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Will the Oilers sign anyone to a PTO? Here's what Bowman had to say

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
|
Sep 3 2026, 6:33 pm
Will the Oilers sign anyone to a PTO? Here's what Bowman had to say
@EdmontonOilers/X

Despite a longer offseason than they’ve been used to, the Edmonton Oilers will be a bit of a banged-up bunch going into 2026-27.

Last week, the Oilers announced that Frederik Andersen, Matt Savoie, Mattias Janmark, and Alec Regula would all be unavailable for training camp due to injury. Timelines for potential returns haven’t been provided, but it sounds as though all four could miss some time to begin the regular season.

Following the injury updates, speculation began as to whether or not the Oilers may look to bring in some help through the free-agent market. They have some space with just under $2 million in cap space, and do also have the option of bringing someone in on a professional tryout offer (PTO).

While the Oilers aren’t prepared to rule out bringing a player to camp on a PTO, it doesn’t sound as though it’s something fans should expect.

“There are still some decent players out there who are trying to find landing spots,” Bowman said on Oilers Now with Bob Stauffer. “I’m not sure if we’re going to go down that road.

“We’re not overflowing with players, but we also don’t have a shortage of players. We’re in that mode where, yeah, we probably could try to bring a guy in on a tryout.”

Should the Oilers go that route, it would likely be a forward that they would pursue. As Bowman alluded to, there are plenty of solid options that remain up for grabs.

Names such as Vladimir Tarasenko, Michael Bunting, and even some former Oilers players like Evander Kane, Adam Henrique, and Curtis Lazar are all still looking for new contracts. With Bowman’s recent comments, perhaps we’ll see one of them in training camp later this month.

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