In the Pressbox

OEG shuffles executive chair, names Hugh Weber CEO

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 14:00:23 -0400

The Edmonton Oilers’ parent organization, OEG Sports and Entertainment, announced Wednesday that it is making organizational changes, including the hiring of longtime sports executive Hugh Weber as chief executive officer.

Weber takes over the role from Jürgen Schreiber, who will transition to a new role with TS Retail Enterprises under the OEG brand. His arrival in Edmonton comes with 25 years of “senior leadership experience across professional sports, entertainment, venues, and major development initiatives,” OEG said in a statement.

Most recently, Weber served as the president of the MLS’ Seattle Sounders FC and NWSL’s Seattle Reign FC, with previous president experience with Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, whose portfolio includes the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils, and the Prudential Center, while working earlier for the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans.

Weber will work with many brands under the OEG brand, including the Oilers, the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings, Rogers Place, the ICE District, as well as “live entertainment and event operations, media and content, and the continued development of ICE District.”

“We have built OEGSE into one of North America’s leading sports and entertainment organizations, with an exceptional foundation and significant opportunities ahead,” said Oilers owner Daryl Katz, who is the founder and chairman of OEG . “Hugh is a proven leader who understands how to build high-performing organizations, bring teams and businesses together and create exceptional experiences for fans, partners and communities. I am confident he is the right person to lead OEGSE into its next decade.”

Schreiber joined OEG in 2016, and in his new role, will “continue to support select strategic initiatives, including the Edmonton Event Park project, and will work closely with Weber to ensure a seamless transition,” OEG’s statement read.

“Jürgen has provided strong leadership, delivered meaningful results and positioned OEGSE well for its next chapter, and I am grateful for his contributions,” added Katz.

Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s managing editor and The Nation Network’s news director. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.

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What will Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ role be in 2026-27? | 31 Oilers Questions (Day 4)

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 13:00:06 -0400

This August, Oilersnation will ask one question about every Edmonton Oilers player projected to be on the 2026-27 roster in preparation for the upcoming season. From Connor McDavid to Mattias Janmark, let’s ask some questions.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ career has flown by, and the longest-tenured Edmonton Oilers player is about to enter his 16th season in the National Hockey League.

Drafted first overall in 2011, the Burnaby product hasn’t produced like a first-overall player is expected to, but he’s still had some productive seasons. Who could forget his 2022-23 season, where he scored a career-best 37 goals and 104 points in 82 games?

He was still a productive player in 2025-26, but at the age of 33, what is the longest-tenured player’s role in 2026-27? That’s what we’ll look to answer in today’s edition of 31 Oilers Questions.

What will Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ role be in 2026-27?

On face value, Nugent-Hopkins had a strong 2025-26 season, scoring 20 goals and 56 points in 72 games. If he were to stay at the same pace and play all 82 games, he would have scored 22 goals and 63 points, a step up from the 2024-25 season.

But that doesn’t tell the entire story, as the longest-tenure Oiler was largely ineffective during five-on-five action. His 56 points were the fourth-most on the Oilers, but only 26 of those points came at even strength. That was the ninth-highest point total at even strength for the Oilers, fewer than Mattias Ekholm, Zach Hyman, Vasily Podkolzin, Jack Roslovic, and Matthew Savoie.

That’s a bit of a surprise as well, as Nugent-Hopkins spent more time with Connor McDavid than he did away during five-on-five action. Playing just over 1,000 five-on-five minutes, Nugent-Hopkins spent 548:45 minutes with McDavid, with the Oilers scoring 29 goals and allowing 28 during five-on-five action. That’s just 50.88 per cent of the expected goal share, and their 54.86 per cent was good, not great.

For context, from 2022-23 until 2024-25, the Oilers owned 58.21 per cent of the goal share and 61.68 per cent of the expected goal share in over 1,280 minutes of five-on-five time.

Nugent-Hopkins has never been a line driver, and his 100-plus point season is a clear anomaly. What he has been throughout his career, and still was in 2025-26, is an important member of the Oilers’ power play and a strong defensive winger.

More than half of his goals and points came on the Oilers’ top-ranked power play in 2025-26, and make no mistake about it, he’s vital to its success. When he went down with an injury in early November and missed 10 games, the power play went just 2-for-16, or a 12.5 per cent success rate.

When he returned in late November, the Oilers’ power play got hot, scoring seven goals over their next 11 chances. Granted, two of those games were against the Seattle Kraken, one of the worst penalty-killing teams, but he’s a valuable member of the unit.

While he may get an opportunity playing with McDavid and Zach Hyman, a more enticing line is playing alongside Jason Dickinson on a strong shutdown third line. Will the Oilers do that? Probably not. In fact, he may centre the second line, but his role next season should be a scoring option on the shutdown third line, while also being a part of the Oilers’ power play.

31 Oilers questions in 31 days…

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on X at @Ryley__Delaney.

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Viggo Björck says he’s ready to chase NHL dream with Winnipeg Jets

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 11:32:14 -0400

The Jets’ top prospect is staying sharp in Sweden, training with Djurgården as he prepares for his next challenge.

A look back at six current Oilers who once played in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 11:00:36 -0400

The 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup is currently taking place in Edmonton from Aug. 3–8, with some of the best U18-level players in the world representing their countries, giving fans and scouts an early look at some of the top NHL Draft-eligible talent.

The tournament debuted in 1991 and has had several names over the years, including the Phoenix Cup, the Junior World Cup, and the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, before changing its name to the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2018. Along the way, six current Oilers had the opportunity to represent their countries, and here’s a look back at their tournament runs.

Mattias Ekholm (2007) — Won a gold medal with Team Sweden

Oilers defenceman Mattias Ekholm suited up for Team Sweden at the 2007 Ivan Hlinka Tournament, which was held in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Then just 17 years old at the time, Ekholm manned the blue line for Team Sweden, which also had former Oilers Anton Lander and Magnus Pääjärvi on the roster. Sweden went undefeated in the preliminary round and faced Team Finland in the gold-medal game, where Ekholm made his biggest contribution.

The blueliner scored the opening goal of the gold-medal game, and while both teams exchanged goals, Finland tied the game late to force overtime. But Victor Hedman emerged as the hero, scoring the OT winner for Sweden to win the gold medal.

Ekholm finished the tournament with two points (one goal, one assist) in four games and a team-high +5 plus/minus rating.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2010) — Won a gold medal with Team Canada

One year before being drafted first overall by the Oilers, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was selected to represent Team Canada at the 2010 Ivan Hlinka Tournament after coming off a season with the Red Deer Rebels that saw him win the WHL Rookie of the Year award after tallying 65 points in 67 games.

The 2010 tournament was held in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, where Nugent-Hopkins played a big offensive role for Team Canada. He scored a hat trick in the preliminary round against Team Switzerland in a 7–3 victory, and when Canada faced Team USA in the final, Nugent-Hopkins scored the lone goal of the game in a 1–0 win to help his team win the gold medal.

After winning, Nugent-Hopkins talked with CHL.ca about stepping up his leadership, saying, “I wanted to be a leader and help the team get through it and take it all in.” He added, “I managed to produce some offence for the team, and was pretty happy about that, too.”

Nugent-Hopkins led Team Canada with seven points (five goals, two assists), and his five goals were tied for the tournament lead.

Connor Murphy (2010) — Won a silver medal with Team USA

Defenceman Connor Murphy was selected to play for Team USA at the 2010 Ivan Hlinka. There, the D-man got an early view of Nugent-Hopkins’ skill as their countries met in the gold-medal game. Murphy had a front-row seat to watch his future Oilers teammate score the only goal of the game, as Team Canada won the gold, while Murphy and Team USA took home the silver.

Overall, Murphy had a solid tournament, as the then-17-year-old led all American blueliners with four points (one goal, three assists) in five games. His lone goal was a pivotal one, scoring the overtime winner off an end-to-end rush in the semifinal against Team Sweden, lifting the U.S. to a 5–4 victory and advancing them to the gold-medal game.

Evan Bouchard (2016) — Finished in fifth place with Team Canada

Defenceman Evan Bouchard was selected to represent Team Canada at the 2016 tournament, which was held in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Canada was looking for its ninth straight gold medal at the Ivan Hlinka, but its historic streak came to an end that year. The Canadians won only one game in the preliminary round and were forced to face Team Finland in a game for fifth place, though they finished on a high note with a 4–3 win over the Finns.

Max Comtois led the Canadians with five points in four games, while the 16-year-old blueliner, Bouchard, played in all four games but went pointless. Also, fun fact: this was the first time Bouchard played with former Oiler Ryan McLeod, who he would later play with for parts of three seasons in Edmonton.

Vasily Podkolzin (2018) — Won a bronze medal with Team Russia

Oilers forward Vasily Podkolzin was selected to represent Team Russia at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, the first year the tournament moved away from its previous name, the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. The event was held in Red Deer and Edmonton, AB, and Podkolzin was also named team captain.

Podkolzin was unstoppable throughout the tournament. The rugged Russian scored in every game and saved his best hockey for when the medal was on the line, scoring a hat trick in the bronze-medal game against the United States.

The captain led the tournament with eight goals and tied for the scoring lead with 11 points in five games, putting together one of the most dominant performances in the tournament’s 35-year history.

Oilers 2025 training camp flashback: Who’s here and who’s gone?

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 09:00:38 -0400

Times change, and organizations change with them. For the Edmonton Oilers, there’s been quite a bit of turnover for the organization in the last calendar year. Here’s the sail on list and the hello lists from training camp 2025 to today.

Which players departed the Edmonton Oilers since 2025 training camp?

F Adam Henrique: Left as a free agent and is still without a contract for next season, but was a good soldier.
F Andrew Mangiapane: Failed from the start, and will try to regain his game in Chicago.
F David Tomášek: Deployed the parachute in December after a rocky few months in the NHL.
F Jayden Grubbe: Acquired to be AHL depth, but wound up in the ECHL last year.
F Noah Philp: Lost on waivers, now headed for the SHL.
F James Hamblin: A journeyman for the Condors, headed for Anaheim.
F Matvey Petrov: A dynamic offensive talent in the OHL who couldn’t find his pro game. Headed home to Russia.
F Roby Järventie: After faking an overseas signing in 2025, he spent last year in Bakersfield. This year’s overseas signing seems legit.
F Curtis Lazar: Still looking for a home for next year. Could he be an Oilers PTO candidate?
F Matt Copponi: Fell out of favour in Bakersfield, off to join the AHL Marlies.
F Rem Pitlick: A cousin of Tyler, AHL depth who was traded to Rockford last December.
D Brett Kulak: A great soldier who was a cap casualty. The game seemed to pass him by last fall, and I’m not sold on a resurgence.
D Darnell Nurse: The ultimate sail on for a longtime warrior. If he cost two million less, he’d still be here.
D Troy Stecher: Lost on waivers, but seems to have found a home in Toronto.
D Cam Dineen: Those four games he played in 2025 had us thinking there was something there. Taking his talents to Lehigh Valley.
D Mason Millman: A camp invite off to the KHL.
D Luke Prokop: Appears to have hit his ceiling as an AHLer.
G Stuart Skinner: Traded for Stuart Skinner, now backing up Hellebuyck.
G Calvin Pickard: Maybe things would’ve been different in Edmonton had they sent him down earlier, but had great moments.

Which new players since joined the Edmonton Oilers roster for 2026-27?

F Jason Dickinson: A guy the Oilers have been searching for since Derek Ryan’s game fell off, and might be able to offer more.
F Colton Dach: The ceiling is low, but the floor is high as a depth energy guy. Could work into fan-favourite territory in short order.
F Mathieu Joseph: A defensive stalwart who will play NHL games this year.
F Owen Michaels: Owen Michaels Michaels, as Michael Menzies calls him, is the 20th-best prospect in the system. Menzies thinks he should be higher.
F Eduards Tralmaks: Helped win me a bunch of money during the Olympics, and could be an early call-up candidate.
F Rudolfs Berzkalns: A rangy prospect with defence his calling card. Can he develop some offence and make the NHL?
F Malcom Gastrin: A small, skilled Swedish forward who competes. Right up Edmonton’s alley.
F Caden Harvey: A draft pick who, like Andrew Robinson, got a lot of eyes by Rick Pracey.
D Andrew Robinson: A draft pick who, like Caden Harvey, got a lot of eyes by Rick Pracey.
D Connor Murphy: A new, meaner Adam Larsson. Showed himself well in a small sample last year.
D Ryan Shea: The biggest question is if last year was an anomaly or not.
D Shakir Mukhamadullin: Acquired for Nurse, someone whom the Oilers can mould in years to come.
D Spencer Stastney: Could find himself on the exits list in short order with a defensive logjam.
D Tomáš Cibulka: Organizational depth, but is young enough to grow.
G Tristan Jarry: Stuart Skinner 2.0.
G Frederik Andersen: A fascinating veteran addition. Can he stay healthy?
G Devon Levi: The future between the pipes lies in his hands. No pressure, kid.
G Ryan Cameron: Another guy who can tend the minor-league pipes.

Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s managing editor and The Nation Network’s news director. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.

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On this day in 1995: How Glen Sather turned a Shayne Corson offer sheet into Curtis Joseph

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 19:00:18 -0400

On this day, 31 years ago, Aug. 4, 1995, Curtis Joseph became an Edmonton Oiler and one of the most beloved in franchise history.

Joseph provided hope through a particularly trying time for the franchise. The Oilers suffered economic hardships that made keeping good players difficult, and with owner Peter Pocklington’s tangled debts, fans were on the brink of losing their franchise.

But on the ice, Joseph was the backbone of two upstart teams in 1996–97 and 1997–98 who beat Stanley Cup contenders Dallas and Colorado in consecutive seasons.

Named No. 33 on our Top 100 Oilers countdown, Joseph’s team highlights include some of the most memorable individual saves and performances in franchise history.

Joseph’s arrival also bookended the disastrous tenure of captain Shayne Corson, or better said, recently stripped “captain” by short-term coach George Burnett, that led to dressing room division.

The Oilers were a young hockey team at the time, and not a very good one, either, winning just 17 of 48 games in a lockout-shortened 1994–95. Corson was one of their best assets.

Aug. 5, 1995, edition of the Edmonton Journal.

How did Curtis Joseph become an Edmonton Oiler?

So when St. Louis Blues general manager Mike Keenan signed Corson to an offer sheet worth $6.95 million over five years in late July, with a $1.25 million signing bonus due in the first month, the Oilers’ long-time mastermind Glen Sather had a pickle on his hands.

Sather needed to get value. He had a week to match the offer, but got to wheeling and dealing. As Edmonton Journal columnist Cam Cole put it, Sather was back playing at the high-stakes tables.

“It was nice to play poker again, for a little while,” said Sather after his maneuvering was complete.

Edmonton did not match the offer, but instead used those two first-round picks to get ready players now. He negotiated with … the very same Blues.

So when the offer sheet went through, Sather traded the picks back to the Blues for CuJo and a gargantuan NCAA Boston University forward Mike Grier. Pretty slick work by Slats. One of the best in Oilers history.

“I wouldn’t have taken the deal for two first-round picks,” said Sather. “He knew last week that I would match unless he sweetened the deal.”

Those picks had value for Keenan, since they allowed him opportunities to sign other free agents.

Coach Ron Low agreed with his GM’s decision, although there was a bit of a catch. The Oilers now had two 28-year-old starting goalies, as Bill Ranford had been a good soldier through some hard times, and still had game left.

“You can’t take the first-rounders. We’re loaded with potential already. Curtis Joseph isn’t potential. He’s a liquid asset,” said Low. “Now, obviously, both he and Billy Ranford won’t be here in training camp; your budget doesn’t call for $6 million in goaltenders.”

Goalie controversy: Bill Ranford traded to Boston

They both were “there” when training camp started and well into the season, in fact, as this goalie decision became the new drama for the 1995–96 season.

See, Joseph still needed a contract with the Oilers, and the team wasn’t dead set on keeping him.

Sather’s trade negotiations stalled across the league for either goaltender, so Joseph elected to make $100 a game with the Las Vegas Thunder of the IHL to stay in shape beginning in November.

That dragged into the new year, when on Jan. 11, 1996, the Oilers made their choice. Ranford returned to the Boston Bruins, as he was dealt for Mariusz Czerkawski, Sean Brown, and a first-round pick.

But as Bruins GM Harry Sinden was quoted as saying afterward, it could’ve just as easily been Joseph going the other way. Imagine if it was Joseph instead.

The Jan. 12, 1996 edition of Edmonton Journal.

Reaction to the Ranford deal was mixed. Some fans thought, ‘This was all we got for our Conn Smythe winner?’

Sather rationalized it, saying essentially the trade was Ranford for Joseph, while they got a forward, a prospect, and a first-rounder out of it.

The goalie market wasn’t so tantalizing then, either. Patrick Roy had been traded a month before for an underwhelming return and had a far bigger profile than Ranford.

With that in the rear-view, Edmonton signed CuJo to a three-year deal worth $2.3 million per season until the end of 1997–98.

Joseph made his debut for the Oilers the following night as they languished in the standings with a 14-23-6 record. But his injection created a spark. He won his first three starts and would finish the season with .500-level hockey down the stretch.

As we know, he’d help author some tremendous thrills for the Oilers, none better than his save on Joe Nieuwendyk in Game 7 overtime against the Dallas Stars in 1997.

Michael Menzies is an Oilersnation columnist and co-host of PreGaming and Oilersnation After Dark. He’s also been the play-by-play voice of the Bonnyville Pontiacs in the AJHL since 2019. With seven years of news experience as the Editor-at-Large of Lakeland Connect in Bonnyville, Menzies collects vinyl, books, and stomach issues. Follow him on X at Menzies_4.

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Oilers 2026 prospect countdown #20: Owen Michaels

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 17:00:54 -0400

Welcome to Oilersnation’s countdown of the top 20 prospects in the Edmonton Oilers system.

Owen Michaels is an undrafted right-shot centre out of Detroit, and after captaining Western Michigan University, signed with the Edmonton Oilers on April 2.

