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31 Oilers Questions: How does Edmonton’s centre depth impact Josh Samanski’s roster spot?
Photo credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
Aug 11, 2026, 19:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 11, 2026, 18:50 EDT
Count me amongst the admirers of Josh Samanski’s defensive game.
When the Edmonton Oilers were growing short on bodies, especially at centre, through the home stretch of the 2025–26 NHL season, Samanski seized the opportunity.
What a whirlwind of a calendar year for the one-time, undrafted DEL product.
He went from signing an NHL contract in April 2025, playing in the World Championships for his native Germany, suiting up in his first North American pro games in the fall, earning the call to the NHL in January, representing his country at the Olympics in February, scoring his first NHL goal in March, playing five playoff games in April, and then playing in the World Championships again this May.
All in the span of approximately 13 months. Impressive.
But as we know, things have changed in Edmonton, with a new coaching staff and healthy competition in the Oilers’ bottom-six. Is there a spot for Samanski, or is he going to be collecting air miles going to and from Bakersfield, California?
Is Josh Samanski a tweener, or a full-time NHLer?
On a team that bled easy goals against last season, Samanski’s “cheating for defence” approach to the game was refreshing. Scrolling through his pure counting stats will not blow you away — he finished a 24-game NHL campaign with two goals and four total points, one of the goals with a puck he hardly touched — but that’s in part because he wanted to earn Kris Knoblauch’s trust.
Playing a sound defensive game was a good start. Holding the opposition to just 1.75 expected goals against per 60, Samanski had the second-best rate by any Oilers forward to play at least 20 games this season.
That was reflected in his minutes. In his first 10 games, Samanski played north of 10 minutes just twice. In the last 14 games, he was below 10 minutes just once. Now, some of that was by positional need, but he earned every bit of leash he got.
I have to think Mike Babcock would be attracted to that. A six-foot-three, 190-pound frame doesn’t hurt, either, but he may need to remind his opponents of that a little more often going forward.
The larger question becomes what the Edmonton Oilers are doing with their centres. This question impacts many of the 31 Questions in the series.
Since the public exit interviews, there’s been an undercurrent of talk that the best way to give roles to the bottom-six is for Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to play together. That would in theory mean Ryan Nugent-Hopkins moves to second-line centre, Jason Dickinson at third-line centre, Josh Samanski at fourth-line centre.
If they stay separated, is Nugent-Hopkins going to stay on the wing? Probably, but what if Babcock likes Nuge as a centre?
Babcock is conscious of handedness, usually with his defensive pairs, but the glut of lefties isn’t nothing.
Right now, the Oilers lack right-handed shots, and don’t have any right-shooting centres. Curtis Lazar provided that role a year ago. But McDavid, Draisaitl, Dickinson, Nuge, and Samanski are all left shots. This is where I think Owen Michaels might get an extended look at the abbreviated training camp, and being the same age (roughly) as Samanski, it could be a legitimate camp battle.
Samanski has a lot going for him, though. He paid his dues in the AHL with 31 games, and as I laid out above, he’s taken in so much experience recently that I’m excited to see how he’ll apply it following a full off-season. I don’t think Samanski would hurt the team on the wing, either, although I think he’s best suited at centre. He got his feet wet on the penalty kill and could be part of a third forward rotation.
The NCAA graduate in Michaels wasn’t able to get any pro games in after being signed due to age and contract requirements, so there’s a gap in my eyes to begin camp.
My point is, I would use pencil to write Samanski as the Oilers’ fourth-line centre but not permanent marker, necessarily. However, he’s earned his fans by his solid defensive play, and with a few more splashes of offence, another bump toward the good in his development, and he’ll be apartment hunting in the city.
31 Oilers questions in 31 days…
- Can Vasily Podkolzin reach the next level?
- Is Jake Walman capable of a bounce-back year?
- Can Trent Frederic build on his positive second-half metrics?
- What will Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ role be in 2026-27?
- Can Evan Bouchard shake the label of a bad defender?
- Was Ryan Shea’s strong 2025-26 sustainable or lucky?
- Can Jason Dickinson replicate his offensive peak with the Oilers?
- Does Mattias Janmark have a spot on the 2026-27 squad?
- Can Matt Savoie produce at a 65-point pace again?
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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