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31 Oilers Questions: Do the Oilers need a right-shot centre?
Edmonton Oilers Curtis Lazar
Photo credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images
Michael Menzies
Aug 12, 2026, 15:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 12, 2026, 15:14 EDT
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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. 
The Edmonton Oilers forward ranks have a lot more left-hand shooters than right-hand shooters.
Among the 12 roster forwards listed on PuckPedia and 12 more on the non-roster, there are just seven right-hand shots: Zach Hyman, Kasperi Kapanen, Matt Savoie, Quinn Hutson, James Stefan, Aku Räty, and Owen Michaels.
It’s not a big surprise seeing that breakdown, as it’s estimated that roughly 64 per cent of NHLers shoot left, but balance up and down the lineup can be made easier with a couple more righties.
As I alluded to yesterday in the Josh Samanski question, the Oilers’ centre depth chart is all lefties: Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jason Dickinson, and Josh Samanski. You’d have to go to Owen Michaels to see a righty.
Does that open the door for Michaels to earn a call-up this season? Does that mean the Oilers could target a righty centre in a late-free-agent deal?

‘You’d love to find the right-shot centre’

Curtis Lazar filled the role last season of a cagey veteran who plays centre and shoots right. Lazar suited up for 45 games and played some on the penalty kill, but overall it amounted to just under 25 minutes.
He was really good, though, at faceoffs, winning 61.2 per cent of his 291 draws. That number skyrocketed in the defensive zone, winning a gaudy 85.5 per cent of faceoffs in the Oilers’ end.
During the July 1 press conference, General Manager Stan Bowman was asked about whether this is specifically an area they’d like to target: a right-shot, penalty-killing centre who could more naturally take draws at the right circle.
“We’ve talked a lot about this,” Bowman admitted. “You’d love to find the right-shot centre, who’s great at faceoffs, and he’s big, and he can skate, and he’s physical, and he can match up against best players, like that’s sort of the prototype everyone talks about… That player doesn’t really exist on the market now.
“There’s players that have elements of that, but it’s a series of tradeoffs… You certainly want to try to find those attributes, but if you narrow your focus just to one set of attributes, then you’re looking at just a couple players, and so we’re not going to do that, just to say we signed a right-shot, penalty-killing centre. We want to make sure they’re the right fit.”

Does this create opportunity for Michaels to play?

Owen Michaels was not an electrifying player necessarily for Western Michigan during his collegiate career. Michaels plays a meat-and-potatoes simple style of game, has good defensive awareness, but is limited on his offensive upside.
He finished his NCAA career by having the sixth-most points on his team with 13 goals and 26 points. That was a step back offensively from the Frozen Four championship season of 2024–25, where he put up 36 points, just two behind their captain Tim Washe.
As Oilers fans will remember, Washe was effective in frustrating Edmonton, but during the regular season split time between the NHL and AHL, with 39 contests in Anaheim and 36 in San Diego.
While not a direct comparison, Washe’s season would be the best-case scenario I’d say for Michaels, and with a lack of right-shots, might earn him a look with the Oilers this season.
Bakersfield Condors coach Colin Chaulk has done a good job in helping these inexperienced pros grow their games, but Michaels doesn’t have as much runway as other prospects being 24 years old, which is why he was ranked No. 20 on the Oilersnation Prospect Countdown.
I thought that was a touch low for a player who might actually play games for the Oilers this season. There’s a path there anyway since he has certain attributes that other Oilers forwards ranked 13–20 don’t have.
Of course, Bowman may decide to get a veteran for that role, if it’s something that becomes an issue. Or they just carry on.

31 Oilers questions in 31 days…

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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