The Edmonton Oilers went through a lot of roster changes during the offseason. Many players were on the move to other teams, while the Oilers replaced them with some young guns.

A main issue for the Oilers remains in net with Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard. For now, they will be sticking with this duo in net, but is it worth it in the long run?

Let’s take a look and see if the Oilers’ current roster is better or worse than last year’s.

Forward situation

The forward core was the area with the most change in the Oilers’ lineup. The following players went to new teams in the offseason:

Viktor Arvidsson to Boston (via trade)

Evander Kane to Vancouver (via trade)

Corey Perry to Los Angeles (via free agency)

Connor Brown to New Jersey (via free agency)

Jeff Skinner to San Jose (via free agency)

Losing these players will undoubtedly have an impact on the team’s performance. Corey Perry was arguably the Oilers’ MVP during the playoffs, where he was second on the team in goals scored, one behind Leon Draisaitl. He had a huge weight put on his shoulders when Zach Hyman went down with an injury. Perry rose to the occasion and was a clutch goal scorer late in the playoffs.

Evander Kane and Connor Brown were valuable depth pieces in the Oilers organization. Kane was the tough guy on the team who could get under the skin of the opponent, while Brown was an excellent skater who worked well on the penalty kill. Losing both of these guys will take a bit to get used to, especially because most of Oil Country loved these guys. Fortunately, these moves had made way for some younger players in the organization.

Changes made on forward

Stan Bowman made a significant trade early in the offseason. He went out and acquired forward Isaac Howard from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Sam O’Reilly. Basically, both teams swapped their top prospects in this deal. Good news for the Oilers is that Howard won the Hobey Baker Award and clearly seems to be the better player. Howard put up 52 points in 37 games with Michigan State University. He will get an excellent chance in the Oilers organization this year as he and Matt Savoie attempt to make the Oilers roster out of training camp. Losing Kane and Brown gives both of these young guns a better chance to make the NHL.

Forwards Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson simply did not work out in Edmonton. The Oilers moved on from both of them and brought in players Andrew Mangiapane and Curtis Lazar to fill their shoes. Mangiapane still has some great scoring potential, while Lazar was a phenomenal player with the Edmonton Oil Kings in junior. Do you think these new guys will have a significant impact on the Oilers?

Defence remains similar

Going into the 2025–26 season, the Oilers’ defensive core looks the same. They did not lose any important names and will run it back. Evan Bouchard will be the main guy on the back end this year, quarterbacking the Oilers’ first power play unit. He will find support in other defencemen Mattias Ekholm, Jake Walman, and Darnell Nurse. Something that may cause some concern is the contract situation for half of the Oilers’ defensive core.

At the moment, Ekholm, Walman, and Kulak are set to become unrestricted free agents in the 2026 offseason. If the Oilers do not extend them, a huge change will be coming to the Oilers’ defensive core. Ekholm is arguably the most important defenceman the Oilers have. He is their backbone defensively and is a valuable veteran relied on for leadership. His age is concerning, as he is entering the tail end of his career.

Walman is most likely the one to be extended because he was recently acquired at last year’s deadline. I doubt Bowman would have acquired him if an extension had not been thought of beforehand. Lastly, Kulak will probably be replaceable with another bottom-four defenceman.

Goaltending is an issue

The issue that has been the same over many years for the Oilers is goaltending. Another year of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard does not provide much confidence going into the season. It seems as though Skinner will forever be a mediocre goalie who remains inconsistent in the playoffs.

However, Pickard has been solid when he is called upon. Over the past two runs to the Stanley Cup Final, Pickard came in to save Skinner in tough times. One could say that without Pickard, the Oilers would have lost to Vancouver in 2024 and Los Angeles in 2025. This upcoming season could be both goalies’ last season as an Edmonton Oiler.

Both Skinner and Pickard are unrestricted free agents after next season. Should the Oilers attempt to sign one of them as a backup and go find another starter? Some potential options for another starter would include:

Jacob Markstrom

Connor Ingram

Anthony Stolarz

Filip Gustavsson

Petr Mrazek

All of these goalies will be free agents next offseason. Do any of these stand out for the Oilers? Jacob Markstrom will be near the end of his career, but he could be a solid short-term option. Filip Gustavsson would be the best to sign long-term, although it was recently reported that he is interested in re-signing with the Minnesota Wild. The remaining goalies on this list are barely an upgrade from Skinner, in my opinion. There was also the option of going after Sergei Bobrovsky in free agency, but I think he will retire as a Florida Panther.

What do you think the Oilers should do with their goaltending situation?

Are they better or worse?

It is tough to pick a side before the preseason has even started, but I would say that the Oilers are better than they were last year. I think they needed to move on from Kane and Perry because Kane’s penalty problems outweighed his scoring abilities, while Perry will probably never be that clutch again. I think Howard and Savoie will provide some much-needed young energy in the lineup. Howard has a ton of potential, especially if he is playing with McDavid or Draisaitl. Mangiapane is a bit of a make-or-break kind of player. He will either be fantastic or be another Arvidsson.

The Edmonton Oilers begin their preseason on Sunday, September 21, against the Calgary Flames.

Next Up: Franchise History Lookbacks: The Gretzky Trade, the darkest day in Edmonton Oilers history

Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire

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