However, Michaels did need to be re-signed this summer and is now on a two-year contract that will pay $900,000 per year. In three years and 119 games played, the 24-year-old pivot scored 33 goals and totalled 69 points with the Broncos. Michaels’ best season came in 2024-2025 when he scored 18 goals and assisted on another 18 in 42 games; this season saw the Michigan product take a step back as Michaels only scored 13 goals with 26 total points in 39 games.

#20: Owen Michaels

Position: F

Shoots: Right

Nationality: USA

Date of Birth: May 1, 2002

Drafted: Undrafted

Height and weight: 6-foot-0 / 179 lbs.

2025-26 stats (NCAA): 39 GP | 13 G | 13 A | 26 P

Contract status: Two years left, $900,000 cap hit

In my opinion, Michaels is a very simple player: there isn’t one single trait that “wows” me, but the right-shot centre thinks the game very well, and I find him to be an excellent defensive player. Simple isn’t meant to be a negative point, if there is a passing lane that is open, Michaels will make that pass. Now, he might not create the passing lane or deceive the opponent to slip a pass through, but he gets the job done. Below is an example of Michaels fighting to maintain possession and finding a teammate in front for a great chance.

It’s not a fancy play by any means, but the ability to just keep the play going and find the open man in front (which was an excellent backhand pass) leads to a high-danger chance in front. The next video is another great example of playing simple and sticking to the fundamentals to get good results.

Michaels does an excellent job of drawing the defender in after taking all the available space up top, but it’s just an easy drop pass to fellow Oilers prospect Zack Sharp, and they have a grade-A scoring chance. The Western Michigan alum plays off of his linemates for the better or for worse. Michaels has a great knack for being in the right place at the right time, but when it happens often, it becomes a skill. Below are two clips that show the patience and ability to find quiet parts on the ice.

Amid all the chaos going on in the clips, the two-way centre is able to follow up the play and get himself open. Both clips are quick but show two different ways to find some quiet ice in the offensive zone. In the first video above it shows a good ability to fill in the space created by his teammates. Meanwhile, in the second clip, Michaels backs off ever so slightly to get a bit more open and give himself a better shooting angle. The final clip on his ability to find soft parts of the ice is on full display as Michaels is trusted with the bumper spot on the power play, the captain gets a great chance off of his one-timer attempt.

The finishing ability is a concern for me, there are too many pucks hitting the chest of goalies or just missing the net. However finding the right spots on the ice is half the battle and usually the tougher ability to harness. Michaels takes a lot of big draws, plays a fair amount of penalty killing minutes, and is usually on the ice defending a lead. I don’t have a solid clip of his defensive work, but the one below is a good one to use.

I like this particular video due to the fact that the hard-working forward pays attention to detail on the backcheck. Every centre knows he can’t get beat by his opposing centre up the ice or bad things could happen. Michaels make sure this doesn’t happen and is able to work ahead of check.

I have come to enjoy the finer details of Owen Michaels game, however due to age and no outstanding physical traits I have him a bit lower on my list. There could come a day where Michaels is a fine fourth-line player, but I think he could struggle with the pace of the game, and at 24 there isn’t much more development coming. But I always love to take a bet on the brain of a player, and the Western Michigan captain has a solid one on him.

I have come to enjoy the finer details of Michaels‘ game. However, due to age and no outstanding physical traits I have him a bit lower on my list. There could come a day where Michaels is a fine fourth-line player, but I think he could struggle with the pace of the game, and at 24 there isn’t much more development coming. But I always love to take a bet on the brain of a player, and the Western Michigan captain has a solid one on him.

Owen Michaels’ 2026-27 projection and NHL timelines

For the former Western Michigan pivot I project him to play a bottom-six role for the Condors to start the season. I could also see him getting some penalty killing minutes and being a reliable defensive zone player for Bakersfield. Michaels reminds me of Derek Ryan in the way he plays/thinks the game as well as his projected timeline. If he can continue to improve his physical traits, I could see the American centre making an NHL debut in his late twenties.

Top 20 Oilers prospects for 2026-27

Rank	Name	Pos.	Age	2025-26 Team (League)	2025-26 Stats	Acquisition	NHL timeline
20	Owen Michaels	F	24	Western Michigan University (NCAA)	39 GP \| 13 G \| 13 A \| 26 P	Signed	2028-29

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Former Oilers defenceman Brad Hunt announces retirement from professional hockey

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 15:00:07 -0400

A former Edmonton Oilers defenceman who spent three years with the team has hung up his skates.

Brad Hunt, 37, has announced his retirement from hockey, the NHL Alumni Association shared Tuesday. The undersized, 5-foot-9 rearguard broke into the NHL with the Oilers when he signed an entry-level contract with them in July 2013.

What was Brad Hunt’s tenure with the Edmonton Oilers?

Hunt spent three years in the Oilers’ system from 2013-14, the majority of which was with the AHL affiliates Oklahoma City Barons and Bakersfield Condors, with whom he played 185 games, scoring 43 goals and 142 points. He played NHL games in all three years, totalling 21 games, in which he scored a goal and three points.

Which NHL teams did Brad Hunt play for during his career?

He spent the remainder of his career bouncing between organizations. He left Edmonton to sign with the St. Louis Blues in 2016-17 and was claimed on waivers by the Nashville Predators later in the season. He joined the Vegas Golden Knights in July 2017 and was traded to the Minnesota Wild in January 2019. Later in his career, he would play with the Vancouver Canucks and Colorado Avalanche, spending the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons as their AHL affiliate Colorado Eagles’ captain. He joined the AHL Hershey Bears for a year, and last season, he played for Sport in the Finnish Elite League.

In total, he appeared in 422 AHL games, scoring 84 goals and 298 points, and 288 NHL games, scoring 26 goals and 86 points. Hunt, a native of Maple Ridge, B.C., won a gold medal representing Canada at the 2023 IIHF World Championship.

“Hockey has been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember,” Hunt shared on his Instagram. “From dreaming about playing in the NHL as a kid, to living that dream for so many years … I am incredibly grateful for every opportunity, every teammate, every coach, every organization, and every person who helped me along the way.”

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Oilers prospect Asher Barnett projected to USA World Junior roster

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 14:00:22 -0400

It’s been nothing short of a steady climb for Asher Barnett in terms of his development as a young player.

Selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the fifth round of the 2026 draft after the team traded up, the left-shot defenceman went to the NCAA’s University of Michigan last season, scoring five goals and 18 points in 40 games. He drew in for five games for the USA’s World Junior, and while he didn’t score any points, he performed well enough to turn heads.

So much so that when Daily Faceoff‘s NHL prospect guru Steven Ellis projected his 2027 USA team, he saw Barnett returning, calling Barnett “a defensively reliable option who probably won’t push the needle with the puck, but won’t make many mistakes.”

Ellis has Barnett as the ninth-best prospect in the Oilers’ system during his prospect pool breakdown, where he elaborated on the defenceman’s game:

“Barnett was a surprise addition to USA’s World Juniors team in 2026, but they clearly like him, having made him captain of the U-18 team the year prior. Barnett is decent with the puck, but he’s more known for being quite physical despite not being that huge. I prefer his own-zone game to the O-zone, and I feel like he’s quite strong off the puck for someone his age. Most defenders look to make smart, sharp moves with the puck, but Barnett prefers to keep things simple. Will he max out as an NHL call-up? That’s probably all he’ll be, and that’s fine.”

If the Oilers are one day able to get NHL games out of Barnett, that’s a win. Fans know all too well that late-round draft picks are by and large dart throws, but sometimes they hit and become guys like Vincent Desharnais, who wound up playing 114 games for the Oilers in 2022-23 and 2023-24.

Desharnais ended up an important piece on the Oilers’ blue line in the 2024 playoffs, playing 16 games, and if Barnett could contribute like that down the road, the team will surely be happy.

Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s managing editor and The Nation Network’s news director. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.

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At Southview Acura, luxury isn’t just what you drive, it’s how you’re treated. Family owned and operated, we’re proud to offer an exceptional selection of new and certified pre-owned Acuras, backed by a service experience built on trust and precision. Whether it’s your first visit or your next, our team is committed to excellence every step of the way. Visit Southview Acura today or online at www.SouthviewAcura.com, where luxury meets reality.

Winnipeg Jets prospect Zach Nehring wanted to add size without slowing down

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 13:54:18 -0400

The 6-foot-5 forward shares how a 5,000-to-6,000-calorie daily diet helped fuel his offseason push.

A look back at Vasily Podkolzin’s dominant performance at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 09:00:28 -0400

The 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup is underway at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alta., with the Aug. 3-8 tournament showcasing many of the world’s best under-18 men’s hockey players as they represent their respective countries.

That said, before winning over Edmonton Oilers fans with his hard work and rugged style of play, forward Vasily Podkolzin built an impressive international résumé while representing Russia, suiting up for his country at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, the World Under-18 Championship, and three World Junior Championships.

But some of his best hockey while representing his country came at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2018, where he was selected as captain of Team Russia. The tournament was held in Edmonton and Red Deer that year, and Podkolzin put together one of the most dominant performances in its 35-year history. Let’s take a trip down memory lane as we look back at Podkolzin’s dominant run at the tournament.

How did Vasily Podkolzin dominate the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup preliminary round?

Team Russia steamrolled the competition through the preliminary rounds, led by their captain. They pounded Team Finland 7-2 in their first game, where Podkolzin tallied a goal and two assists. They then defeated Team Czech Republic 3-0, with the future Oiler scoring another goal, before Russia finished the preliminary round with an 8-3 thrashing of Team USA, where Podkolzin potted two more goals.

Russia's Vasili Podkolzin leads the #HlinkaGretzkyCup in goals and is considered a top prospect for the #2019NHLDraft. pic.twitter.com/aLNSoGJJL3

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) August 11, 2018

Russia advanced to the semi-finals, where they faced Team Sweden, which featured former Oilers defenceman Philip Broberg manning the blue line for his country.

The semi-final game was scoreless heading into the third period, but Broberg scored on the power play to give Sweden the go-ahead goal. However, with less than two minutes remaining in the game, Podkolzin put the team on his back, darted toward the net, split the defence, and scored a backhander to tie the game. Also, a fun fact: the tally was his first-ever goal at Rogers Place, as he helped will his team back into the game.

Unfortunately for Russia, just a minute later, Sweden’s Karl Henriksson scored the go-ahead goal that sent Team Sweden to the final, where they faced Team Canada.

That said, despite his dramatic game-tying goal late in the semi-final and the heartbreak of losing to Team Sweden, Podkolzin’s spirit wasn’t broken, as the captain saved his best work of the tournament for the bronze medal game against the Americans.

How did Vasily Podkolzin lead Russia to a bronze medal at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup?

Oilers fans have seen Podkolzin raise his battle level when his team needs him most, and with a medal on the line at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, he delivered his best hockey of the tournament.

Russia’s captain scored three goals against the Americans, including a highlight-reel one where he barrelled to the net, beat two defenders, and tucked the puck home for his hat-trick goal, as seen below.

Winnipeg Jets Morning Papers: Today’s Hockey Headlines | August 4, 2026

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 07:30:57 -0400

A daily roundup of Jets, Moose coverage — all the pro hockey news that matters in Manitoba and beyond.

Three future PWHL stars reflect on Oilers development camp experience

Mon, 03 Aug 2026 19:00:40 -0400

The Edmonton Oilers turned some heads in late June when they announced three women’s hockey players would be attending their development camp.

“I’ve never been in this atmosphere… It’s something girls dream of growing up,” said Caitlin Kraemer. “Before there was the PWHL, it was, ‘I want to make an NHL team,’ even though it was kind of unrealistic. But it’s kind of fun to live out that dream a little.”

She, along with fellow NCAA stars Chloe Primerano and Abbey Murphy, received a rare invitation to an NHL development camp, courtesy of Oilers general manager Stan Bowman.

“Stan sent a text over, and I was in the car with my dad, and I thought it was spam. But it turned out to be legit… I didn’t ever feel like this was going to happen, so it was surprising but really excited for this opportunity,” said Kraemer.

While in Milan for the 2026 Olympics, Bowman came up with the idea of inviting women’s hockey players to the Oilers’ development camp.

“I was over at the Olympics this year watching up close the Olympic performance from the women’s games while I was there with the U.S. men’s team, and I was so impressed with the play of women’s hockey,” said Bowman.

The Oilers GM had gotten to know Murphy over the years. She grew up playing with Bowman’s sons and trains with his youngest daughter, Graycen.

“I couldn’t believe it. We were all super excited about the opportunity,” said Murphy.

Murphy was selected second overall by the Seattle Torrent at this year’s PWHL draft and played alongside Primerano at the University of Minnesota, while Kraemer played for the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

Primerano and Kraemer haven’t declared for the PWHL draft yet, but both are considered top prospects. Back in 2022, Primerano made history as the first female skater ever selected in the WHL prospects draft, when the Vancouver Giants picked her 268th overall. Kraemer, meanwhile, was a standout player for Canada’s under-18 national team.

How did three women’s hockey stars experience the Oilers’ development camp?

As some of the biggest rising stars in women’s hockey, Kraemer, Murphy, and Primerano have all played at an elite level, but the Oilers development camp was their first chance to see how an NHL organization operates.

“It’s so professional and top-notch,” said Primerano. “You just see the facilities and everything that’s provided here. It’s something I’ve never seen before, so it’s really special.”

“It’s been super fun to learn what goes on behind the scenes and how these NHL pros get treated and then get to experience that a little,” said Kraemer. She compared being on the ice with Oilers prospects to her first skate with the senior women’s team, but on a whole new level.

The camp offered the trio an early glimpse of the professionalism and resources that await them as professional players.

“Obviously, going out to Seattle, it’s a big organization, too, and I’m super pumped for that, and here they’re also just helping us get settled in with what it’s like to be a professional,” said Murphy.

What was it like being coached by Erin Ambrose at development camp?

The three prospects weren’t the only women on the ice for the Oilers development camp this year — they were also joined by Montreal Victoire veteran Erin Ambrose, who Edmonton brought in as a coach for the second straight year.

Ambrose was an Olympic gold medallist for Team Canada at the 2022 Olympics, and this past season, she helped Montreal capture its first-ever Walter Cup.

“She’s one of the best minds I’ve ever met in hockey. It was such an honour to be her teammate… and it’s even better to pick her brain here,” said Kraemer. She and Primerano each played alongside Ambrose as invitees to Canada’s Olympic orientation camp last year.

“I’ve only played with her before and never been coached by her, but it’s been so fun to have her here, and she’s a good friend, and it’s awesome,” said Primerano.

The Oilers’ development camp invites for the three women are part of a broader trend across the hockey world. NHL organizations have slowly been involving more women over the past few years. In 2024, Jessica Campbell became the first full-time female assistant coach in the NHL, working for the Seattle Kraken for two seasons.

As one of the first women ever to take part in an NHL camp as a player, Murphy couldn’t have been prouder to be a part of the growing trend.

“I think this is the first time girls have been invited to a development camp,” said Murphy. “And just to be a part of history like that is pretty fun, and they’ve been nothing but welcoming to us and giving us the best experience they could.”

PRESENTED BY LeaseBusters

Can Trent Frederic build on his positive second-half metrics? | 31 Oilers Questions (Day 3)

Mon, 03 Aug 2026 18:00:35 -0400

This August, Oilersnation will ask one question about every Edmonton Oilers player projected to be on the 2026-27 roster in preparation for the upcoming season. From Connor McDavid to Mattias Janmark, let’s ask some questions.

Stan Bowman has made some solid moves since taking over for the Edmonton Oilers in the summer of 2024. That said, two bad moves stick out: one is the midseason Tristan Jarry trade, and the other Oilers signing Trent Frederic to an eight-year deal.

The former made a bit of sense; Stuart Skinner needed a change of scenery, and Jarry had put up good numbers until that point. However, there’s no excuse for the Frederic extension. One can only hope that it doesn’t bite them in the end.

His second half was encouraging, but can he build on it? That’s what we’ll look to answer in today’s 31 Oilers Questions.

Can Trent Frederic build upon his second half?

The Oilers acquired Frederic from the Boston Bruins ahead of the 2025 trade deadline. He missed all but a handful of minutes in the regular season and was nearly invisible during the Oilers’ playoff run that season.

That was due to a high-ankle sprain, a notorious injury that takes a while to fully recover from. But it was even more confusing when the Oilers signed Frederic to an eight-year deal worth $3.85 million annually.

Still not right from the high-ankle sprain, Frederic had a horrific start to the 2025-26 season. After 40 games, midway through the season, Frederic had managed to score just two goals and three points.

The underlying numbers were somehow even worse, as the Oilers owned 30.77 per cent of the goal share with Frederic on the ice during five-on-five, as well as just 44.66 per cent of the expected goal share.

Frederic’s second half was a bit better. From Jan. 1 until the end of the season, Frederic scored two goals and four points over 34 games, giving him four goals and seven points in 74 games, yikes. But his underlying metrics were a bit more encouraging.

While the Oilers were still outscored during five-on-five action with Frederic on the ice, they owned 56.77 per cent of the expected goal share, all while out-shooting and generating more high-danger chances than they gave up.

After the trade deadline, Frederic was paired with Colton Dach. Together, they played 70:52 and spent just under 30 minutes apart. They also had strong metrics together, as the Oilers owned 57.14 per cent of the goal share and 71.98 per cent of the expected goal share. That’s while generating more high-danger chances than they gave up and outshooting their opponents.

Giving Frederic an eight-year deal was never going to be a good idea, but if he can build off the second half of the 2025-26 season, it may just be salvaged. He’ll likely never return to his 2022-23/2023-24 form, but having him be productive in the bottom-six will at least make the contract tolerable.

PRESENTED BY SOUTHVIEW ACURA

Is Jake Walman capable of a bounce-back year? | 31 Oilers Questions (Day 2)

Mon, 03 Aug 2026 14:00:26 -0400

The 2025-26 season was a tough one for the Edmonton Oilers and Jake Walman. As you know, the Oilers failed to get out of the first round for the first time since 2021, and never really looked like the team that went to back-to-back Stanley Cup final.

