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Why the Oilers decisions on their fourth line may be tougher than you think
Edmonton Oilers Max Jones Adam Henrique Trent Frederic
Photo credit: Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images
Sean Panganiban
Apr 10, 2026, 11:00 EDTUpdated: Apr 10, 2026, 12:23 EDT
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With the way things are trending, it’s looking like the Edmonton Oilers are heading back to the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season, but some lineup questions remain uncertain.
Will Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman be ready to go once the playoffs start? And after leaving the last game against the San Jose Sharks, what’s the status of Jason Dickinson as well?
Still, aside from the players mentioned, there are obvious locks at forward to be in the lineup come playoff time: Matt Savoie, Connor McDavid, Vasily Podkolzin, Jack Roslovic, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and you can likely throw Trent Frederic and Kasperi Kapanen in there as well to be suited up for Game 1 of the playoffs.
Of course, projecting what the Oilers’ fourth line will look like depends on who’s healthy. That said, the following five players are candidates for fourth-line minutes in the postseason, and in a hypothetical scenario where three of them have to be selected to build the fourth line, let’s take a look at their strengths, what they bring to the table, and which three should get the first opportunity on the line to start the playoffs.

Adam Henrique

At 36 years old, Adam Henrique is in the back nine of his career and his wheels have slowed down, but out of the five players in the mix for a fourth-line spot, he’s the most battle-tested, with 67 playoff games and 27 playoff points (13 goals, 14 assists) to his name.
The centreman’s biggest strengths that he brings to the playoff table are his veteran savvy, smarts, and poise, and he’s also a strong penalty killer, having played the second-most minutes among Oilers forwards on the PK unit this season (104:04). He’s also solid in the faceoff circle, winning 54% of his draws this season.
That said, Henrique’s only scored three goals this season, but he recently buried his first goal in 51 games, and since then, he’s produced two points in four games, which makes me wonder if getting that monkey off his back will unlock a little bit more offence from him.

Colton Dach

Oilers’ forward Colton Dach has made an impact in his two games since returning to the lineup after missing 12 games due to injury, and he’s flashed his biggest strengths in that time — physicality, using his 6-foot-4, 218-pound frame to bring energy and create momentum — scoring a goal and throwing 12 hits over the last two games.
Overall, Dach has thrown 207 hits this season and, according to NHL Edge, he’s the fastest skater out of the five players in the mix for fourth-line spots, with his max speed clocked at 22.58 MPH this season, ranking in the 68th percentile in the NHL.
Over the last two games, Dach has also posted solid underlying metrics according to Natural Stat Trick, with an average of 65.15 SF%, 68.87 xGF%, and 66.67 SCF%, meaning he pushes the pace for the Oilers at five-on-five. That said, we haven’t seen Dach play long enough to know if this is the norm for him or perhaps just an adrenaline boost from being out of the lineup for so long.

Curtis Lazar

Curtis Lazar, just like Henrique, brings veteran savvy, having played in 30 playoff games, along with the versatility to play centre and on the wing, but above all, his biggest strength is his faceoff prowess.
Among players who have played a minimum of 250 minutes in the league and have taken more than 100 faceoffs this season, Lazar ranks third in the entire NHL in faceoff percentage, winning 61.71% of his draws, just behind Gabriel Landeskog’s 62.45% and Claude Giroux’s 62.38%.
Lazar has six points in 43 games this season (four goals, two assists), and I feel that out of anyone in the mix for a fourth-line spot, he’s the one you can take out of the lineup for any amount of games, and when he gets back in, he’ll still give you the same consistent effort night in and night out.

Josh Samanski

Josh Samanski’s biggest asset is his rangy defensive game, along with an untapped offensive side that feels on the verge of breaking out, and I feel he has the most upside of the five players mentioned for the fourth-line spots.
For someone who’s only played 21 NHL games, Samanski pays extra attention to the defensive details, and we saw that last game against the San Jose Sharks with his dogged defensive effort on a second-period shift, doing everything he possibly can on the backcheck to prevent the Sharks from gaining possession. It was the type of shift that coaches notice and could earn him extra credit when decisions are made for playoff spots.
Additionally, he has an even plus-minus through 20 games this season, and his analytics at five-on-five are all positive, with a 52.63 SF%, 54.31 xGF%, 52.29 SCF%, and a 50.00 HDCF%.
And while Samanski hasn’t shown a lot of offence right now, I’ve previously mentioned that he makes smart and subtle plays that create scoring chances but often go unnoticed, like intercepting a puck last game and setting up Jake Walman, who hit the post. Also, the 24-year-old has been looking more comfortable using a curl-and-drag shot in recent games, which makes me suggest that he’s starting to feel more comfortable and may start to bury the puck more on occasion.

Max Jones

The biggest strengths that Max Jones brings to the lineup are size, physicality, truculence, and a little bit of timely scoring, having scored two goals since his recall on March 13, both of which were game-winners.
I wrote recently that ever since Jones’ recall 12 games ago, he’s tilted the ice in limited minutes for the Oilers, and in addition to his two big goals, his 35 hits lead the team, and he’s near the top in several metrics at five-on-five, including being tied for first in high-danger chance percentage at 66.67 HDCF%.
Jones has had inconsistency issues throughout his career, but has played fairly consistently down the playoff stretch, and he’s at the prime age of 28, where he might be figuring out how to most effectively use his 6-foot-3, 216-pound frame.

Out of the five Oilers mentioned, which three should get the first shot on the fourth line?

As mentioned, there are a few lineup questions for the Oilers moving forward, but if they had to build the fourth line out of the five players mentioned to start the playoffs, which three should it be?
The numbers and the eye-test show that Jones has had the biggest impact in limited minutes down the playoff stretch, and I feel you have to give him the first go at left wing… which is something I would’ve said a week ago.
But as we know, the NHL can be a ‘what have you done for me lately?’ type of league, and based on that, Dach, with his physicality and chipping in a goal, has had the most impact over the last couple of games.
Ultimately, I’d pick between Jones and Dach for the left side because they have similar skill sets, and whichever player plays the best over the next three games to finish the season will be the one who gets the left wing spot on the fourth line once the playoffs start.
Next, you pick your centreman for the fourth line, which would ultimately be between Henrique and Lazar, and if I were to channel head coach Kris Knoblauch’s mind, I feel he goes with Henrique to start, especially because of how critical he is to the Oilers’ PK unit.
To round it out at right wing, I’d pick Samanski based on his upside and two-way game, so my starting fourth line out of the five players mentioned would be either Jones/Dach at left wing, Henrique at centre, with Samanski on the right side.
Of course, everything will have to abide by the new salary cap on a 20-player lineup for each game in the playoffs. That said, if that combination proposed doesn’t work, the Oilers have the luxury to mix and match. Did they get owned in the faceoff circle? Bring in, Lazar. If they just lost a game and had trouble gaining momentum, maybe even throw Dach on one side and Jones on the other to start the next game.
Overall, I feel just the fact that we’re talking about options on the Oilers’ fourth line speaks volumes about their bottom-six depth. Each player mentioned has good qualities, and the Oilers’ abundance of fourth-line options is a good problem to have heading into the playoffs.

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