You are free to mute my posts.
No need – do as you please.
If Dach could play center, that would be fab. These attempts rarely work but love the idea.
Agree in premise but it does seem a bit different than, say, Taylor Hall at center who grew up in junior as a winger. I think Dach has more of a center pedigree.
With that said, I lean towards Frederic/Dach as a winer combo to start the year.
Playing centre is a lot more than taking faceoffs. It is easy to feel comfortable at centre on Chicago, one of the worst teams in the NHL, playing for a high lottery pick.
I would suggest that taking face-offs isn’t even really a big part, or doesn’t have to be, a big part of playing center. Wingers can take face-offs, sometimes better than a center. I never agree when someone equates face-off percentage with center ability.
It would come with more reps taking faceoffs. Naturally a center would be better at taking draws than a winger that takes the odd draw every so often and rarely practises them. Winning faceoffs is an important factor, though not the only factor.
Man, you just shit on everything Oilers. Why don’t you wait to see if Dach plays centre and how he does at it before shitting on him.
Dach is waiver eligible so it’s incredibly doubtful he’s sent down at this point. Unless he’s absolutely awful to start the season, someone will pick him up. Big, fast, physical, willing combatant that can score a little is worth a minimum deal plus 40% for two years.
I would suggest that is not doubtful that he gets sent down but its all but a zero chance – this is valued developing young player by the org (which I didn’t realize on trade day).
He MAY not play every night, give or take a Joseph in the lineup, but he is certainly not going to be exposed to waivers and will be in the lineup.
Interestingly Savoie, Samanski & Howard are all waiver exempt. While Edmonton might lose players like Janmark, Dach,Joseph and I might add Jones to that list if put on waivers. I suppose losing Janmark probably wouldn’t be a bad thing, but I would suggest they might not want to lose the other three to waivers if they don’t need to..
Babcock and Smith also said they were looking at the PK the morning of the Press conference. Great to see
The team was running it self for 2 years that’s fine for the veterans but not so for younger players. Yes I know Savoie scored 19 I think that was him being coached by his linemates. This is excellent news about Babcock being all in and already outlining what he wants from the outer circle. Just as players have pride etc so does Babcock and this is a big year to show the league he’s still relevant and a top notch coach.
For the Condors’ roster:
1) will be interesting to see which of Ungar or Jonsson start the year with Tomkins – I presume the older Ungar with SJ starting in Fort Wayne.
2) Cam Dineen is gone but the team will add Cibulka and, potentially Stastney (if he clears and isn’t moved) in addition to Regula who should clear as he did last year.
3) Hamblin and Jarventie are big losses, as will be Howard if he breaks camp with the Oilers, along with Poulin but Michaels should be a good add along with the big Latvian and, of course, even without a forward add, if there is no IR injury, Oilers need to shed two of Samanski, Howard, Jones, Janmark and Joseph and they may/will end up in Bako.
Will be another fun year.
Dineen was 24-30 in even strength goals last season. Carfagna was 53-40, Leppanen 39-44 and Stillman 32-39. I think the Condors will be fine without Dineen, and wonder if Stillman is a guy who can be counted on.
I agree, and we all know I think Carfagna is the cream of the crop, by Dineen did play some high minutes, and leverage mintues, for the team over the last few year and lots of PP – just noting the “big name” deduction from the team of the last few years.
I suppose they could go with 3 goalies, 8 D & 12 forwards, which might mean a veteran laden forward group.
I suppose they could be I would think its 3G/13F/7D.
I mean, yes, they need to “cut” Regula and Stastney but they also need to “cut” two forwards that could easily play nightly – making it 3 would be something.
Of course, there is likely at least one IR injury to open up a roster spot (and they have the cap space to have a “greater than 23 player roster”, including active and short term IR).
That could be why they want to see if Dach can play 4c, then they could easily just send Savoie, Samanski & Howard to bake some more and have them on the ready when roster spots open. Savoie is probably safe unless they’re able to sign or trade for another top sixer. But I could see 12 forwards being.
Savoie-McDavid-Hyman
Podz-Leon-Kapanen
Nuge-Dickinson-Frederic
Jones-Dach-Joseph
I guess It might come down to waiving Jones or Janmark. I waived Janmark for the extra cap space. Oh!! And by the way he even got claimed in this scenario.
Heck they could even keep Janmark and leave Nuge up with Connor & Zach.
LOL. I’m probably thinking too much.
When you start talking about sending Savoie down, yes, I think you might be.
Lets not forget, we think Nuge is going to play wing and there 100% are going to be times they load up McDavid/Drai.
More players that can play center, the better.
Again, I want Dach/Freddie as a winger pair but I guess I understand the thought of a test run with Dach at center or at least having him think the position and take some reps.
The only scenario where they might send Savoie down is if they somehow acquire another top six winger to play with McDavid. Like Mantha, Rakell or Rust but then they could play Savoie with Leo & Podz and risk losing someone in waivers. The main reason for sending Savoie down is because he’s waiver exempt.
They only way they send Savoie down is if they acquire about 5-6 players of top 6 impact.
The could acquire Mantha, Rakell and Rust and still not send down Savoie,