Walman finished with eight goals and 20 points in the 53 games he played, with his minus-17 rating sitting as the team’s second-worst behind Andrew Mangiapane. Committing $49 million to the left-shot defenceman from 2026-27 until 2032-33, he needs to bounce back in 2026-27. Can he do it, though?

Is Jake Walman capable of a bounce-back season?

Diving deeper into Walman’s regular season, he missed the first six games due to injury. Returning on Oct. 21 in a game in the Nation’s Capital, the left-shot defenceman scored an overtime winner in his season debut.

Over his first 16 games, Walman scored three goals and 10 points with a minus-3. During this stretch, Walman played the majority of his five-on-five minutes on his off-hand, being paired with Darnell Nurse where they didn’t have fantastic results.

In Tampa Bay on Nov. 20, Walman blocked a shot and departed the game, playing just over 10 minutes. He didn’t suit up for nearly another two months due to a deep bone bruise. Returning on Jan. 13, 2026, Walman scored five goals and 10 points over his next 36 games.

When he and Nurse played together, they had solid underlying numbers, owning 51.46 per cent of the expected goal share, but Walman struggled playing alongside Ty Emberson, despite being on the left-side.

It was a disappointing regular season that was derailed due to injury, and now next season, the $7-million cap hit kicks in. Still, there are some encouraging signs.

What encouraging signs point to a Jake Walman bounce-back?

For starters, Walman was the team’s best defenceman in the post-season. In that short-lived run, he managed to pick up four assists, two of which came in Game 1 against the Ducks thanks to two fantastic stretch passes.

Those passes are important for Walman and the Oilers, as they now have three defencemen capable of breaking the puck out at an above-average level: Evan Bouchard on the first pair, while both Walman and Ryan Shea have proven capable as well. With the departure of Darnell Nurse, Walman will get to play on the left-side, though his defence partner (Emberson or Connor Murphy) is still yet to be determined.

There’s also a track record of being a productive defenceman. His breakout season came in 2022-23 with the Detroit Red Wings, a team that I watched quite often. Next to Bouchard, Walman’s shot is the best on the Oilers back end. He had a strong 2023-24, scoring a career-high 12 goals as well as 21 points, before getting a larger role with the San Jose Sharks.

Walman finished his season with seven goals and 40 points in 65 games, his point total being a career best. Then in the postseason, Walman scored two goals and 10 points in 22 games.

Injuries have unfortunately hampered Walman in the past, never playing more than 66 regular-season games in a single season. Still, he’s a good bet to bounce back thanks to being on his side, his track record of being a productive defenceman, and hopefully beginning the season healthy.

As long as he stays healthy, he’ll be an important member of the Oilers’ backend, as well as their second power play unit. If he can’t stay healthy, they at least have the depth to overcome his absence for a while.

PRESENTED BY CAPITAL GMC BUICK

New Zealand Crowns A Champion

Mon, 03 Aug 2026 10:52:30 -0400

With the calendar flipping to August and the summer entering its later stages of the season, summer hockey leagues and camps will begin to give way to full seasons once more. When the seasons are flipped, though, teams who play through the winter in the southern hemisphere will get to look forward to warm summer days like we're experiencing now. That's the case for the New Zealand Women's Ice Hockey League as the NZWIHL crowned a champion today despite the game being televised during the wee hours of Saturday in North America! Which teams made the final and what were the storylines? Let's take a dive into the NZWIHL!

The two teams shown above were your finalists from the four-team NZWIHL as the Auckland Steel and Wakatipu Wild earned their way into the final game to determine the 2026 NZWIHL championship. The Wild beat the Dunedin Thunder on Saturday to book their spot in the final while the Steel dismissed the Canterbury Thunder earlier on Saturday to claim their berth as well. Dunedin, it should be noted, beat the Thunder in the bronze medal game on Sunday afternoon.

Auckland came into the final as the favorite thanks to posting an undefeated regular season where they went 11-0-1-0 for 35 points. That one overtime win came back on July 25 when the Steel needed 57 seconds beyond regulation time to win 2-1 over Dunedin. Jasmine Horner-Pascoe scored her 14th goal in overtime for that win, and she'd finish second in team and league scoring with 26 points. League leader Katya Blong had 35 points, third-place leader Lauren Askenazy had 21 points, and fourth-place leader Brooke Patron had 17 points all for Auckland. In short, they scored a lot and won a lot.

Wakapitu struggled to find their rhythm this season, posting a 2-6-1-3 record for 11 points and finishing in third-place. Kelli Burstein ha a good season with ten goals and 14 points, but no other Wild player scored more than seven points. New Zealand-born Jordan Wichman was 2-3-1-0 this season with a 2.75 GAA and a .921 save percentage, but it's hard to win games when the Wild only averaged 2.00 goals-per-game. However, a four-goal outburst by Burstein powered the Wild to a 5-1 win past the Thunder in their playoff game for an unexpected chance at Sunday's NZWIHL championship!

Would the Wild have enough left in the tank to upset Auckland?

That question was answered early in Sunday's championship game as Auckland scored three times in the opening ten minutes and five times in the first frame to pace the Steel to a 5-1 lead after twenty minutes. The teams would trade goals in the middle period before Auckland tacked on two more in third period to skate to the 8-2 championship win as the 2026 NZWIHL season came to a close!

Highlights from the NZWIHL championship game can be seen below!

What's fun in all of this is seeing a player like Katya Blong do well as she skates with McGill where she's earning her kinesiology degree. Blong looks like she's going to be one of New Zealand's best players for a long time, and it's awesome to her skating in the Canadian university circuit. Brooke Patron was a Saskatchewan Huskies defender for four seasons and she appears to be helping the NZWIHL and the Steel with her skills. Goaltender Alexa Gibson seems to be enjoying life in Auckland after skating for the Ottawa Gee-Gees!

Even cooler is that Lochlyn Hyde, who splits the goaltending duties with Gibson, has jumped into the NZIHL - the men's league - on occasion when teams have needed a goaltender. To date, Hyde has played three games in the top division where she has a 3.50 GAA and an .885 save percentage, and has helped out the second-division league twice where she's officially 1-1-0! How cool is that?

On the other side, Wakatipu had no players who suited up in U SPORTS, but Kelli Berstein did play for the University of Minnesota. However, the gap in skill between these two teams were evident in the final as Auckland outshot Wakatipu 38-22 and controlled the play a lot. I get that no one is going to tell Auckland to break their team up to disperse talent across the other three teams, but the 14-point gap between Auckland and second-place Dunedin is hard to fathom in four-team league. Something has to change for New Zealand hockey to continue to develop good players for international competitions.

Congratulations to the Auckland Steel on winning their fourth-straight NZWIHL championship! It's their eighth championship overall in the NZWIHL, and I imaging they'll be gunning for a fifth-consecutive and ninth-overall championship in 2027 if everything goes well. Perhaps we'll see another team step in and claim victory, but another solid season is in the book for the NZWIHL and its players!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Monday Mailbag: How much offence do the Oilers need from Jason Dickinson?

Mon, 03 Aug 2026 09:00:41 -0400

Good morning, everyone, and a happy Monday to you all. As per tradition, I’ve got a brand new mailbag set to go after taking your questions and sending them to the crew for their takes. This week, we’re discussing Tristan Jarry’s start to the year, Jason Dickinson, the defensive depth, and more. If you’ve got a question you’d like to ask, email it to me at baggedmilk@oilersnation.com or on Twitter at @jsbmbaggedmilk, and I’ll get to you as soon as I can.

1) Jayson asks – What is the best realistic use of the Oilers’ remaining cap room?

Jason Gregor:

I’d just let it accrue and then use it closer to the deadline.

Zach Laing:

There’s no wrong answer, really. I like the idea of entering the season with cap space, because it gives the team a chance to accrue some real money ahead of the deadline. The Oilers have $4.725 million and change in cap space, according to PuckPedia, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they were active in the PTO market to use a few million to add some more competition.

Baggedmilk:

#SpendTheMall! Yeah, that’s right. I want discount Tarasenko! Give me this year’s version of Jack Roslovic.

Apr 22, 2026; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Anaheim Ducks forward Cutter Gauthier (61) looks to make a pass in front of Edmonton Oilers defensemen Evan Bouchard (2) during the second period in game two of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images

2) Oilers fan in Van asks – What does Evan Bouchard have to change about his play under Mike Babcock, if anything?

Jason Gregor:

Not much. He would like to lower the five bell errors, but he had a great season so I wouldn’t change much in how he plays/sees the game.

Zach Laing:

There’s no need to reinvent the wheel here. Bouchard will continue to do what he does best in being a strong puck-moving, offensive defenceman. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him continue to kill penalties, and there’s no denying he’ll be asked to clean up his defensive game, too.

Baggedmilk:

I imagine the defensive zone play and choices will get a few video sessions lol. I think Bouchard is a live-by-the-sword kind of player, and he’s going to make some big gamble mistakes that Babcock will have to live with. You don’t put up points like Bouchard without having the puck on your stick a lot.

Apr 26, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Anaheim Ducks celebrate a goal while Edmonton Oilers goaltender Tristan Jarry (35) looks at the replay during the second period in game four of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Corinne Votaw-Imagn Images

3) Yves asks – What does Tristan Jarry have to show early in the season to calm the fanbase down about his abilities?

Jason Gregor:

Be consistent. He doesn’t need to be elite, just reliable and not have glaringly bad games too often.

Zach Laing:

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: he’s going to need to find a way to string games together.

Baggedmilk:

Consistency. That’s all. One way or the other, just make it consistent.

Mar 12, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Edmonton Oilers center Jack Roslovic (28) and center Jason Dickinson (16) skate off the ice after Dickinson scores a goal against the Dallas Stars during the second period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

4) James asks – How much offence does Edmonton need from Jason Dickinson for the contract to work? Or are his defensive abilities enough to justify the $4 million AAV?

Jason Gregor:

He is what he is don’t expect him to be something different. His salary is less than his previous contract so if he scores 22-28 points he will be fine.

Zach Laing:

His contract is justifiable even with the offence he’s provided in recent years. If the Oilers can find 20-25 points out of him, they’ll be happy.

Baggedmilk:

He makes less than Vinny Desharnais. What else do you want?

Mar 15, 2026; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers defenseman Spencer Stastney (24) and Nashville Predators center Fedor Svechkov (40) are seen out on the ice during the second period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images

5) Bailey asks – How do you see the Oilers working through the logjam on defence? Currently, they have eight players signed on the back end and limited spots available for competition.

Jason Gregor:

I see Stastney and Regula as odd men out unless there is an injury in camp.

Zach Laing:

That’s the question everyone is asking, right? Logically, Spencer Stastney is the odd man out of the group. Bouchard, Ekholm, Walman, Murphy, and Shea are all secured, but it’s the Mukhamadullin, Emberson, Stastney group where the questions lie. They just acquired Mukhamadullin in the Nurse trade, so he’s not going anywhere, which really leaves it down to Emberson and Stastney. Emberson has an inside track as a right-shot defenceman, who has been here for a few years and took a big step forward. Now the question is if the team feels they can get Stastney through waivers, or if they need to trade him.

Baggedmilk:

I bet Stastney hits waivers and they hope he clears. I’m always wrong. What do I know?

PRESENTED BY STAKE

What's All the Buzz?

Sun, 02 Aug 2026 19:51:44 -0400

I rarely get to enjoy a good baseball game from the perspective of a fan because I'm usually working in the pressbox for the local professional team. Last night, however, I broke free from the pressbox and sat in the patio area with a pile of my colleagues from my day job where we got to watch the Winnipeg Goldeyes baseball team don a new identity as they searched for their sixth win in a row! If you came here for hockey chatter, there will be some at the end as I relate this fun night of baseball back to hockey, but this article is all about having a good time as a fan, enjoying a beautiful night on a patio, and watching the home team as a fan rather than a stats guy for the first time in a long time! And if the Goldeyes could beat Lincoln, that's even better!

If you have a larger group who wants to attend a baseball game, the patio at Blue Cross Park is a great way to get that group to the ballgame. The Malibu Patio, where we sat, holds 65 people and located right in the left field corner above the Goldeyes' bullpen. The sightlines are incredible from this location as you can see virtually everything happening in the park, and it didn't hurt that this was prime seating for the fireworks display scheduled after the game!

The patio has serving staff assigned to it and a private bar so that the group never would never need to venture far if it needed food or beverages. We declined the serving staff as there were many different requests for food, but the private bar was used all night and was a solid added benefit. Combined with the patio tables, umbrellas, and bar-like seating around the railing, the Malibu Patio as perfect for a group of our size to enjoy a night at the ballpark!

The Goldeyes debuted their one-time-only alternate identities last night as they took the field as the Manitoba Mosquitoes to welcome the Lincoln Saltdogs to town, and the Mosquitoes were buzzing early in this game. Five runs in the first inning followed by two more in the second and four more in the third inning put the Mosquitoes up 11-0 early on the Saltdogs, and it seemed like all Manitoba had to do was nurse that lead. Adding to the fun was pitcher Ryo Kohigashi as the league's third-best pitcher for strikeouts was dealing again on Friday night, striking out nine Saltdogs to push his total to 79 this season. That leaves him ten punchouts back of the league lead, so the Fish have a hurler who could win one of the key stats races before the season is over! But the bigger question was if the Mosquitoes could keep the win streak going.

Despite surrendering four runs in the top of the fifth inning, the Saltdogs would get no more as the Goldeyes used that early run support to cruise to the 11-4 win on a gorgeous night at the ballpark. No homeruns were hit on night, but centerfielder Noah Marcelo led the way with three RBIs to pace the Goldeyes. On the fun side, Lincoln's Cary Arbolida struck out to send the fans home with free pancakes, and Lincoln's Nick Schumpert went home with a platinum sombrero after striking out swinging five times in the game! Ouch!

After the game wrapped up with high-fives and handshakes on the Goldeyes/Mosquitoes side of the field, the fireworks display literally happened right in front of us, giving us the best view of the night sky. A handful of brightly-coloured explosions brought oohs and aahs from the crowd that stayed behind for the display, and the kids who were part of our group were absolutely thrilled with the spectacle!

Some people ask me why I love minor-league professional sports, and it's stuff like this where the local team dons a new identity for a fun night at the ballpark or rink. We've seen lots of teams rebrand to represent their communities, and I honestly love that minor-pro teams do this as often as they do. I get that the professional teams are tied to their communities as well, but minor-pro baseball and hockey teams always seem to have fun rebrands and jerseys they roll out every season. Seeing these ideas come to life is so much fun!

If you want to know why I support leagues like the AHL and ECHL more than I support the NHL, it's for this very reason. Sports are supposed to be fun and every time a minor-pro team rebrands or has a crazy bobblehead night or some other zany promotion, the end result is a fun night at a stadium or arena. Our group had a blast last night, there was a buzz about the Mosquitoes jerseys and how good they looked, and the Mosquitoes showed up in a big way to send the crowd home happy. Add in good food, good baseball, an awesome fireworks display, and ticket prices that didn't put anyone into financial distress, and the end result was an incredible night at Blue Cross Park in Winnipeg.

I'm not telling you not to cheer for your favorite NHL teams and players, but I am saying you should go support the minor-pro teams whenever you can. Having fun nights as the Manitoba Mosquitoes, in my view, should be encouraged as often as possible so we see more fun jerseys like the Manitoba Polar Bears and the Winnipeg SeaBears' Space Jam jerseys. And if minor-pro teams can attract more fans with these fun rebrandings and a winning attitude, that helps the minor-pro franchise and the community it serves in a big way!

I'm off to the ballpark again tonight, only I'll be doing stats in the pressbox. There's serious buzz coming from downtown Winnipeg, though, as the Goldeyes search for their seventh win in a row and their third series win in a row. Maybe the bigger question is who could have thought that Manitobans would love Mosquitoes?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Sunday Scramble: Why NHL Expansion to 33 teams is a bad idea for hockey

Sun, 02 Aug 2026 17:30:26 -0400

I won’t beat around the bush.

I am not in support of NHL expansion. A 33rd NHL team? Is there any good reason besides billions of dollars in expansion fees? (He asks, knowing that’s hard to argue against).

I don’t think so. The Houston Aeros? Sorry, no thanks.

But this is not necessarily the league’s point of view, as the NHL is flirting with lucky No. 33. Don’t be surprised if five years from now the league is 34 teams deep.

Out of the June Board of Governors meeting, Commissioner Gary Bettman sounded different than the guy who told us just a few weeks earlier the league was not ready to expand yet.

I get the sense he’s warming to the idea.

There had been rumblings about Houston. Atlanta was suggested because the third time is the charm. Austin is in the mix, but no word on Joe Rogan.

Regardless, the Friedkin family wants an NHL team to add to their portfolio, owning Premier League team Everton and Serie A squad AS Roma. It’s gonna cost some $3.5 billion for expansion fees and the cost of building a brand-new arena, Bettman says.

“We have been in discussions for the better part of two years with the Friedkin family, principally for the last two years about Houston as an expansion opportunity,” said Bettman on June 23.

“But as we continued to focus with them, particularly on the need for a new arena in Houston, the discussions morphed into also a discussion about Austin, which would also need a new building. But we are going to work together under the terms, a term sheet that we were able to agree upon, in terms of a framework to consider what makes the most sense moving forward.”

Thus begins a six-month period to investigate, evaluate, and commiserate that the NHL will water itself down by another three per cent or so.

After that process, if the NHL feels comfortable, the Board of Governors will move forward with a vote.

Why is Houston a leading candidate for NHL Expansion?

I have no personal beef with Houston, but some Edmonton Oilers fans might due to some uncomfortable history. They remember 1998 when Les Alexander was just hours away from taking our muse and shipping operations south to join his portfolio with the Houston Rockets.

Houston is obviously attractive to the NHL. It’s a massive market with tons of international business. By population, it’s the fourth-largest city in the United States and fifth-largest in terms of metropolitan area, according to 2025 figures, with roughly 7.9 million residents in the Houston-Pasadena-Woodlands area.

But as we know, it takes more than just a large citizenry to make a successful market, as Phoenix is the fifth-most populous American city, and Atlanta is the fifth-largest metro area. Both struggled with ownership and arena issues throughout their NHL days.

