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Why the Oilers should let young players battle for roster spots

Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

By Tyler Yaremchuk

Aug 24, 2026, 13:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 24, 2026, 13:09 EDT

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Last week, I wrote about the idea of the Edmonton Oilers adding a little bit of depth by way of professional tryouts and mentioned names like Luke Glendening and Curtis Lazar.

Not exactly the flashiest group of players, but guys who could serve a purpose on the Oilers’ roster.

There was a decent amount of pushback from Oilers fans online about this idea, with the most popular being that I was an idiot for suggesting this because it would block Josh Samanski from getting adequate playing time.

It was quite the leap to make, considering I never once said that the Oilers should replace Samanski. Instead, I was merely suggesting that the Oilers add another layer of depth to an important area of their roster.

Right now, they have Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Jason Dickinson, and Samanski as the centres on their roster. They could use Ryan Nugent-Hopkins down the middle, although I don’t believe that is the best spot for the 33-year-old, and Trent Frederic did play a little bit of centre last season.

Still, they could use a little bit more depth, considering that out of their five most-used centres from last season (based on faceoffs taken), two are not on the team anymore in Adam Henrique and Curtis Lazar, and another one from that group, Nugent-Hopkins, will likely be used more as a winger.

I thought Samanski showed really well in his 24-game stint with the big club last season, and there is no reason to think that he won’t be able to come in and be an everyday player for this team next season.

But is it a guarantee? It’s not.

Remember Anton Lander? He came in and played 56 games for the Oilers in the 2011-12 season, and the next year, he played just 11 NHL games, spending the bulk of the year in the AHL.

Ryan McLeod even needed another quick cup of coffee in the AHL at the start of the 2021-22 season before he was ready to come back up and be a full-time NHLer.

Not that these are perfect comparisons, but my point is that development is never linear. Players don’t always take the perfect step forward that you think they will.

Still, Samanski should be considered a favourite to be on this team come opening night.

But even though I believe that he should crack this roster come late September, what’s the problem with adding a little bit more depth?

If the Oilers want their 13th forward to be someone who can take faceoffs and kill penalties, I don’t see an issue with that player being a veteran like Glendening or Lazar.

These are players whom you could comfortably sit in the press box for weeks at a time and not feel like you’re ruining their development or anything like that.

They’re also players who would comfortably pass through waivers at the start of the season and could give you some solid organizational depth.

People seemed to think that by suggesting that the Oilers add extra depth I was saying they should replace Samanski, or that any veteran would block him from getting playing time, which was quite the assumption to make.

Good organizations do not play veterans ahead of younger players just because they’ve been in the league for a long time. If Samanski comes to camp and earns a spot, he should play.

At the same time, good organizations don’t just gift spots to players because they’re young. Having some internal competition is good.

I think this conversation also applies to someone like Ike Howard. Should he be gifted a spot in the top six just because they have an opening and he had a good finish to the season down in Bakersfield? No.

Should he be given every opportunity in training camp to show that he is ready to take that job? Yes.

I just believe there’s a difference between gifting a player a spot or blindly hoping that he can succeed in a role, versus giving a player the inside track to win a job.

Yes, players like Samanski and Howard should be given plenty of rope during training camp to learn from mistakes and earn the trust of the coaching staff, but no, they shouldn’t be promised spots on the roster from the jump.

Should the Oilers stop calling around the league to see if there’s a top-six winger available via trade? No.

Should they scoff at the idea of bringing a veteran centre to camp? No.

Even if it’s just as an insurance policy in case of injury or to have an extra body around for one or two preseason games. It’s a good idea.

There’s really no downside to adding one more steady veteran centre to this roster. It’s truly a no-risk move for the Oilers and gives them another layer of depth for when the injury bug inevitably hits.

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