It’s a fun time of year to speculate about possible training camp surprises for each NHL team. In the case of the Edmonton Oilers, much of the roster is set, but there’s enough opportunity for an NHL-ready player to emerge and grab headlines.
Training camp surprises can be unwelcome. In 1998, Ryan Smyth held out, signed late, missed all of training camp and then two regular-season games and never caught up. He would score just 13 goals in 1998-99. In the fall of 1982, new arrival Ken Linseman received a four-game suspension for poking Toronto Maple Leafs forward Russ Adam in a preseason game. He didn’t need to do it; he was a favourite of Oilers fans already.
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Back in the days of the waiver draft, wild things happened constantly. At the 1988 waiver draft (Oct. 3), the Oilers claimed former Edmonton winger Dave Hunter, but lost him moments later on a waiver claim by the Winnipeg Jets. Glen Sather, the Oilers general manager, reclaimed Hunter on Jan. 14, 1989, and the two-way winger played his final NHL games in Edmonton that spring.
Those good old days are gone, but things can still come out of the blue. Here are five surprises for this year’s Oilers training camp and preseason.
Ike Howard helps ignite a new-look power play
There are many fans wondering if college grad Ike Howard has the two-way chops to make the Oilers this fall. Let’s turn that idea on its ear and concentrate on what he does well: score goals. Howard is a first-shot scorer with miles of confidence and will eventually post strong numbers at even strength. However, his current skill set, matched with a lack of experience, probably means sheltered minutes outside the power play.
His release and ability to find scoring areas should be a perfect match for the Oilers’ diminishing power-play success. How bad was it last year? Consider the talent on the top unit (Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman) and then look at the offensive direction over the last three seasons: In 2022-23, the Oilers scored 13.23 goals per 60 and ranked first in the NHL; In 2023-24, that number fell to 10.52, good enough for second across the league. Last season, the Oilers posted 8.9 goals per 60, No. 11 in the NHL.
The team has outrageous talent, but needs a refresh on the power play; perhaps another shooter. Howard arrives at the perfect time with a substantial skill set in an area of need. Watch for it in training camp. Oilers general manager Stan Bowman made his acquisition a key part of the summer. Howard will get a push.
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Oilers lose Troy Stecher on waivers
The current depth chart on defence has eight men for seven roster spots. An injury to one of the team’s top defenders (Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm, Darnell Nurse, Jake Walman, Brett Kulak) might ease the pressure for opening night, but coach Kris Knoblauch will have a dilemma should everyone stay healthy.
Ty Emberson’s acquisition cost a year ago (third-round pick and Cody Ceci), along with a solid first season in Edmonton, makes him a lock for the roster. Alec Regula was picked up on waivers last fall and didn’t get into any games due to injury. He can move the puck and make plays, plus his size (6-foot-4) will play well on an Oilers defence that can get overpowered at times.
That leaves a good NHL defenceman, Troy Stecher, as the possible waiver loss. He is undersized (5-foot-10) but had a strong season and played eight games in the postseason in the spring. It would be a significant loss for the team, which employed 11 defencemen last season. Stecher is, at worst, No. 8 on the depth chart entering camp.
Oilers trade for a goalie
Bowman hasn’t yet pulled the trigger on a goalie trade, but something will shake down between now and the deadline. Many are thinking a February or March deal, but a preseason bet that turns into something good would cost the organization far less in assets.
The ideal target is Michael DiPietro of the Boston Bruins. There are three goalies of note heading to Bruins camp, with Jeremy Swayman the starter and Joonas Korpisalo backing him up. Boston will need strong, veteran goaltending in front of a group of skaters with many question marks. That leaves DiPietro in a waiver position, similar to Stecher. The Bruins are building a rugged team this fall, so a one-for-one deal (Stecher for DiPietro) doesn’t move the needle. Edmonton’s toughest available defenceman would be Josh Brown, but the Bruins would want more.
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Somewhere in there, a deal can be struck. It might force the Oilers to run with three goaltenders for a time, but DiPietro is worth the risk. His only sin is being unproven (just three NHL games), but his .927 save percentage with the Providence Bruins in 2024-25 suggests he’s ready for the show. Perhaps that opportunity comes in Edmonton.
Mattias Janmark gets dealt
The math doesn’t work, whether you’re looking at the depth chart at PuckPedia or the cap numbers at PuckPedia. Mattias Janmark’s $1.45 million cap AAV is about $650,000 more than a possible replacement like Curtis Lazar or Noah Philp. The veteran has great utility and a partial no-trade clause, but hockey is a cruel business, and it’s possible this deal happens before opening night. There are rumours the Oilers will run with 13 forwards (14 is normal) next season in an effort to keep up with the competition in regard to deadline cap room. Janmark could be a casualty, despite his history with the team and his utility (he can play centre or wing). Bowman didn’t acquire him and didn’t sign him. He is a prime exit candidate.
Vasily Podkolzin crushes preseason scoring
There’s nothing like a second chance. When Vasily Podkolzin arrived in Edmonton last fall, he officially started the clock on the “journeyman” portion of his career. Once regarded as a key piece of the Vancouver Canucks future, it looked like his time with the Oilers might be short-lived. Bowman was looking for a replacement winger for the departed Dylan Holloway, and Podkolzin fit the size and speed part of the puzzle, if not the offensive potential.
Podkolzin’s five-on-five numbers last season indicated he could deliver solid offence when playing on Leon Draisaitl’s wing. During the regular season, he scored 2.17 points per 60 with Draisaitl, just 0.70 points per 60 without him. In the playoffs, the points per 60 fell to 1.47 with Draisaitl, but Podkolzin scored at a 0.73 goals per 60 rate.
Also at five-on-five, Draisaitl-Podkolzin was an effective combination outscoring. The duo delivered 57 percent of the goals during the regular season (McDavid wasn’t part of the line) and went 3-2 goals in the playoffs at five-on-five. Podkolzin, who is in the final year of his deal and making $1 million in 2025-26, has all kinds of impetus to perform at a high level. The prediction here is that he scores enough to run with Draisaitl most of the coming year, beginning in preseason.
Bottom line
It’s that time of year again, when a summer spent pondering line combinations, defensive pairings and goalie trades gives way to on-ice activities, players sent to the AHL for the season and transactions involving NHL players.
The Oilers made it all the way to the final two years in a row and have some unfinished business. Expect some surprises, perhaps two or three in the group mentioned here, in the month of September.
(Photo of Mattias Janmark, Vasily Podkolzin and Darnell Nurse: Jonathan Kozub / NHLI via Getty Images)