Yet, all three of those cities have long footholds in the NBA, MLB, and the NFL (when Houston Oilers owner Bud Adams moved to become the Tennessee Titans after a long debate about who would pay for a new building, the NFL awarded them an expansion team just a couple of years later).

At one time, Houston was one of the most important franchises in the World Hockey Association in the 1970s, with Gordie Howe as one of the consistent faces of the rebel league.

If the NHL had accepted merger talks a year sooner in 1978, instead of 1979, there’s a strong chance Houston would’ve had a franchise then, but when negotiations ended, so did the Aeros.

The Aeros came back in the 1990s as an independent IHL team, a strong one too, and were absorbed into the AHL in 2001 once those leagues’ battle for North America’s second-best hockey league ended.

Houston became the primary affiliate for the Minnesota Wild, with an agreement too with the Dallas Stars. There’s still a handful of current NHLers who spent time in Houston, as well as former Oilers coaches Todd McLellan and Dave Tippett.

Their eventual departure from Houston came with landlord issues, as Les Alexander, who owned the Toyota Center they rented, wanted to free up concert dates or charge five times the fees under their previous agreement.

Eventually, the Aeros became the Iowa Stars. In their final season of 2012–13, the Aeros had the seventh-best average attendance in the AHL.

Not bad at all. The theoretical case for Houston makes a ton of sense to me. I suspect Houston could be a strong NHL franchise.

But it sure doesn’t help the league sell its most valuable commodity in today’s sports landscape.

Parity and luck

Salesman Gary Bettman has worked hard to try and sell one thing that beats all in an already saturated NHL — hope.

The league’s standings rely on the loser point to keep average teams competitive for longer, so franchises can keep selling tickets right to the very end of the season.

Ties existed before Bettman’s tenure began in 1993, and the NHL isn’t the only league to reward an overtime loss. However, in today’s game, it works to sell artificial parity—where playoff teams are defined not just by who wins the most, but by who loses better than their opponents.

The point system incentivizes fans to stay invested longer because their team remains mathematically alive, even if their actual championship odds are near zero.

But hey, you have to sell something in a 32-team league in a sport where luck plays a greater role than the other big three North American sports, where a gruelling now 84-game marathon is met by two months of a brutal sprint towards glory.

Just how much does luck play into a hockey team’s results?

According to Mark Robert Rank, professor of social welfare, arts and sciences at Washington University, the “true score theory” is the mathematical formula analysts use to try and account for luck in sports.

In hockey, the contribution of luck to a team’s season record is 53 per cent. In the NBA, it’s 12 per cent. Other sports are in the middle.

Hockey is played with a frozen disc on a sheet of ice with players skating on three-millimetre blades. It’s high variance. What the puck may or may not do is baked into the very nature of the game.

As opposed to other sports, hockey is a game of battling and harnessing chance and chaos, making sense of conditions that are inherently difficult to control. That’s what makes it so unique, and that’s why we love it.

That’s why analytics try to account for luck with PDO, which adds on-ice shooting percentage and save percentage together, to see who is performing and who is getting flat-out lucky.

Anything that creates more randomness than necessary towards championship success — in a game already so lucky — I’m against.

Now, the parity created by the loser point isn’t the same as pure luck. But my point is that forced parity makes advancing from an average to good team, or good to true contender, that much harder for teams trying to chart an organizational course.

The thinner the margins in the standings, the more power luck gains over the final results.

Anything that introduces more unnecessary randomness into a sport that is already so coin-flip-heavy strays from true competitive integrity. Adding another expansion team doesn’t build a better league — it just spins the wheel again.

Does adding a 33rd NHL team dilute the player talent pool?

I fear another franchise would require another talent dilution across the NHL, a.k.a. another expansion draft. Nor is another team a one-time drain of talent, but another seat at the table at every NHL draft.

Are there enough NHL-calibre players to fill out a 33rd roster? Probably, although how good that team would be is unclear. Are there enough goalies? I’m not so sure.

The skill level across hockey is unquestionably higher today than ever before, and the rise of the global game has mined new talent from non-traditional corners of the world. But having more skilled players available doesn’t mean the NHL needs to expand its borders to accommodate them.

Elite sports rely on scarcity. Exclusivity is what preserves the gap between a standard professional and a world-class athlete. Just because a player is capable of filling a bottom-end NHL roster spot doesn’t mean the top league in the world should create one for them.

Fringe defencemen like Alec Regula can probably play in the NHL. Having a team of Regula types isn’t a great thing for the NHL.

It’s hard to say no

With that said, it’s hard for the NHL to say no.

A massive influx of a few billion dollars is the direct impact on hockey-related revenue that moves the salary cap upward, while hopefully creating new hockey fans who buy jerseys, tickets, and the joy involved in rooting for a team in such a chaotic, fun game.

The NHL is never going to have the same footprint in the United States with the same barriers to access that hurt middle-to lower-class Canadians today. And there are only 25 franchises in America. Compared to the three other leagues, there are 32 U.S. teams in the NFL and 29 in MLB and the NBA.

Four fewer franchises, particularly in major markets I listed above, is significant.

I understand why the league would want to up those U.S. numbers when a massive market like Houston sits there vacant. But to cross the line and become the first to go to 33 teams, that seems more like a lottery than a league to me.

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How many Oilers could score 20 goals next season?

Sun, 02 Aug 2026 15:00:54 -0400

Last season, the Edmonton Oilers had six different players reach the 20-goal milestone. That was actually tied for the second-most in the league with both the Colorado Avalanche and the Utah Mammoth.

The only team to have more was the Carolina Hurricanes, who had seven different players hit the milestone. What’s surprising about the Canes is that even though they were the second-highest-scoring team in the league, their highest scorer was Seth Jarvis with 32 goals.

They really didn’t have an elite goal-scorer, but they really did produce offence by committee.

Edmonton finished sixth in goals last season, but if you take special teams out of it and look at just even-strength scoring, they fall to 11th in the league.

The leaders for the Oilers were the usual suspects. Connor McDavid led the way with 48 goals, Leon Draisaitl picked up 35 in just 65 games, and Zach Hyman popped home 31 goals in just 58 games, which prorates to roughly 44 goals over the course of an 82-game season.

The other players to hit the 20-goal mark were Jack Roslovic (21), Evan Bouchard (21), and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (20).

The Oilers’ forward group for this upcoming season is largely unchanged. Jack Roslovic is out after signing a two-year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and while that does mean that they lost a 20 goal scorer, that also means that there is some extra top-six playing time to go around, and that could push one of the players who got close to 20 goals last season to hit the milestone in 2026-27.

Could they actually pass the number they hit last season? Let’s take a look.

THE LOCKS

There are no surprises in this category. McDavid has scored at least 20 goals in every season since his rookie campaign, when he still managed to score 16 goals despite missing almost half the season with a shoulder injury.

The only other season where he was below 30 goals was 2024-25, when he scored 26 goals in 67 games.

Assuming he’s fully healthy, McDavid should be good for 35-plus again this season.

Draisaitl is on a nice run of 10 straight seasons with 20 or more goals, with the lowest mark in that stretch being 25 goals back in 2017-18. He’s scored 30-plus in eight straight seasons and hit the 50-goal mark three times.

If healthy, you can safely mark him down for 40-plus this season.

Since becoming an Oiler ahead of the 2021-22 season, Hyman has hit the mark every single season. His best year was the 54-goal campaign in 2023-24 and he’s averaged 35 goals a season over the last five years.

This season, 35 seems like a really solid number to expect.

Those three are the only stone-cold locks, but there were others that were close to getting into that category for me.

THE HOPEFULS

Both Nugent-Hopkins and Bouchard hit the mark last season and I do think it’s more likely than not that they get there again, there are some reasons to be nervous that they won’t do it again this season.

The only reason I’m hesitant on Bouchard is that only six defensemen in the league hit the mark last season and even in a year where Bouchard shot 9.5 per cent, which is 2.5 per cent higher than his career average, he still barely hit the mark.

It’s hard for a defenceman to do it once, never mind in back-to-back years. Still I’d give him a 70 per cent chance of hitting it this year just because he gets to spend so much time on the power play and playing in overtime.

As for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, he scored 11 of his 20 goals last season on the power play and spent 548 of his 955 five-on-five minutes playing with Connor McDavid.

There is a real possibility that he sees his ice time on the Oilers’ top line fall quite a bit this season and I also think that Matt Savoie could steal some of his power-play time this season, considering he looked quite good in that spot towards the end of the season.

Nugent-Hopkins also shot the puck less than he ever has last season, and that is a concerning sign. I’d put his odds at hitting the 20-goal mark slightly below 50 per cent.

I would put Savoie’s odds well above 50 per cent, though.

A hot run down the stretch brought Savoie’s goal total up to 18 last year with 11 of them coming in the final 41 games of the year.

He is fully capable of smashing the 20-goal mark next season and if he sticks on a line with either McDavid or Draisaitl and finds his way into a semi-regular role with the top power play unit, I think he could score north of 25 next season.

The final name is Vasily Podkolzin.

He came within one goal of hitting the milestone last year and I think there is a north of 50 per cent chance that he hits the mark this year.

The big thing that I want to see from Podkolzin is just trusting his shot more. He has no problem scoring goals from in front of the net and I have no concern that he will continue to go to difficult areas of the ice but he has a very good shot and if he starts using it more off the rush, I think his goal totals could really spike next season.

Honestly, both him and Savoie should be 20-goal scorers next season and if they aren’t, I’d be a little disappointed.

So between the three locks, Savoie, Podkolzin, and hopefully one of Bouchard or Nugent-Hopkins, I think there is a solid chance that the Oilers once again have six 20-goal scorers on their roster.

But could any other players surprise us? Let’s look.

IT’S POSSIBLE

With Roslovic off the roster and Nugent-Hopkins potentially spending more time on a line with Jason Dickinson than with Connor McDavid, there is a chance that a spot in the top-six is up for grabs this season.

The two most likely candidates to fill it: Isaac Howard and Kasperi Kapanen.

Howard scored just twice in his 29 games with the Oilers last season, but when he was down with the Bakersfield Condors, he was electric, scoring 24 goals in just 47 games.

If this summer went well for Howard, there is a chance that he could start the season with either one of McDavid or Draisaitl and if that happens, then 20 goals is definitely in the picture.

I’m not sure if there is a path for him to get consistent power-play time in Edmonton, though, and that will hurt his chances. I know he isn’t technically a rookie anymore, but last season only two rookie forwards scored 20 even-strength goals.

It’s really hard to score at five-on-five in the NHL, and Howard will have to do a lot of it if he wanted to join the 20-goal club.

Kapanen is a really interesting case.

His best NHL season was in 2018-19 when he scored 20 goals with the Toronto Maple Leafs. His coach that season? None other than Mike Babcock.

Considering he re-signed after the Babcock hiring and had a great season with him in the past, I think it’s fair to assume that the two have a good relationship and if that is the case, then he could have the inside track to a spot in the top-six.

He’s also coming off a great playoff, scoring four goals in six games. Last season he found the back of the net eight times in 48 games, and staying healthy is going to be a massive part of this equation.

If he plays in all 84 games and spends the majority of that time on Draisaitl’s wing, I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibilities that he hits the 20-goal mark next season. In fact, I might bet on him to do it before I bet on Howard.

I would love to see the Oilers finish in the top five in five-on-five scoring in the NHL while maintaining an elite power play. It’s fun to watch a team that scores a lot, and with the talent on their roster, scoring is their superpower.

Of course, Babcock and his staff are going to want this team playing a very structured game, and a lot of people think that it could hurt their ability to score.

I still think that even if there is more attention being paid to the defensive side of the game, this group can still score a lot, and that’s evident with the number of players who have 20-goal potential heading into the 2026-27 campaign.

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How should the Edmonton Oilers deploy Isaac Howard in 2026-27?

Sun, 02 Aug 2026 14:00:41 -0400

The projected structure of the Edmonton Oilers’ forward lineup in 2026-27 creates an interesting dilemma for 22-year-old forward Isaac Howard.

Traded to the Oilers from the Tampa Bay Lightning last summer in exchange for Edmonton’s 2024 first-round pick Sam O’Reilly, Howard is the organization’s top prospect in an otherwise unremarkable pool. With Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent‑Hopkins now entering their mid‑30s, the Oilers badly need an injection of youth and skill near the top of their lineup, and alongside Matt Savoie, the expectation is that Howard has the upside to eventually develop into a long‑term fixture on Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl’s wings.

In 2025‑26, Howard appeared in 29 NHL games, averaging just over 10 minutes per night and finishing with five points. He spent most of the season in the AHL, where he played 49 games for Bakersfield and excelled in several areas, most notably goal-scoring. After a strong campaign with the Condors, the hope is that 2026‑27 could be Howard’s breakout year in the NHL.

However, where should the young forward play in Edmonton’s lineup? The answer isn’t exactly straightforward.

Can Isaac Howard find a role in the Oilers’ bottom six in 2026-27?

First, let’s establish that Howard’s most notable attribute is his goal-scoring ability.

At Michigan State in 2024‑25, Howard scored 26 goals in 37 games, finishing second among all forwards in non‑power‑play goals per game. That scoring touch translated seamlessly to the AHL in 2025‑26, where he ranked near the top of the league in both total goals and 5‑on‑5 goals per game. This is a player with a superb release.

The typical spot for talented, young, but unproven forwards in the NHL is often the third line. It’s a role that offers meaningful minutes without the pressure or competition of a top‑six spot, while avoiding the limited minutes of a fourth‑line spot. This could also help address a key issue for this Oilers team, whose depth scoring cratered in 2025-26; without McDavid and Draisaitl on-ice, Edmonton scored fewer than 1.7 goals per hour at 5v5, a steep drop from the 2.42 rate they posted in 2022‑23. Theoretically, this is a way that Howard could provide great value to Edmonton.

However, this may not be the most viable option in this case. With Jason Dickinson re‑signed, it’s clear the Oilers envision a defensively oriented third line, one that is likely to be built to focus on taking tough matchups and limiting chances against.

Even though Howard made strides in his off‑puck game in Bakersfield, defending is not yet a strength of his in my view, and, obviously, it is counterproductive to place a young natural goal‑scorer on a defensive shutdown line. He should be playing in a spot that makes the most of his strengths, which are his offensive abilities.

There is one scenario where a third‑line role could work, if Edmonton ever considers playing Ryan Nugent‑Hopkins as a third‑line centre while Dickinson is bumped down to 4C. In that setup, I could absolutely see Howard generate chemistry with RNH and another winger, perhaps Mathieu Joseph or Kasperi Kapanen. However, given the Oilers’ five‑year commitment to Dickinson, and the fact that his underlying defensive results are genuinely strong, it is hard to imagine the team being comfortable relegating him to a fourth‑line role.

As for the fourth line, that should be off the table entirely. It should not even be a consideration to let Howard average 9 or less minutes per game there. It doesn’t benefit the team and actively harms the player’s development.

I am also not a fan of sending Howard back to Bakersfield for another season. Simply put, he has already demonstrated he can dominate at the AHL level, and I don’t see a lot more for him to prove down there. I believe this is an NHL-ready player who deserves a legitimate shot in Edmonton’s lineup.

So, what about the top six?

With all of that in mind, that leaves a spot somewhere in the top-six as the remaining option.

Firstly, there could absolutely be an offensive fit between Howard and Leon Draisaitl. Draisaitl’s elite playmaking paired with Howard’s quick release and knack for finding soft ice could produce a lot of goals. Certainly quite appealing on paper.

Still, I would like to revisit this article from May where I discussed what the optimal wingers look like for McDavid and Draisaitl. In regards to Draisaitl, the summary of what I wrote is that Draisaitl has historically played best with tenacious forecheckers, such as 2019-20 Kailer Yamamoto, Vasily Podkolzin, Kasperi Kapanen, and more. These are players that hunt loose pucks, disrupt opposition breakouts, and extend possession. That’s not exactly the type of player I would describe Howard as, whose underlying puck battle results from the NCAA were rather poor.

Conversely, Draisaitl has struggled to build chemistry with pure scorers. His underlying numbers with Evander Kane were abysmal, he never clicked with Jeff Skinner (though their TOI was limited, but worth noting nevertheless), and his results with Jack Roslovic were mediocre at best.

Of course, Howard isn’t Kane or Roslovic, and the point isn’t that Draisaitl can’t play well with scoring wingers. He absolutely can, given that the other winger on that line is defensively responsible and can forecheck. But, I think there is a meaningful difference between “Can Howard succeed on Draisaitl’s wing?” and “Is that the optimal deployment for him?”

I’d still be very intrigued by a line of Howard – Draisaitl – Podkolzin, with Podkolzin handling the bulk of the forechecking and defensive workload. That setup could work well. However, you do have to wonder if Draisaitl would be maximized with two forecheckers on his wings; think back to how much success he had with Podkolzin and Kapanen last season. This is also a big reason why I like the idea of Matt Savoie with Draisaitl and Podkolzin instead.

On the other hand, as noted in that earlier article, Connor McDavid has historically performed better next to scoring wingers than Draisaitl has. And there is another compelling reason why McDavid might benefit far more from a player like Ike Howard. Take a look at McDavid and Draisaitl’s 5‑on‑5 goal share with and without each other over the past two seasons:

Without McDavid, Draisaitl has done well with a 56 percent goal share. But without Draisaitl, McDavid’s goal share is just 51%. In terms of differential, that’s just +4. Obviously, still net positive, but that’s quite underwhelming given the fact that this is Connor McDavid.

The expected goal share here clearly indicates that McDavid’s line has been underachieving. Part of this is simply due to poor goaltending, but a big portion is lacklustre finishing. EvolvingHockey rates McDavid’s impact on generating even-strength scoring chances (RAPM xGF/60) to be the best in the league over the past two seasons, and it’s not exactly close. Yet, his impact on actual goals is noticeably lower, largely because the team has scored nearly 10 fewer goals than expected with McDavid on the ice without Draisaitl. Put simply, his wingers aren’t finishing the many quality chances he creates.

Particularly with Zach Hyman on his wing, who ranks fourth in generating scoring chances among all players, the top line is not in desperate need for another play‑driver. What they require is someone who can consistently finish the chances they create, and that’s exactly the type of element Howard can bring.

