What the Oilers' roster is projected to look like to start next season
The NHL offseason is just over a week old, but the Edmonton Oilers’ roster heading into next season already looks a lot different.
After coming up just short of a Stanley Cup championship, the Oilers have decided to be aggressive in improving their team this summer to make sure they can find that extra win next time around.
The organization added a first-round draft pick in Sam O’Reilly and signed a whopping 12 contracts on the opening day of free agency. Some of those contracts included players who will absolutely be in the Oilers lineup next season, like Jeff Skinner, Viktor Arvidsson, and Adam Henrique, while others were depth moves who may or may not be able to crack the NHL roster out of training camp.
Edmonton also saw a couple of roster players move on in free agency and sign with other teams, including forward Warren Foegele and defenceman Vincent Desharnais. This makes for a much different picture heading into the 2024-25 season.
Here is what the Oilers roster is currently projected to look like on opening night.
Forward
Edmonton’s forward group has seen the biggest surge of activity over the first week of the offseason.
CEO Jeff Jackson made the majority of his moves by re-signing an array of depth forwards, including Henrique, Connor Brown, Mattias Janmark, and Corey Perry. He also took care of a few fringe guys like James Hamblin, who appeared in 31 games with the Oilers last season.
As far as outside additions go, Skinner and Arvidsson are the two new faces that are expected to slot into the lineup next season.
Here is a list of all the forwards that should be locks to crack the Oilers lineup on opening night:
- Connor McDavid
- Leon Draisaitl
- Zach Hyman
- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
- Viktor Arvidsson
- Jeff Skinner
- Adam Henrique
- Dylan Holloway (RFA)
- Ryan McLeod
- Connor Brown
- Mattias Janmark
That group of 11 should more or less be set in stone for the Oilers when they open the season on October 9 against the Winnipeg Jets. Dylan Holloway still needs to be signed and is currently an RFA, but all signs point to the Oilers figuring that out at some point this summer.
Evander Kane would also be on that list if we knew more about his injury status. If he isn’t ready in time for the start of the season, there will be quite a fight for that last forward spot.
Players in the mix that could grab that last spot in Kane’s potential absence are:
- James Hamblin
- Corey Perry
- Raphael Lavoie (RFA)
- Derek Ryan
All four of those forwards could also make the roster as the team’s extra forward as well.
Defence
Despite signing four defencemen to contracts on the opening day of free agency, this is a group that is a lot easier to discern than the forward group.
Losing Desharnais is a blow to the group, but the Oilers have prioritized finding a few depth defenders in free agency who should be able to replace his presence properly.
Here are the defencemen who are more or less locks to make the Oilers’ opening night roster:
- Mattias Ekholm
- Evan Bouchard
- Darnell Nurse
- Philip Broberg (RFA)
- Brett Kulak
That accounts for five of the six defenders that should crack the Oilers’ roster. Cody Ceci would be the obvious candidate to round that group out, but there has been plenty of speculation that he may be moved before the offseason ends. If he winds up staying, that would make it an even six on the Edmonton blueline.
The most interesting battle in training camp will be for the seventh defenceman spot. There is no shortage of players vying for that position, and it could end up being any of the following players:
- Troy Stecher
- Josh Brown
- Phil Kemp
- Noel Hoefenmayer
Stecher and Brown have the inside track based on NHL experience, but the Oilers organization seems like both Kemp and Hoefenmayer quite a bit and will give them a chance in training camp.
Goaltending
There is no mystery in what the Oilers plan to do between the pipes next season.
Though the team did sign veteran AHL goalie Collin Delia to a contract, there is no expectation that he will play NHL hockey with the Oilers.
The Edmonton tandem for next season is set in stone:
- Stuart Skinner
- Calvin Pickard
As for the third goaltender that could come up as injury relief, it seems like prospect Olivier Rodrigue would be that guy this time around while Delia holds down the fort with the Bakersfield Condors as a backup.
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