Projecting Edmonton Oilers lines for the 2026-27 season
The Edmonton Oilers will look like a much different team when they take the ice for the 2026-27 season.
After a disappointing 2025-26 campaign, GM Stan Bowman made it clear there would be changes in the offseason, and he’s stayed true to his word.
The Oilers have made several big changes, which have included hiring Mike Babcock in favour of Kris Knoblauch, as well as trading defenceman Darnell Nurse. They’ve also rejigged their goaltending by signing Frederik Andersen and trading for Devon Levi.
Bowman also made the decision to walk away from several pending UFAs, including Jack Roslovic, Adam Henrique, Curtis Lazar, and Connor Ingram. They’ve shored up that depth with acquisitions such as Mathieu Joseph and Shakir Mukhamadullin, while also signing defenceman Riley Shea to a five-year, $20-million deal.
All this to say, the Oilers’ lineup will look far different this coming season. How Babcock deploys his lines remains to be seen, though this is our projection into how things could shake out on opening night:
Isaac Howard – Connor McDavid – Zach Hyman
Vasily Podkolzin – Leon Draisaitl – Matt Savoie
Ryan-Nugent-Hopkins – Jason Dickinson – Kasperi Kapanen
Trent Frederic – Josh Samanski – Mathieu Joseph
Extras: Colton Dach
Mattias Ekholm – Evan Bouchard
Jake Walman – Connor Murphy
Riley Shea – Shakir Mukhamadullin
Extras: Ty Emberson, Spencer Stastney
Frederik Andersen
Devon Levi
Should the roster play out this way, it would mean that the likes of Mattias Janmark, Max Jones, and even goaltender Tristan Jarry could be sent to the AHL. It’s also possible that the Oilers aren’t done adding to their roster.
Thanks to moving out Nurse’s entire $9.25-million cap hit, the Oilers still have some money to work with, should they feel the need to do so. As per Puckpedia, they currently have $7.25 million in cap space.
Though there aren’t a ton of intriguing names left on the free-agent market, one to keep an eye on is Claude Giroux. Oilers insider Bob Stauffer has suggested him as a potential target, and he would certainly help add some more offence to this group.
- You might also like:
- How much cap space the Edmonton Oilers have left to sign other players