I believe Howard’s release is already at an NHL level. A shoot-first player with quick, efficient finishing is the sort of player that I think McDavid’s line has been missing for quite some time. If the Oilers want to fully maximize McDavid’s output at five‑on‑five, he needs a winger with real finishing talent, and Howard fits that description better than anyone currently in the system.

All things considered, it might be rather unconventional to start an unproven prospect on the top-line out of the gate to begin a season. But, the structure of Edmonton’s forward lineup and Howard’s set of skills creates a pretty unique set of circumstances. And, not to mention, the organization should be learning from the Dylan Holloway saga about what can happen when you don’t give your young forwards a legitimate opportunity.

There is real evidence to suggest that Howard can bring value on Connor McDavid’s wing, and I’d absolutely argue he’s earned the chance to prove it.

Find me on Twitter (@NHL_Sid)

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Help me become a better contrarian

Sun, 02 Aug 2026 13:43:00 -0400

Hey folks…

It's been a while since we've done an edition of The Contrarian. A reminder: You send in a statement that you think is obvious or inarguable, and I’ll try to come up with the contrarian view.

We've done a few of these, and the ones that work best find that sweet spot of feeling difficult but not impossible. "Mark Messier was a bad signing for the Canucks" and "Ray Bourque's Cup win was good" worked great. Stuff like "Connor McDavid is good at hockey" or "Ice is cold", not so much. Your job is to set me up, not stump me completely, although a little degree of difficulty should keep me sharp.

Send me your sure-thing statement via email at dgbcontrarian@gmail.com.

Winnipeg Jets Morning Papers: Today’s Hockey Headlines | August 2, 2026

Sun, 02 Aug 2026 07:30:28 -0400

A daily roundup of Jets, Moose coverage — all the pro hockey news that matters in Manitoba and beyond.

Can Vasily Podkolzin reach the next level? | 31 Oilers Questions (Day 1)

Sat, 01 Aug 2026 21:00:08 -0400

Vasily Podkolzin emerged as an important player for the Edmonton Oilers this past season. He was often in the top six, playing alongside either Leon Draisaitl or Connor McDavid, which resulted in a career-best 19 goals and 37 points in 82 games.

The question is, does Podkolzin have another gear?

Is there another level to Podkolzin’s game?

Drafted 10th overall in the 2019 draft by the Vancouver Canucks, Podkolzin had a strong rookie season, scoring 14 goals and 26 points in 79 games. The Russian winger couldn’t find the same success the next two seasons, amassing just four goals and nine points in his next 58 games.

The Canucks sold low before the 2024 draft, while the Oilers took a chance on a reclamation project who was drafted high. Podkolzin had an okay 2024-25 season, scoring eight goals and 24 points in 82 games, with another three goals and 10 points in 22 postseason games.

But for the first time in his career, the 25-year-old looked like a top six forward. He also happened to be the Oilers’ best player during their short 2026 playoff run, potting three goals and six points in six games, as well as a late fight in Game 3.

Of course, Podkolzin provides other important qualities such as stepping up for teammates after big hits and doing the little things for the skilled players. It’s safe to say that he took a step in 2025-26, becoming a reliable secondary option for the Oilers, but there’s another gear.

Podkolzin can be best described as a power forward. It’s well known that players with that archetype tend to take a while to develop, but in his age-24 season, he finally rounded into the player that the Canucks selected 10th overall.

He’ll be stapled to either McDavid or Draisaitl’s line, and 25 goals and 50 points seem like a possibility. Podkolzin could potentially score even more if he did as he did in the Oilers’ brief playoff run in 2026.

In order for this to happen, he’s going to need to find more offence, and without any time on the top power play unit, much of that production is going to come at five-on-five. That is, of course, unless the Oilers spread out the man advantage minutes a bit more than they have in years past. One common narrative in Edmonton’s hiring of Mike Babcock and D.J. Smith is wanting to find ways to get more contributions from everyone.

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on X at @Ryley__Delaney.

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Dickinson re-signing is proof Oilers have ‘unfinished business’

Sat, 01 Aug 2026 17:00:57 -0400

What’s the best quote of the summer from an Edmonton Oiler?

My money is on this one from Jason Dickinson during the media conference back in late June following his five-year contract extension.

“As soon as I came in, it felt like a place I wanted to be for a long time,” said Dickinson. “We connected with the guys really easily, and it’s a great place for our families to live and grow. Then you get the itch as soon as you start playing serious hockey.

“Although we lost in the first round and it sucked, I have that itch to keep going with this group. It’s not just an itch to be in the playoffs — it feels like unfinished business almost, that we have a good group that can push this forward. I want to be a part of that.”

Dickinson’s arrival with Connor Murphy showcased their no-nonsense, honest brand of hockey to the Oilers, which in turn was embraced by the fan base.

Both spoke about their goals to remain in the city, liking Edmonton for their families’ sake, and for the ultimate goal of winning a Stanley Cup.

They backed that up by agreeing to almost identical contracts on consecutive days, signing for five years, with Murphy earning a shade more at $4.1 million than Dickinson’s flat $4 million.

For Dickinson, the post-season was a frustrating exercise, as an ill-timed ankle injury at the tail end of the regular season hurt his ability to make a full impact.

Despite missing two games in the series, he scored a pair of goals in Game 1 against the Anaheim Ducks. What could have been? Murphy wondered.

“I think just moving forward, having a lot of time to sit on it and feel that pain of being out so early as a group brings back that motivation and health for everyone,” said Murphy. “Just making sure that the team puts our best foot forward and realizes what hasn’t worked in the past and what’s going to work going forward.”

When they spoke, Mike Babcock wasn’t officially hired yet, but Dickinson didn’t have an issue with it whatsoever. In fact, he said it was an exciting possibility.

Dickinson is comfortable in his own skin. He knows his role.

“If you start getting guys playing a different style of game, all of a sudden now – if you’re talking about Connor and Leon and the top six in particular – they’re not putting up 100 points, and you guys will start questioning why they’re not doing that,” said Dickinson.

“There’s a fine line of being focused on it (defensive play), but also allowing guys like myself and Murph to take on those responsibilities. You bring in these defensive-minded players that can manage those hard objectives to allow them to play a little bit freer against maybe a second or third line, instead of going up against top players all the time. They get a little bit of time to play easier matchups, and I get the job to make sure that they don’t score on us.”

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Malcom Gästrin’s rise through Sweden’s ranks caught Oilers’ attention

Sat, 01 Aug 2026 15:00:15 -0400

Making it to the NHL as a mid-round draft pick requires adaptability. A prospect’s skills must transfer as they climb the ranks and face higher-quality competition. So far, the Edmonton Oilers have seen exactly that from Malcom Gästrin.

The club selected Gästrin 84th overall after he moved up from Sweden’s under-18 league to the under-20 level and earned four games in Sweden’s men’s league, all before his 18th birthday. Playing at three different levels in a single season was a challenge, but one Gästrin fully embraced.

“It was a really fun season,” he told OilersTV’s Tony Brar … “The men are stronger, and you don’t get the same time out there as you do in under-18 and under-20.”

How did Malcom Gästrin rise through Sweden’s hockey ranks?

Gästrin started his draft year with Modo Jr under-18 and scored 12 goals and 30 points in 19 games. He maintained impressive production at the under-20 level, scoring 9 goals and 25 points in 24 games. While he only had a brief run against men, the Oilers were encouraged by his responsible play against bigger, stronger competition.

“Offensive players that track and are diligent in terms of turnovers and takeaways, that’s another marker in our profile,” said Oilers’ director of amateur scouting Rick Pracey. “That’s what we noticed at the pro level. We didn’t see an offensive spike, but from 18 to 20, yes, and that helped solidify our firmness to say we believe in it.”

Gästrin weighs just 174 pounds, but he has plenty of growth potential, both physically and mentally. His mid-August birthday made him one of the youngest players in this year’s draft.

“Sense, skill, compete were the boxes we’re looking for at that selection. We think there’s potential top-nine upside, but he needs to fill out,” said Pracey.

What is Malcom Gästrin’s play style and inspiration?

Gästrin’s instincts and competitiveness helped him get noticed by the Oilers. It’s his offensive mindset, though, that fuels him the most.

“I’m trying to compete every shift. I love to score goals and being in the offensive zone. That’s what I’m trying to do,” he said.

Growing up, Gästrin kept a keen eye on the NHL, where he learned different ways to apply his skills. The player he’s drawn the most inspiration from is Leon Draisaitl’s countryman, Tim Stützle.

“I love to watch Tim Stützle and try to do the same thing as him,” said Gästrin. “I’m watching a lot of video. I love to watch the NHL and try to do the same things, but in my league and my comfort.”

The effort Gästrin has put in, both on the ice and while studying the game, has taken him on quite a journey. In just one season, he moved up the ranks in Sweden and ended up in Edmonton. If his motor and commitment to getting better can translate to production against higher-level competition, we may see Gästrin in an Oiler uniform someday.

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Who is Frederick Andersen? 5 little-known facts about the Oilers’ goaltender

Sat, 01 Aug 2026 14:00:08 -0400

In one of the Edmonton Oilers’ final signings on July 1, it was announced that Stanley Cup–winning netminder Frederik Andersen was coming to Oil Country on a one-year deal with an average annual value (AAV) of $2.8 million.

I previously shared some interesting tidbits about Andersen, such as how head coach Mike Babcock helped him overcome mental hurdles during their time together with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Now, consider this Part Deux, as we uncover some more interesting things you may not have known about the Oilers’ new goaltender.

Andersen comes from a big hockey family, starting with his father

The love for hockey runs throughout the Andersen family.

Frederik Andersen was the first Danish goaltender to ever play in the NHL, meaning he didn’t have any Danish NHL netminders to look up to while growing up. He did, however, have his father, Ernst Andersen, to model his game after.

Ernst enjoyed a successful career as a goaltender, playing in Denmark’s top division for 17 seasons before later moving into a goaltending coaching role at both the local and national levels for 20 seasons. Most recently, he served as an assistant coach for Denmark’s U16 team last season.

Naturally, you’d think that because Frederik’s father was a netminder, he would have followed in his footsteps from the start, but that wasn’t the case. Ernst didn’t intend for his son to be a goalie at first; he simply wanted him to learn how to skate and learn other positions in hockey.

But whenever Frederik played with his friends, he kept drifting back between the pipes. It was Frederik who insisted that he wanted to play goal, saying in an NHL.com article from 2021, “I kept begging him until I think I was nine or 10 and he finally said okay, you can go try and play it.”

Andersen and his father, Ernst, get ready to board the team’s plane during the Fathers & Mentors Trip in 2022. Photo: Josh Lavallee / Carolina Hurricanes / NHL.com

But the Andersen family’s hockey ties don’t stop with Frederik and Ernst.

NHL.com also mentioned that Frederik’s mother also played hockey as a forward. His brother, Sebastian, and sister, Amalie, both play defence, with the latter having spent four seasons playing for the University of Maine.

Also, his younger brother, Valdemar, is a goaltender as well, playing with the Minnesota Wilderness of the NAHL last season. Moreover, Frederik’s cousin, Emma-Sofie Norstrom, continues the family’s goaltending tradition, having represented Denmark on numerous occasions, playing for St. Lawrence University over the last four seasons, and was recently drafted by Hamilton in the PWHL.

Andersen was drafted twice in the NHL Draft

With one pick remaining in the 2010 NHL Draft, the Carolina Hurricanes decided to take a chance on a young Danish goaltender who stood 6-foot-4 and weighed 220 pounds.

As Chip Alexander mentioned, Andersen had caught the eye of Hurricanes scouts while playing with Denmark’s national team because of his size, mobility, and instincts, and the Hurricanes selected him with the 187th overall pick in 2010.

While the netminder attended the Hurricanes’ prospect development camp that followed, he did not sign a contract with the team. Because after looking at the club’s depth chart in net, with Cam Ward as the starter at the time, Andersen didn’t see a clear path for himself in Carolina.

Thereafter, the netminder returned to the Danish league for one more season before playing a year in the Swedish Elite League (SEL). His strong play overseas caught the attention of the Anaheim Ducks, who selected him with the 87th overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft, two years after he was first selected in the draft.

After three years with the Ducks, the netminder was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he played for five seasons. Then, in an almost full-circle moment, Andersen signed with the Hurricanes in 2021, nearly 11 years after they originally selected him with the 187th pick.

Andersen tied NHL record for fastest to 50 career wins

Andersen’s NHL debut came during the 2013–14 season with the Ducks, where he posted a stellar rookie record of 20-5-0, along with a 2.29 goals-against average (GAA) and a .923 save percentage (SV%).

The following season, netminder Jonas Hiller left in free agency, and Andersen shared the crease with John Gibson before gradually taking over the starter’s role. That said, on March 3, 2015, in just his 68th NHL game, Andersen recorded his 50th career NHL win.

NOTE: @f_andersen30 (50-13-5) joined MTL's Bill Durnan (50-9-9) as the fastest goalies in @NHL history to 50 wins (68 career decisions).

— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) March 4, 2015

In the process, he tied Montreal Canadiens Hall of Fame goaltender Bill Durnan’s 1944 record as the fastest goaltender to reach the 50-victory mark in NHL history. Also, as Scott Burnside noted in 2017, in a fun gesture to reward his teammates for their help, the Danish netminder had Bang & Olufsen audio products placed in each of his teammates’ stalls by the training staff.

Andersen was second fastest in NHL history to 300 career wins

There’s a long list of legendary netminders who have recorded 300 or more NHL career wins, including Patrick Roy, Martin Brodeur, Jacques Plante, and Terry Sawchuk, just to name a few.

But did you know Andersen was the second-fastest goaltender in NHL history to reach 300 career wins?

On January 24, 2025, Andersen made 22 stops for the Hurricanes in a 7-3 victory, earning his 300th career win. In doing so, he became just the 42nd goaltender in NHL history to achieve the milestone, reaching 300 wins in the second-fastest time at 501 games, with Andrei Vasilevskiy the only netminder to do it faster at 490 games.

Andersen currently sits 32nd all-time on the NHL goaltender wins list with 324 career victories. Next season, he has the opportunity to pass several notable netminders on the wins list, including Harry Lumley, Gump Worsley, and Nikolai Khabibulin, and move into the top 30 all-time.

Andersen’s love for Lego found its way onto his goalie masks throughout his NHL career

Before Frederik Andersen built an impressive NHL career, he was just like many other Danish children growing up — playing with Lego and developing a love for the iconic toy.

Founded in 1932 in Billund, Denmark, Lego became a staple of childhood for generations of Danish children. For Andersen, who grew up in Herning, Denmark, about a 45-minute drive from where Lego was created, playing with Lego sets was a big part of his childhood, and that passion eventually carried over into his NHL journey.

Not only did Andersen visit Legoland with the Stanley Cup during his Day with the Cup, as Michael Menzies recently wrote, but the netminder has also showcased his love of Lego throughout his NHL career by featuring Lego characters on his goalie masks with each NHL team he has played for.

In 2014–15, Andersen’s mask with the Ducks featured a Lego figure wearing a goalie mask while building a brick wall, and the following season, he added multiple Lego Batman figures to his mask.

The 40th anniversary of the LEGO minifigure gives us an excuse to post one of our favorite mask designs, specifically @f_andersen30’s LEGO themed @BauerHockey masks painted by @daveartofficial. The design is a nod to Andersen’s Danish roots (LEGO was founded in Denmark). pic.twitter.com/1BQ4ZHGyd3

— Goalie Gear Nerd (@GoalieGearNerd) August 29, 2018

With the Maple Leafs, he had a mask featuring a blue Lego Batman figure overlooking the Toronto skyline, followed by another with a Matrix-inspired Lego figure. He carried the tradition over with the Hurricanes, placing a Lego figure on the side of his mask.

Now, the big question Oilers fans must be wondering is what type of Lego character he will feature on his Oilers-style mask. Perhaps a Lego figure climbing the Talus Balls? A Lego foodie enjoying some donairs? Or a Lego hockey player going for a skate at the West Edmonton Mall Ice Palace? The possibilities are endless.

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Who is Frederik Andersen? 5 little-known facts about the Oilers’ goaltender

Sat, 01 Aug 2026 14:00:08 -0400

Andersen comes from a big hockey family, starting with his father

The love for hockey runs throughout the Andersen family.

Andersen and his father, Ernst, get ready to board the team’s plane during the Fathers & Mentors Trip in 2022. Photo: Josh Lavallee / Carolina Hurricanes / NHL.com

But the Andersen family’s hockey ties don’t stop with Frederik and Ernst.

Andersen was drafted twice in the NHL Draft

With one pick remaining in the 2010 NHL Draft, the Carolina Hurricanes decided to take a chance on a young Danish goaltender who stood 6-foot-4 and weighed 220 pounds.

Andersen tied NHL record for fastest to 50 career wins

NOTE: @f_andersen30 (50-13-5) joined MTL's Bill Durnan (50-9-9) as the fastest goalies in @NHL history to 50 wins (68 career decisions).

— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) March 4, 2015

Andersen was second fastest in NHL history to 300 career wins

There’s a long list of legendary netminders who have recorded 300 or more NHL career wins, including Patrick Roy, Martin Brodeur, Jacques Plante, and Terry Sawchuk, just to name a few.

But did you know Andersen was the second-fastest goaltender in NHL history to reach 300 career wins?

Andersen’s love for Lego found its way onto his goalie masks throughout his NHL career

Before Frederik Andersen built an impressive NHL career, he was just like many other Danish children growing up — playing with Lego and developing a love for the iconic toy.

In 2014–15, Andersen’s mask with the Ducks featured a Lego figure wearing a goalie mask while building a brick wall, and the following season, he added multiple Lego Batman figures to his mask.

The 40th anniversary of the LEGO minifigure gives us an excuse to post one of our favorite mask designs, specifically @f_andersen30’s LEGO themed @BauerHockey masks painted by @daveartofficial. The design is a nod to Andersen’s Danish roots (LEGO was founded in Denmark). pic.twitter.com/1BQ4ZHGyd3

— Goalie Gear Nerd (@GoalieGearNerd) August 29, 2018

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Credit Where It's Due

Sat, 01 Aug 2026 13:31:34 -0400

I'll be the first to tell you that I rarely ever celebrate anything that the IIHF does. Yes, they've done some good things to push international hockey to a better place, but they often kowtow to bigger forces like the NHL and the IOC when it comes to important moments and events. With one of those two - specifically, the IOC - allowing Russia and Belarus back into the upcoming Olympic Games, it seemed like the IOC had once again turned the screws on the IIHF who has oversight on the Olympic hockey events. Tape screech sound effect, though, because it seems the IIHF not only has teeth, but is willing to bite the hand of the IOC with their announcment today regarding the two countries.

We'll go back to 2022 when the International Ice Hockey Federation banned both Russia and Belarus from international hockey events "until further notice" after Russia invaded Ukraine, sparking a war that has lasted longer than the six weeks that Vladimir Putin had predicted. The IIHF also pulled the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship from Novosibirsk, Russia, further backing their commitment to upholding member nations participating in events as long as they were in good standing on the world stage.

2023 saw the IIHF uphold the ban as the IIHF expressed "security concerns for players, competition staff and fans" over including Russia and Belarus at international hockey events. IIHF president Luc Tardif stated bluntly, "Too many risks" when asked if the two countries would return, and I was again was relieved that the IIHF was taking its founding principles seriously. I'll give them credit.

2024 saw more of the same from the IIHF as the ban was extended again, stating in a release that "it is not yet safe to reincorporate the Russian and Belarusian teams back into IIHF competitions". Those security concerns would extend the ban through 2025's events, and it would carry into 2026 where the IIHF saw its icy stance start to thaw.

It's hard to imagine that the IIHF was going to look at Russian and Belarus as being welcomed at any event, but the IIHF was willing to look at each situation on a case-by-case basis. The IIHF made it clear that this decision "explicitly confirmed that this does not mean that Russia has automatically been reintegrated" and that the decision to "reintegrate Belarus at the under-18 men's and women's events and the women's Division IV world championship" would move forward.

With the war between Russia and Ukraine still ongoing, on what planet did the IIHF think this was close to being a good idea?

Sometimes, a bad idea just needs some real world testing to reverse the decision made, and the IIHF did that on Thursday, stating "that Russia will not be allowed to participate in... IIHF Championships during the 2026-2027 season due to ongoing safety, security and sporting integrity concerns". As much as I dislike Belarus' inclusion, keeping Russia out is the right decision considering their ongoing war with Ukraine. This was the right move based on world events.

I've seen people on social media already criticizing the IIHF over this decision, saying that hockey is less without Russia's participation. To that end, I say you're welcome to your opinion despite it being completely ignorant of what the people of Ukraine - also an IIHF member! - are going through in this war they didn't want. People claim that Russian athletes have no say in what their military is doing, but each member of Russia's hockey player will wear the Russian Ice Hockey Federation's jersey as a national symbol.

Indirectly, that's support of Russia's war efforts because of how tightly hockey is tied to Russian culture and how the federation is funded.

If Russia wanted their athletes participating in the World Juniors or World Championships, they could easily do that by abandoning their war efforts in Ukraine and leaving the Ukrainian territory immediately. It would take some time for the world to trust that the Russians were serious about their intentions to rejoin the majority of the planet in trying to be good neighbours, but at least they could find some solace in that their athletes would be back on international stages where they could compete. But that's not going to happen.

If there's one thing that today's world lacks more than anything else, it's empathy for others. When one considers the plight of the Ukrainian people who wanted nothing to do with this war, but are forced to defend themselves, we might want to take a stand against the bully known as Russia. Hockey doesn't matter when it comes to helping a country defeat evil, but keeping them out of international hockey tournaments is a good message to send to Russia that they're not welcome at the party while being bullying a smaller country.

It doesn't take a lot to be a morally-sound person, and the IIHF deserves a little credit for making the right decision here. For as profitable as future IIHF tournaments could be with Russia involved, being a better organization will have longer-lasting effects than the short-term gain of letting warmongering Russia back into the game.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Another Dumb Idea

Sat, 01 Aug 2026 10:26:44 -0400

As a guy who watched a hockey team make the inexplicable decision to simply walk away from a radio contract that had brought the team some popularity in its market, it was hard to understand what the Columbus Blue Jackets were trying to achieve by not renewing the contract of radio play-by-play broadcaster Bob McElligott. McElligott had 17 years of experience calling games on the radio, and he was a trusted voice for Blue Jackets fans. Starting this season, that voice will be absent as the team looks to simulcast its TV broadcast on the radio which may lead to no radio in the future.

As per the announcement today, "all Blue Jackets game broadcasts will be simulcast across television and radio platforms, allowing fans to experience the same live game coverage whether watching on television or listening on the radio". Steve Mears and Jody Shelley will be calling the action on both mediums now, but this idea seems to forget that these two mediums are significantly different in how the actual broadcasts sound. TV is not radio, so this could go poorly.

As you likely know from watching hockey on TV, the action on the TV doesn't always have to be described because you, as the viewer, can see it. It's part of the reason why every ticket to a game doesn't come with a guy who sits besides you and describes the action. You're able to process what's happening on the ice because you can see it, and the TV broadcast will call the play and fill in the analysis gaps.

You don't get that same benefit with radio because there is no visual component. The audio hardly lends itself to knowing what's happening on the ice, so the radio play-by-play person does a lot more talking to describe what's happening on the ice at all times. There's a signficant difference in how the game sounds when there are big gaps between plays called on radio whereas TV can handle that with its visuals. That's why TV-to-radio simulcasts don't work.

If the Columbus Blue Jackets are letting Bob McElligott as a cost-cutting move, there are likely hundreds of other things they could have done to save a few bucks because there is no way their product will sound better on the radio by using the TV broadcast as its play-by-play. No longer will be there be different analysis done by different people because the single broadcast removes those other voices who bring a different perspective and different experiences to the game. Losing those voices doesn't make the game better.

My hope is that Bob McElligott gets picked up by another team because he was very good at his job. For the handful of games that I heard him call, he was always professional, sounded well-prepared, and called the game with passion. Wherever he lands, he'll bring those traits to his new job, but I really hope he finds his way back to a hockey broadcast booth. His talents make the game sound great!

Oscar Wilde wrote in The Picture of Dorian Gray, "There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about." It appears that the Columbus Blue Jackets are fully prepared to test that famous quotation this season.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Winnipeg Jets Morning Papers: Today’s Hockey Headlines | August 1, 2026

Sat, 01 Aug 2026 07:30:37 -0400

A daily roundup of Jets, Moose coverage — all the pro hockey news that matters in Manitoba and beyond.

The fights that didn’t make the cut: Top Edmonton Oilers fights of 2025-26

Sat, 01 Aug 2026 01:00:34 -0400

This summer, Oilersnation will recap the top five Edmonton Oilers goals, the top five fights, and the top five overall moments from the up-and-down 2025-26 season.

This past season, the Edmonton Oilers dropped the gloves 22 times, tied for sixth-most in the National Hockey League. Funnily enough, they were the final team to fight this season.

So far, we’ve looked at four of the five top-rated fights on hockeyfights.com, some the Oilers have won, another one they’ve lost, and in the other one, Trent Frederic had a rough day.

In this article, we’ll look at the honourable mentions that weren’t rated in the top five!

Which Vasily Podkolzin bouts earned honourable mentions among Oilers fights?

There is no Oiler who has two top-five rated fights on HockeyFights. Even more surprising is the fact that the player who dropped the gloves the most, Vasily Podkolzin, doesn’t have a top-five rated fight after having the highest-rated fight for the 2024-25 season.

The Russian winger dropped the gloves five times, with the next closest Oiler dropping the mitts four times. Podkolzin has a tendency to stick up for his teammates, and that was no different in his fight of the season. Earlier in the game, Peyton Krebs hit Connor McDavid into the boards, and Podkolzin sought him out at the end of the second period. Podkolzin was the clear victor in this fight.

In January, Jonathan Kovacevic hit McDavid on a zone entry, and Podkolzin took exception. It was a short fight, rated 4.17, but most hockeyfights voters gave it to the Oiler. The same thing happened when Ottawa Senators’ forward Ridly Greig laid a massive hit on Mattias Ekholm. Podkolzin stepped in and was the clear winner.

In March, Ozzy Wiesblatt hit Leon Draisaitl around the benches, forcing him to miss the remainder of the regular season. Podkolzin attempted to fight him, but Nicolas Hague stepped in and the two squared up in a rather even fight. Of the 67 HockeyFights voters, it was split down the middle, as both Podkolzin and Hague received 30 votes, and seven voted for a draw.

Podkolzin’s lone fight that wasn’t in retaliation for a fight came in the postseason. With the Oilers blown out late in Game 3, Podkolzin squared up with Jeffrey Viel, showing a bit of frustration. The Oiler was voted the winner, and HockeyFights voters gave it a 4 rating.

Podkolzin isn’t afraid to answer the bell when called upon either. His final fight of the regular season and his highest rating fight came against the Tampa Bay Lightning in late March. After delivering a tag team hit on Brandon Hagel, Anthony Cirelli stood up for his teammate and promptly got his beaten up by Podkolzin. The Oiler was the decisive winner and HockeyFights voters gave it a 5.21 rating.

What other Oilers fights from 2025-26 were worth mentioning?

There were three games that featured two fights this past. That game against the Lightning was one of them, as Connor Murphy dropped the gloves with Pontus Holmberg. Like the hit on Hagel, Nurse and Murphy hit Holmberg at the same time, leading to the fight. HockeyFights voters rated it 4.98, with Murphy just eking out the victory in an even tilt.

Murphy was involved in another two-fight game, the final game of the season. Facing the Vancouver Canucks, Murphy levelled Marcus Pettersson, and Drew O’Connor stepped up. The short fight didn’t end well, with Murphy getting a few lefts off before they lost balance. Murphy was the decisive victor, and this fight earned a 4.48 rating on HockeyFights.

Earlier in the game, Colton Dach hit Zeev Buium and gave him an extra shot. Elias Pettersson (the defenceman) stood up for the young defenceman, and Dach obliged. It was another short wrestling match that ended after Dach lost balance. It earned a 3.42 rating on HockeyFights.

And who could forget Connor Clattenburg’s first NHL fight? Facing the Seattle Kraken in an already testy game (see Alec Regula vs Tye Kartye), Clattenburg hit a Kraken into the boards. Frédérick Gaudreau stepped in and clearly didn’t know much about Clattenburg because he was sitting on the ice five seconds later. Clattenburg easily won this fight, with the fight itself being given a 4.6 rating according to HockeyFights.

Clattenburg is one of the toughest players in the organization, but what’s important for the Oilers’ fifth-rounder in 2024 is to develop as a hockey player. The fighting is there, the agitation is there, but can he chip in with 10 goals a season? That’s what’ll determine if he’ll stick around in the NHL.

What were the Oilers’ top fights of the 2025-26 season?

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on X at @Ryley__Delaney.

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Oilersnation Radio: How long can the Oilers run a three-goalie system?

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 22:00:00 -0400

It’s Friday afternoon, which means a fresh episode of Oilersnation Radio is ready to massage your eardrums with an hour of off-season Oilers talk. On today’s podcast, the fellas discussed the non-Oilers the boys loved on teams they hated, the Elks’ hot run, another round of Ask the Idiots, line combinations, and more.

We kicked off the Friday episode of ONR with a delicious debate about other NHL teams and specifically if there were any players on those teams that the boys loved even if they hated the team they played for. Whether it was Miikka Kiprusoff in Calgary or Corey Perry in Anaheim or Rick Nash on those terrible Columbus teams, there were a bunch of players the boys spoke about despite not necessarily liking their team. That also led to a discussion about players they currently despise for their success against the team.

Shifting gears, the guys continued on with a conversation about Prime Video taking over Wednesday night hockey and three playoff series for the next 12 years. Given that hockey fans will need to add another subscription to watch games this year, the boys discussed whether or not the NHL is doing anything properly when it comes to growing the game. They also discussed Connor McDavid’s comments on the Oilers’ three-goalie setup, and whether or not anyone believes that this can last for more than a month or two.

Finally, we wrapped up the Friday episode of ONR with another round of betting talk, discussed the Edmonton Elks’ hot run in the CFL, worked through another round of Ask the Idiots questions, and finally, Hot and Cold Performers. While this week’s episode followed the same general format, the Friday episode of ONR was all over the map with the lack of Oilers news. Even so, the boys had a lot of fun working through a few hockey stories before having the podcast wind up in the ditch from there.

Listen to the Friday episode of Oilersnation Radio below:

Subscribe to Oilersnation Radio for FREE on Soundcloud here, on Apple Podcasts, or wherever else you get your podcasts from!

NHL Notebook: Sharks re-sign Collin Graf; SHL team cancels Cal Foote contract

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 17:00:19 -0400

Days after getting a key piece of business done, signing superstar Macklin Celebrini to a five-year contract extension, the San Jose Sharks got some other work completed Friday, re-signing Collin Graf to a three-year contract.

Graf’s new deal will see him earn a $4.25 million annual average value, the Sharks said in a release.

The 23-year-old just finished his first full season in the NHL, scoring 21 goals and 46 points in 81 games. In the two prior years, he totalled five goals and 13 points in 40 games.

“Collin was a big part of our team’s improvement this past season, being an effective penalty killer for us and his versatility in the lineup was extremely valuable,” said Sharks general manager Mike Grier. “His hard working attitude and work ethic is a big reason why his game took another stride last year, and he continues to be an important person in our young group of players. We’re happy we are able to keep him a Shark for the next several seasons.”

Some Edmonton Oilers fans theorized he could be part of a return in a trade to send Darnell Nurse to the Bay Area, before the team picked up defenceman Shakir Mukhamadullin and defensive prospect Zack Sharp in the July 1 trade.

Graf was a restricted free agent without offer sheet eligibility after finishing his entry-level contract, according to PuckPedia, who report his deal will be fully paid in salary. The deal also comes with no movement protection.

Why did Färjestad BK cancel Cal Foote’s SHL contract?

Just two days after announcing they had signed former NHL defenceman Cal Foote, the Swedish Hockey League’s (SHL) Färjestad BK announced they would back out of the contract.

The 27-year-old Foote was one of five members of the 2018 Canadian Junior Team who faced sexual assault charges in relation to an incident that occurred in June 2018. All five members, including Foote, Dillon Dubé, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, and Michael McLeod, were all found not guilty by Justice Maria Carroccia in July 2025.

Färjestad BK said in a statement, translated from Swedish to English with Google Translate, the organization reached the decision after hearing from, and speaking to, “supporters, members, partners, leaders, employees, and others who care about Färjestad BK.”

“Many have shared concerns, disappointment, and questions about our decision to sign the player,” the statement continued.

“When we made the decision to sign the player, we did so after a thorough review of the facts and several conversations with people with good insight into the matter. Our overall perception and assessment based on both the history and the person we met differs from the picture that has been presented in recent days. This meant that we made the decision even though we knew that the signing would arouse emotions and different opinions.

“The developments in recent days have made it clear that the situation has reached a scale that affects people in and around our club in a way that we cannot possibly ignore. The conditions to give the team, club or player in question the focus required to carry out their tasks in a good way no longer exist. In that situation, we have a responsibility to act based on the situation that prevails here and now.”

After spending the 2024-25 season playing in Slovakia, Foote spent last season with the Chicago Wolves, the AHL affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes, scoring four goals and 18 points. Foote, the son of former NHL player and coach Adam Foote, was drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning 14th overall in the 2017 draft.

Where are the other members of the Canada’s 2018 World Junior team trial playing now?

Dubé, 28, spent last season with the AHL’s Springfield Thunder, affiliate of the St. Louis Blues, and signed a one-year contract with the NHL club on July 1. Hart, 27, returned to the NHL last year, signing a two-year, $2 million AAV deal with the Vegas Golden Knights, appearing in 18 regular season games and 22 playoff games enroute to their Stanley Cup final loss to the Hurricanes.

Formenton, 26, has spent three of the last four years playing for the Swiss League’s HC Ambrì-Piotta. In June, the Ottawa Senators cut ties with the player, making him an unrestricted free agent. He doesn’t have a contract to play hockey next season. McLeod, 28, has spent the last two years playing in the KHL, and is signed to play for Avangard Omsk for next year.

Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s managing editor and The Nation Network’s news director. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.

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TSN 1050 | Conversation with Winnipeg Jets winger Cole Perfetti

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 15:59:39 -0400

The Jets winger joined Cauz and Colaiacovo for a 15-minute chat covering his summer, new contract and more.

Oilers’ top moments of 2025-26: First career goals and highlights

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 13:00:31 -0400

This summer, Oilersnation will recap the top five Edmonton Oilers goals, the top five fights, and the top five overall moments from the up-and-down 2025-26 season.

After back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances, there weren’t a whole lot of positives from the Oilers 2025-26 season. Their 93 regular-season points were the fewest in any non-COVID season since 2018-19. They still made the playoffs, but they didn’t go far, as they fell in six games to the Anaheim Ducks.

Still, there were a handful of notable moments that didn’t make our top five list, and in this article, we’ll take a look at them.

Which Oilers players scored their first career NHL goal in 2025-26?

Matt Savoie

There were a handful of first career goals this past season, the most notable of which belonged to Matt Savoie. Facing the New York Rangers on Oct. 30, the rookie received a fortunate bounce off his skate late in a power play to give the Oilers the lead. It wasn’t pretty, but a goal is a goal.

Matthew Savoie First NHL Goal!

Connor McDavid’s spin-o-rama goal named best Oilers goal of 2025-26

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 11:00:08 -0400

This summer, Oilersnation will recap the top five Edmonton Oilers goals, the top five fights, and the top five overall moments from the up-and-down 2025-26 season.

To the surprise of no one, the best player of all-time happened to score the best goal for the Edmonton Oilers this past season. Connor McDavid’s goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Nov. 10, 2025, was always going to be the best goal from the 2025-26 season.

This game was one of the better games of the Oilers’ season; it had everything. Trent Frederic dropped the gloves with Mathieu Olivier, one of the top-rated Oilers fights this season. Jake Walman scored a late-game-tying goal before the Oilers completed the comeback in overtime. That overtime goal was scored by Jack Roslovic, the first of two consecutive games that Roslovic scored during three-on-three action.

On top of all that, McDavid’s early-in-the-third-period goal ranks as our best Oiler goal of the season.

McDavid breaks ankles with a spin-o-rama

Remember Linus Omark’s shootout goal that began with a spin-o-rama, featured a fake slapshot, and won the game for the Oilers? Yeah, that goal has nothing on McDavid’s goal.

Receiving the puck in the neutral zone, McDavid got the zone and the Oilers had a two-on-two rush with a Blue Jacket defender not far behind. But McDavid doesn’t need a teammate. At the top of the faceoff circle, he made a quick move to get the puck on his forehand while feinting to the left.

CONNOR MCDAVID SITS HIM DOWN!

WE BACK UP.

Oilers prospect Tommy Lafrenière targets Canada World Junior spot

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 09:00:28 -0400

A recent Edmonton Oilers draft pick is looking to make his mark on the international stage for the first time.

Tommy Lafrenière, drafted 83rd overall by the Oilers in 2025, is one of 18 forwards representing Canada at this year’s World Junior Summer Showcase in Windsor, Ont.

“I just want to show my game, show what I can do,” he told TSN’s Mark Masters. “I’m here for a reason. I’m super excited to be here, so I’ll just push as hard as I can and do what I can.”

Lafrenière is coming off an excellent campaign with the Kamloops Blazers, in which he increased his point total by 21 from the previous season. While he has never played for Team Canada at a major tournament, Lafrenière believes his recent improvements will impress Hockey Canada brass — especially the adjustments he’s made defensively.

“I’m a 200-foot player. I like to play fast, and I’m an honest player,” he said. “I think my defensive game has taken a big step. It’s been something I’ve been working on with my coaches quite a bit, and in the past year it’s gone up quite a bit … just being more aware and not cheating hockey, playing the right way.”

How does Tommy Lafrenière feel about representing Team Canada in Edmonton?

The summer showcase may be a set of exhibition games, but according to Lafrenière, the team is already focused, with their eyes on gold this winter.

“We’re super excited. I think we’re focused on one thing, and that’s winning gold. We’re going to start here at the showcase and show what we can do. And I think it’s going to be a good week.”

Like most young hockey players in Canada, Lafrenière grew up watching the World Juniors, dreaming about one day playing in the tournament.

“Just seeing guys left and right getting drafted and going to play in the World Juniors, and just watching them and hoping to be there one day. It was always pretty cool to watch, and to see Canada win gold was one of my favourite things ever.”

What is Tommy Lafrenière’s history with the world junior championship?

This year’s World Juniors will be hosted by Edmonton, a place that’s become familiar to Lafrenière, having been drafted by the Oilers a year ago. If he makes the team, he could end up battling fellow Oilers prospects Asher Barnett and Ryan Cameron, who are currently representing Team USA at the summer showcase.

Edmonton recently hosted the World Juniors in 2021 and 2022; however, both tournaments were derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 edition was played without fans, as Canada won a silver medal in an empty, cavernous Rogers Place. In 2022, the tournament was rescheduled to mid-August, which eroded fan support until the gold medal game, where Canada defeated Finland in an overtime thriller. This time, Edmonton should finally get a proper World Junior experience.

“I’m a little bit familiar with the area, so that rink is pretty awesome, and I think the energy is going to be pretty electric,” said Lafrenière. “They seem extremely passionate. They want their team to win. It’s a pretty cool atmosphere over there.”

PRESENTED BY CAPITAL GMC BUICK

Q&A With: Alaska-Anchorage Coach Eric Rud

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 05:00:00 -0400

Eric Rud takes over as the new head coach at Alaska-Anchorage, after spending recent seasons as an assistant coach at St. Cloud State. The former Colorado College defenseman has head coaching experience, for the St. Cloud State women's program and in the USHL.CHN: It's been a long and winding road to get where you are, and you have been a head coach, obviously, in college hockey on the women's side...

Real Life Podcast: The Decade of Darkness, old Nation Gear designs, and other random shenanigans

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 22:00:36 -0400

Thursday afternoon means a fresh episode of Real Life was recorded and edited, and it’s ready to help you wrap up the week. On today’s podcast, the guys discussed the insane Edmonton weather we’re having, Tyler’s vacation plans, old Nation Gear designs, and much more.

The guys kicked off this week’s episode of Real Life with a run of topics that were not at all planned and completely random. Given that there is next to no Oilers news happening right now, the boys had the opportunity to wander into whatever topic they chose whether it was a good idea or not. From Tony Romo’s legal situation to taking Ubers home from the bar to bossing robots around, the first segment of the podcast was all over the map and made no sense whatsoever.

Changing gears, Tyler walked the boys through his upcoming holiday plans and how he’s still not sure whether he’ll be able to take his electric hummer on his road trip. Given that superchargers aren’t overly plentiful in Alberta yet, the choice of taking his Hummer on the road is almost being stripped from him. That said, these are champagne problems to say the least. Will Tyler get sympathy from the audience? Unlikely.

Finally, the guys wrapped up the podcast on the Thursday episode of Real Life with a run of topics, starting with a recap of old Nation Gear designs that Rick brought into the office from the archives, and how there have been some horrible designs. From there, the guys looked back in Oilers history and had a conversation about how bad some of the old Decade of Darkness seasons where despite ON being around the whole time.

Listen to the Thursday episode of Real Life below:

Subscribe to the Real Life Podcast for FREE on Spotify here, on Apple Podcasts here, on YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Ty Emberson vs. Joel Hanley: Top Oilers fights of 2025-26

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 19:00:54 -0400

This summer, Oilersnation will recap the top five Edmonton Oilers goals, the top five fights, and the top five overall moments from the up-and-down 2025-26 season.

There’s nothing better than a red-hot Battle of Alberta. On the rare occasion both teams are good, which is mainly the Calgary Flames’ fault, tempers tend to flare up.

Who could forget the 2019-20 season? With the two teams playoff-bound, there was a lot to play for entering the new year. The two teams played each other four times in a little over a month, and a Matthew Tkachuk hit on Jan. 11 was the spark that set things off.

Kassian and Tkachuk fought on Jan. 29, as did Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Sean Monahan. In their final matchup on Feb. 1, all hell broke loose, and Mike Smith fought Cam Talbot in one of the most entertaining games of my lifetime.

Of course, 2020 is associated with something else, and the global pandemic robbed us of a possible first-round matchup between two teams. Two years later, the two Albertan teams did play, and while it was high-scoring and chippy, no fights happened. The Oilers eventually won the series in five, and the Flames have been in a rebuild ever since.

Although the Flames are, let’s put it frankly, bad, there was still some tension this past season. The two teams weren’t very festive in their two games near the holiday break, with 10 players getting a game misconduct at the conclusion of Dec. 23’s game. Not much happened in their game four days later, but the best fight of the Oilers’ season came on February 4th, 2026.

How did the fight between Ty Emberson and Joel Hanley unfold?

This time around, there was no spark like Tkachuk’s hit on Kassian. It was just two featherweights dropping the gloves after an icing. Hell, there’s no way to explain this fight other than they threw caution to the wind, exchanging punches in the pocket. Both landed strong punches, and it didn’t faze either player.

As for the hockeyfights voting, 41 of the 77 voters saw this as a draw, and it’s not hard to see why. Overall, it received a 7.31 rating, not just the highest-ranked Oilers fight, but also the highest-voted Flames fight.

In fact, there were very few fights this past season, and those that did either had a goalie involved or saw notable fighters like Mathieu Olivier, Nicolas Deslauriers, Arber Xhekaj, and others of that ilk. Emberson and Hanley, two players who don’t fight often, needed to have a special fight to get a rating this high, and they did just that.

At the end of the fight, the two players showed respect, and while neither player won the fight, the fans watching this game were the winners.

What were the Oilers’ top fights of the 2025-26 season?

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on X at @Ryley__Delaney.

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‘It’s really exciting’: McDavid, Oilers discuss new three-goalie system

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 17:00:09 -0400

After back-to-back years of trotting out Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard as their opening-night goalies, the Edmonton Oilers will do something completely different in 2026-27: rotate through three goaltenders.

Going into the off-season, Tristan Jarry was the only goalie the Oilers had under contract, but on July 1, the team acquired Devon Levi from the Buffalo Sabres — a former top prospect who hadn’t yet made a full-time jump to the NHL. Later that afternoon, they signed reigning Stanley Cup champion Frederik Andersen to a one-year, $1 million contract.

In a recent slew of interviews at the Zach Hyman Celebrity Classic, several Oilers expressed their excitement with the new goalies, including the team’s captain, Connor McDavid.

“[Andersen] was really solid. Obviously, it’s really exciting. Even bringing in Levi, too. You know, having kind of a three-goalie system,” said McDavid. “Carolina’s obviously done that for a little bit. They obviously had success, and you know, injuries happen, and you always need to have somebody ready to go in there, and we’ll always have that.”

Why are NHL teams adopting three-goalie rotations?

While three-goalie systems were once heavily stigmatized in the NHL, modern sports science and the growing appetite for load management have begun to change that perception. Last season, the Carolina Hurricanes, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, and Vegas Golden Knights each ran three-goalie systems at some point during the year, and all of them made deep runs in the playoffs.

“I think it’s going to become more common in the coming years,” said Oilers general manager Stan Bowman earlier this off-season. “Buffalo and Carolina, they both had a lot of success (last season). It’s been uncommon, for sure, in the past. But the way the schedule goes, in the modern game, goalies just aren’t playing 60, 70 games a year.”

Frederik Andersen will reunite with Zach Hyman and Mike Babcock

An extra goalie in the rotation should be particularly appealing to Andersen, who has struggled to stay healthy during his tenure with Carolina. Before he joined the Hurricanes in 2021, Andersen spent five seasons as the Toronto Maple Leafs’ starting goalie, starting over 60 games in three separate campaigns. Hyman, who was in Toronto for Andersen’s entire tenure, was glad to be reunited with his former teammate.

“He just got married, so big congrats to Freddie,” Hyman said. “And he just won, obviously, so two rings for him in one summer, which is pretty good … He’s an unbelievable person, unbelievable teammate, unbelievable goalie, who’s now won, right, and that’s his pedigree. So, we’re lucky to have him.”

Andersen will not only be reuniting with Hyman but also with Mike Babcock, who was the head coach during his time with the Leafs. The changes behind the bench and between the pipes could prove pivotal for an Oilers team that’s hungry to bounce back from a disappointing first-round exit. Leon Draisaitl believes that a reset is just what the team needs.

“It seems like there’s lots of new faces,” he said. “I’m excited. You know, sometimes a fresh start can be great for groups and great for a team, a different look. I’m excited to have the guys, the new guys, around, excited to be with Babs. Yeah, we’re excited.”

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Leon Draisaitl scores 1,000th NHL point: Best Oilers moments of 2025-26

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 15:00:21 -0400

This summer, Oilersnation will recap the top five Edmonton Oilers goals, the top five fights, and the top five overall moments from the up-and-down 2025-26 season.

On Dec. 16, 2025, Leon Draisaitl became the 103rd player in National Hockey League history to reach 1,000 points. It came about 13 months after McDavid became the 99th player to do so.

There wasn’t a whole lot to celebrate regarding the Oilers’ 2025-26 season. They never got going, and their first-round exit wasn’t a shock given how they played. That said, the best moment of the season was undoubtedly Draisaitl reaching the 1,000 mark.

Let’s look at our top moment of the 2025-26 season.

How did Leon Draisaitl score his 1,000th NHL point?

Four days before the Oilers played the Pittsburgh Penguins in Pennsylvania, they traded Stuart Skinner, Brett Kulak, and a 2029 second for Tristan Jarry. Skinner happened to start the game against his former team, and it didn’t go all that well.

He held them at bay for the first 11 and a half minutes, but the Oilers finally capitalized on a five-on-three. After Evan Bouchard and Leon Draisaitl passed back and forth twice, Draisaitl snapped a quick pass to McDavid on the other side of the zone, who in turn found Zach Hyman right in front of the net.

EINTAUSEND!

Leon Draisaitl secures career point 1,000!

How rising NHL salary caps impact future Oilers contracts

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 13:00:13 -0400

With every signing that drops in the NHL, Leon Draisaitl’s $14 million contract continues to look better and better.

The eight-year extension has only been in effect for one season, and as it currently stands, he’s already been knocked down to the fourth-highest AAV in the league, and over the next 12 months, he’s going to keep falling further down that list.

Once 2027-28 comes around, the likes of Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, Nikita Kucherov, and Jason Robertson will all have new contracts, and they will all likely come with AAV’s higher than $14 million. Those names combined with Macklin Celebrini’s $18.8 million contract kicking in will put Draisaitl down to ninth on the list for highest-paid contracts in the league.

By the time Connor McDavid enters the final year of his current deal, the highest he’ll be on the board is 13th, which is pretty shocking.

This is the new-age NHL. With the cap expected to jump up between $7 million and $10 million per season, these contracts are only going to get more and more expensive.

This highlights one thing for me: teams should be hunting for max term at all times.

If you have a young player who is showing promise, the smart play is to pay them whatever it takes to get them to agree to a max-term contract as soon as you can.

Imagine if, back before the 2023-24 season, the Edmonton Oilers had just bucked up and given Evan Bouchard a long-term deal after he had his second straight 40-point season. Even if that would have cost $7 million per year, which was $3.1 million more than he ended up getting on his bridge deal, he would be one the best value deals in the league and wouldn’t even be halfway through his extension.

Now, that was still in the flat- cap era, and the Oilers had forced themselves into a corner with some other really ugly contracts, so it probably wasn’t possible, but that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t learn from past mistakes when it comes to a player like Matt Savoie.

Sign him now and enjoy a value contract for years to come.

The other thing that this shows is that we are fully in the player empowerment era in the NHL.

A few years ago, a young superstar like Celebrini would have had to choose between betting on himself with a short-term deal that would bring him to free agency or getting the kind of money that comes with a long-term deal.

In the past, Celebrini would have been pushed to take the max eight-year term in order to get a record-setting $18.8 million AAV.

Now? Well, he got to have his cake and eat it too.

He’s going to make $94 million over the course of this five-year deal and when it expires, he will be an unrestricted free agent at the age of 26. At that point, which is six years from now, the salary cap could be pushing $150 million, which means that the max AAV a player could sign for would be $30 million.

At that point, a seven-year at the maximum AAV, would be worth over $200 million, and Celebrini would absolutely be able to get it if he wanted to.

In the history of the NHL, there have only been eight contracts that have been worth over $100 million. There is a very real chance that we are less than a decade away from a player signing a deal that is worth double that.

Only eight 100M + deals in hockey.
Five of them were eight-years. MacKinnon, McDavid, Eichel, Draisaitl and Kaprizov.
The other three were 13 (Ovechkin), 14 (Weber) and 12 (Crosby).
Macklin gets 94 over five.

— Irfaan Gaffar (@irfgaffar) July 29, 2026

As the cap continues to shoot up, there will also continue to be pressure on players to go the route that Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby went: take less to help management surround you with more talent.

We’re also probably going to see more and more players push for shorter-term deals because the money is already life-changing, so why not bet on yourself on a deal like Celebrini did, still cash in on close to $100 million, and not lock yourself into a long-term deal?

One other thing to consider is that as the salary cap ceiling continues to shoot up, there will become a point where we start to see the haves and the have-nots of the NHL emerge once again.

As it stands right now, pretty much every team in the league can afford to spend to the ceiling if they choose, but that will change when the cap starts pushing past $130 million.

There will be Canadian franchises who won’t be able to justify spending that much money, and let me remind you that players get paid in USD, and you will start to hear the term ‘internal cap’ more and more.

Think of the Winnipeg Jets for example. They were able to pay market value for players like Connor Hellebucyk, Kyle Connor and Mark Schiefele. The highest AAV of the bunch was Connor at $12 million.

But what about six years from now when a contract for a winger with 40+ goal potential could be worth around $20 million? Will that price a team like the Jets out of that range?

There are smaller markets south of the border that will face a similar problem.

It might lead to less parity, and it also might lead to big market teams signing some really ugly contracts. But it should also mean that the NHL’s free agency period could get exciting again.

It’s not going to happen overnight, but over the next four to six years, I think we’ll see more and more big names hit the market simply because they will price themselves out of the range that their current team can afford.

It also makes it very interesting to ponder what Connor McDavid could do when it comes to signing his next deal.

Does he want to commit to a team long-term and sign a deal with an AAV north of $20 million? Or does he continue to take less on short-term deals? It’s a conversation for another day, but the best player in the world will have to make a decision, and there’s a world where he makes that choice in the next 12 months.

PRESENTED BY LeaseBusters

Top 100 Oilers: No. 22 — Randy Gregg

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 11:00:32 -0400

Oilersnation is reviving the Top 100 Edmonton Oilers of All Time list, a project originally created by the late Robin Brownlee in 2015. Randy Gregg comes in at No. 22 on our updated 2025 list. He was ranked No. 12 on Brownlee’s original list.

Many hockey players have singular goals: to be drafted into the NHL, to play their first game, to win the Stanley Cup. There is a much smaller class of players for whom hockey is just one aspect of their working or personal lives, who aren’t all that swept up into the showbiz nature of being an NHLer, and choose unconventional paths along the way.

That applies to Randy Gregg — ahem, Dr. Randall J. Gregg — a family physician in Edmonton who also helped revitalize baseball in the city recently with the Trappers.

Once upon a time on the ice, he was a trusted piece of a championship unit, becoming an Oilers Hall of Famer and one of just seven players in franchise history to be a part of each Stanley Cup victory in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, and 1990.

He took some breaks along the way, represented Canada at the Olympics, and, all things considered, could have made more money from hockey if he wanted to move. But he didn’t.

“I was approached by an American team and offered a very nice contract to come back,” he said in 1986 when he returned from retirement the first time. “But I’ll always be an Oiler. I’m an Edmontonian.”

How do you not root for that guy?

Notable

Of Gregg’s 474 NHL regular season games, 453 of them came in an Oilers sweater, a sought-after free agent who hopped aboard the train in 1982 just before the playoffs and the shocking Miracle on Manchester.

He was 25 at the time, but already had a bundle of life experience, having spent the last two years in Japan as a player-coach with the Kokudo Bunnies to maintain his amateur status.

The importance of amateur sport and building up a Canadian Men’s National Team was a goal for Gregg, one that overshadowed the Oilers at points in his career. Heck, hockey competed with his medical studies, but that didn’t stop him from trying out for the U of A Golden Bears in the mid-1970s.

Learning from the legendary Clare Drake, they kept him around for a while, a couple of practices becoming four years, two CIAU national titles, and the Wilson Challenge Trophy recipient as the university’s most outstanding male athlete in 1979.

His amateur profile grew so much that Father David Bauer invited him to play for Team Canada at the 1980 Olympics at Lake Placid, where he was chosen as captain. It was the first time he turned down the NHL, which he would do again in 1987-88, leaving the Oilers for the majority of the season to prepare for the Olympics in Calgary.

But his eventual addition to the Oilers lineup in the early 1980s helped solidify a defensive corps ready to battle with the NHL’s best.

“If too much more time passed, I felt I’d never get the chance to pit my skills against some of the greatest hockey players in the world,” Gregg said at the time.

In total, he’d score just 41 goals in his career, and 193 points. Almost a quarter of his NHL career was played in the playoffs, suiting up for 130 Oilers post-season battles as a reliable minute-munching defender.

After lifting the Stanley Cup a fifth time, the Oilers left Gregg unprotected in the 1990 waiver draft, and he was picked by the Vancouver Canucks. He elected to retire for the second or third time at that point, depending on how you look at it, but would be roped back in 1991-92 as the denouement to his playing career.

The Mar. 4, 1988 edition of the Edmonton Journal.

The Story

Although the 1980s Edmonton Oilers were dominant, they would also have their lulls before ramping up to the post-season. Gregg didn’t have too many of those occasions in his career.

You knew what you were going to get from Randy Gregg as a versatile, 200-foot player, even chiming in with a big goal or two, like a 60-footer in overtime of Game 2 of the Smythe Division semifinals against the Winnipeg Jets.

Even if he was described by long-time defence partner Don Jackson as “always the lover, never the fighter.”

“For four years, we were partners and Randy had a great sense of the game and was a partner and teammate I could always count on,” Jackson said upon his teammate’s induction.

“Whenever I needed an outlet, Randy was there. He was always there for me in case I needed him. When we were under heavy pressure, we just kept coming back for the puck and we just made sure that we skated back just as hard as the other guy and to be ready just to be an outlet.”

His return in 1986-87 from a six-week retirement saw him produce yet another strong playoffs, as Journal writer Jim Matheson said Gregg was one of the best Oilers in their first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings, despite wearing a brace to protect his shoulder.

April 11, 1987 edition of The Edmonton Journal.

Figured into his widespread resume is another one-of-one experience involving Don Cherry. The bombastic broadcaster said in his 2008 book Don Cherry’s Hockey Stories and Stuff there was only one thing he ever regretted saying on Hockey Night in Canada:

“…It was in the Chicago-Edmonton series in 1990. I was on with Dave Hodge and Randy Gregg, defenceman for Edmonton. He is also a doctor. Randy had a breakaway and really looked bad not scoring, and I said, ‘How would you like that guy operating on your heart?’

“My mother phoned me the next day and really ripped me. ‘It’s okay to talk about hockey but when you get personal, that’s wrong.’ Mom was right, as usual. I was wrong.”

Rare, indeed, for Grapes to backtrack from an off-colour remark. But Gregg shouldn’t worry about that.

A Canadian university trophy bears his name, as the Dr. Randy Gregg Award is handed out annually to recognize student-athletes who demonstrate outstanding achievement in hockey, academics, and community involvement.

He’s a Hall of Famer in a few places: the University of Alberta’s Sports Wall of Fame, Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame, and was most recently part of the latest class of inductees into the Oilers Hall of Fame in 2024, alongside Craig MacTavish.

A special career and a special life — on his own terms.

“It’s amazing what can be accomplished when nobody cares who gets the credit, and it was just like that: you did your eight hours of medical school, and then, you went to the rink and dressed for three minutes and you went out and did your best,” he said after being inducted. “I saw the same thing with these men when I came to the Oilers.”

What Brownlee said

“Unlike the stars dotting Edmonton’s line-up, Gregg was never a player who pulled you out of your seat,” wrote Brownlee. “He didn’t jump into the attack like Coffey did. As big as Gregg was, he wasn’t a banger who punished opposing forwards. He didn’t fight. What Gregg did effectively – most often paired with Don Jackson – was get in the way, concentrate on his own end of the rink, move the puck and make the right play. Gregg was decidedly un-spectacular but unquestionably effective playing behind the big guns up front.”

The Last 10

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The Hockey Show - Episode 723

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 11:00:00 -0400

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is diving into the financial side of the game tonight with a significant look at what's been happening over the last week when it comes to hockey and media. You likely know about Amazon getting into Canadian hockey broadcasts, but there are a number of other money-related stories from the hockey world that need some discussion tonight. We'll dive into those stories because, as fans, our hosts see problems on the horizon in the game that need addressing tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason will take a look at the deal between Rogers and Amazon and discuss why it happened, why Amazon's day moved, and what we might be seeing as a bigger problem in hockey. Beyond that discussion, they'll chat about Columbus cutting its radio play-by-play in favour of simulcasted TV play-by-play, Hamilton Hammers ticket prices, a new Hall-of-Famer, a contest coming to a close, and the insanity that will be travel for one league this season. There's a lot of topics tonight that will have a money theme to them, so you'll want to be ready for an hockey's untrained finanical audit by two radio hosts on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT on one of 101.5 FM, Channel 718 on MTS TV, or via UMFM.com!

If you live outside Winnipeg and want to listen, we have options! The UMFM website's streaming player works well if you want to listen online. We also recommend Radio Garden if you need an easy-to-use online stream. If you're more of an app person, we recommend you use the TuneIn app found on the App Store or Google Play Store.

If you have questions, you can email all show queries and comments to hockeyshow@umfm.com! Tweet me anytime with questions you may have by hitting me up at @TeebzHBIC on Twitter! I'm here to listen to you, so make your voice heard! And because both Teebz and Jason are on the butterfly app where things are less noisy, you can find Teebz here and Jason here on Bluesky!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason chat about financial bubbles, bad deals, bad broadcasts, inflated prices, honoured players, elimination processes, unnecessary travel, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

What was the cap era's best team to not get a single Hart vote? The answer is weird

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 10:42:05 -0400

I’ll make you a deal: You indulge me in one of those Slow News Summer ideas I’ve had kicking around, and at the end I’ll surprise you with something weird that I found while researching it.

Do we have a deal? Sure we do. Let’s start with the Carolina Hurricanes.

As you may have heard, they won the Stanley Cup this year, the ultimate dream for every long-suffering hockey lifer and/or middle-schooler. And in doing so, they might have established themselves as the best team in the history of the NHL to not have a single Hall-of-Famer. We obviously can’t know that for sure yet, but I ran down the Carolina candidates a few weeks ago and included a reader poll, and the majority of you agreed that the Hurricanes might have a Hall, but don’t have anyone Hall-worthy.

But let’s take it one step further, with something we can quantify today: The Hurricanes also managed to win the Cup with a roster that didn’t receive so much as a single Hart Trophy vote. Surely they must also be the best team in that category too.

In theory, we’re lowering the bar here by more than a bit. Getting into the Hall of Fame is hard – you need to put up a career worthy of the sport’s ultimate honor, and then you also have to sufficiently impress the mysterious committee and meet whatever criteria they’re using that year. A few questionable picks aside, making the Hall of Fame means you were a legend, or at least spent multiple years looking the part.

But getting Hart votes? Like, any at all? That’s not all that hard. In the cap era, there were 129 ballots sent back for the 2006 awards, and that number has increased up to almost 200 in recent years. Winning the Hart is tough, sure. But getting even a single vote just means that one of those 200 or so voters thought you were worthy of a top-five mention. We’re talking about roughly 1,000 spots available on ballots around the league, and you only need to show up on one.

That’s not easy, but it’s not exactly a monumental challenge. After all, the list of players who’ve had cap-era Hart votes includes Pascal Dupuis, Cam Atkinson, Radim Vrbata, William Karlsson and Marek Svatoš. And that’s not even getting to the goalies who caught a stray vote, a list that includes Daniel Vladař, James Reimer and the immortal Andrew Hammond.

So yeah, this is going to be a lot tougher than the HHOF list, and clearly the Hurricanes doing it while winning the Cup will be a huge outlier. But let’s give it a try anyway. We’ll start at the dawn of the cap era in 2005 and work our way forward, flagging the best teams I could find that were completely shut out of the Hart love.

>> Read the full post at The Athletic

Who is Jason Dickinson? 5 little-known facts about the Oilers’ centre

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 09:00:21 -0400

The Edmonton Oilers solidified their depth at centre when they re-signed Jason Dickinson to a five-year deal in June worth $4 million per season.

Dickinson was acquired in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks just before the trade deadline last March, and he immediately brought his defensive savvy down the middle, while giving Oilers fans a glimpse of his offensive touch in the playoffs.

With that in mind, as Dickinson officially calls Oilersnation home for the foreseeable future, let’s take a closer look at five interesting facts about the veteran centreman that you may not know.

Dickinson was not only known for his hockey smarts, but his book smarts, too

Dickinson is well known for his defensive smarts on the ice, consistently shutting down the opposition’s best lines, which is a big reason why the Oilers locked him up to a five-year deal in June.

But did you know Dickinson was known for his smarts off the ice as well?

Dickinson played junior hockey with the Guelph Storm from 2011-2015, and in February 2013, he was named the OHL Academic Player of the Month for demonstrating excellence both on and off the ice. CHL.ca described Dickinson as a “self-motivated and disciplined learner” who was a quiet leader in the classroom.

His teachers described him as a “great student” who was focused, responsible, and respectful, while he maintained an 82% average in his Grade 12 university preparation courses.

Also, Dickinson received further academic recognition when he was awarded the Storm’s Paul Fendley Memorial Scholastic Player of the Year Award in 2013, given to the player who best combines academic achievement, hard work in the classroom, and success on the ice.

Additionally, throughout his Guelph Storm career, Dickinson was also recognized for his involvement in the community, becoming an active participant in the team’s Read to Succeed and FunFit programs, visiting schools throughout Guelph and Wellington County.

Dickinson wore the C for his junior team

Dickinson tallied 231 points in 253 regular-season games with the Storm and put on a stellar performance in the 2014 postseason, registering 24 points (eight goals, 16 assists) in 20 playoff games while playing a pivotal role in helping the Storm win the 2014 OHL Championship.

After that season, the team named Dickinson the 25th captain in franchise history for the 2014-15 campaign.

Following the announcement, Dickinson said, “It’s an honour to be named captain of such a great organization.” He added, “I pride myself on leadership ability.”

Captain Jason Dickinson. Photo Credit: Guelph Storm / CHL.ca

That leadership ability didn’t stop in junior hockey. The centreman carried those same qualities into the NHL, and with the Chicago Blackhawks, Dickinson was temporarily named an alternate captain in 2023, a role that eventually turned into a full-time position as he wore the ‘A’ on his jersey until he was traded to Edmonton.

Dickinson ended up playing alongside his childhood idol

Dickinson grew up in Georgetown, ON, which is about a 45-minute drive from Toronto. Despite living in the Toronto area, The Athletic mentioned in 2018 that a young Dickinson actually grew up as an Ottawa Senators fan.

And as a Senators fan, he idolized centreman Jason Spezza, who played for Ottawa from 2005-2012 and recorded a career-high 92 points during the 2007-08 season. Dickinson was such a fan of Spezza, as Sean Shapiro noted in 2019, that when he was 12 years old, his uncle, an artist, was going to paint a mural on one of the walls in his basement. Dickinson said, “I wanted the mural on my wall, and I wanted it to have a Senators logo. And the one name I requested was Jason Spezza.”

Then, in almost a full-circle type of way, Dickinson had the opportunity to play with his childhood idol from 2017-2019 as a member of the Dallas Stars. According to Natural Stat Trick, Dickinson and Spezza played a combined 120:34 minutes together from 2017-2019, while combining for three goals.

Some people are lucky enough to meet their childhood idols. Dickinson was lucky enough to call his a teammate.

Dickinson has a history of scoring in debuts

The Georgetown, ON native was drafted by the Stars in the first round of the 2013 NHL Draft. After being selected, he played the following two seasons with his junior club before spending a season in the AHL, eventually making his NHL debut during the 2015-16 season.

Dickinson waited several months into the 2015-16 season for his NHL opportunity, and that opportunity came in an ironic twist of fate.

An illness to his childhood idol, Jason Spezza, opened up a spot in the lineup, and Dickinson was recalled from the AHL on April 7, 2016, making his NHL debut against the Colorado Avalanche.

Dickinson scored on his first shot, which deflected off Tyson Barrie’s stick and beat Calvin Pickard, whom he was briefly teammates with on the Oilers in 2025-26. After the centreman scored, he described his chance in front of the net at the time, saying he had just one thought: “Just don’t miss.”

Thereafter, Dickinson was eventually traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in October 2022 after six seasons in Dallas and just one season with the Vancouver Canucks. That said, he made an immediate impact in his Blackhawks debut on Oct. 15, 2022, scoring a goal and recording a three-point night in a 5-2 win over the San Jose Sharks.

When he was traded to the Oilers, he didn’t score in his regular-season debut, but boy, did he ever make an impression in his playoff debut while sporting the orange and blue.

JASON DICKINSON GETS THE FIRST GOAL OF THE 2026 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS FOR THE EDMONTON OILERS!

Winnipeg Jets Morning Papers: Today’s Hockey Headlines | July 30, 2026

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 07:30:26 -0400

A daily roundup of Jets, Moose coverage — all the pro hockey news that matters in Manitoba and beyond.

In the Pressbox

OEG shuffles executive chair, names Hugh Weber CEO

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What will Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ role be in 2026-27? | 31 Oilers Questions (Day 4)

What will Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ role be in 2026-27?

31 Oilers questions in 31 days…

PRESENTED BY LeaseBusters

Viggo Björck says he’s ready to chase NHL dream with Winnipeg Jets

A look back at six current Oilers who once played in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup

Mattias Ekholm (2007) — Won a gold medal with Team Sweden

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2010) — Won a gold medal with Team Canada

Connor Murphy (2010) — Won a silver medal with Team USA

Evan Bouchard (2016) — Finished in fifth place with Team Canada

Vasily Podkolzin (2018) — Won a bronze medal with Team Russia

Oilers 2025 training camp flashback: Who’s here and who’s gone?

Which players departed the Edmonton Oilers since 2025 training camp?

Which new players since joined the Edmonton Oilers roster for 2026-27?

PRESENTED BY CAPITAL GMC BUICK

Winnipeg Jets Morning Papers: Today’s Hockey Headlines | August 5, 2026

On this day in 1995: How Glen Sather turned a Shayne Corson offer sheet into Curtis Joseph

How did Curtis Joseph become an Edmonton Oiler?

Goalie controversy: Bill Ranford traded to Boston

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Oilers 2026 prospect countdown #20: Owen Michaels

#20: Owen Michaels

Owen Michaels’ 2026-27 projection and NHL timelines

Top 20 Oilers prospects for 2026-27

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Former Oilers defenceman Brad Hunt announces retirement from professional hockey

What was Brad Hunt’s tenure with the Edmonton Oilers?

Which NHL teams did Brad Hunt play for during his career?

PRESENTED BY LeaseBusters

Oilers prospect Asher Barnett projected to USA World Junior roster

PRESENTED BY SOUTHVIEW ACURA

Winnipeg Jets prospect Zach Nehring wanted to add size without slowing down

A look back at Vasily Podkolzin’s dominant performance at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup

How did Vasily Podkolzin dominate the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup preliminary round?

How did Vasily Podkolzin lead Russia to a bronze medal at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup?

Winnipeg Jets Morning Papers: Today’s Hockey Headlines | August 4, 2026

Three future PWHL stars reflect on Oilers development camp experience

How did three women’s hockey stars experience the Oilers’ development camp?

What was it like being coached by Erin Ambrose at development camp?

PRESENTED BY LeaseBusters

Can Trent Frederic build on his positive second-half metrics? | 31 Oilers Questions (Day 3)

Can Trent Frederic build upon his second half?

Other questions…

PRESENTED BY SOUTHVIEW ACURA

Is Jake Walman capable of a bounce-back year? | 31 Oilers Questions (Day 2)

Is Jake Walman capable of a bounce-back season?

What encouraging signs point to a Jake Walman bounce-back?

Other questions…

PRESENTED BY CAPITAL GMC BUICK

New Zealand Crowns A Champion

Monday Mailbag: How much offence do the Oilers need from Jason Dickinson?

PRESENTED BY STAKE

What's All the Buzz?

Sunday Scramble: Why NHL Expansion to 33 teams is a bad idea for hockey

Why is Houston a leading candidate for NHL Expansion?

Parity and luck

Does adding a 33rd NHL team dilute the player talent pool?

It’s hard to say no

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How many Oilers could score 20 goals next season?

THE LOCKS

THE HOPEFULS

IT’S POSSIBLE

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How should the Edmonton Oilers deploy Isaac Howard in 2026-27?

Can Isaac Howard find a role in the Oilers’ bottom six in 2026-27?

So, what about the top six?

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Help me become a better contrarian

Winnipeg Jets Morning Papers: Today’s Hockey Headlines | August 2, 2026

Can Vasily Podkolzin reach the next level? | 31 Oilers Questions (Day 1)

Is there another level to Podkolzin’s game?

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Dickinson re-signing is proof Oilers have ‘unfinished business’

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Malcom Gästrin’s rise through Sweden’s ranks caught Oilers’ attention

How did Malcom Gästrin rise through Sweden’s hockey ranks?