With the season right around the corner, the Edmonton Oilers have a pretty good idea of what their opening night lineup will look like. But that doesn’t mean training camp will be without competition or surprises.

Over the years, camp battles have helped shape Edmonton’s opening-night lineup. Corey Potter played his way into a job on the blue line in 2011-12, while a decade later, Brendan Perlini’s six-goal pre-season helped him earn a spot up front. This year, the competition is concentrated in only a few areas. There is an opening in the top six following Matt Savoie’s injury, a couple of jobs available in the bottom six, and one spot seemingly up for grabs on the third defensive pair.

With several legitimate candidates for each, here are the Oilers’ biggest roster battles entering training camp.

With Matt Savoie on the shelf likely until the end of October, the Oilers will find themselves with an open spot in the top six to begin the season. Assuming Mike Babcock deploys Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on separate lines, Savoie’s injury opens up a spot alongside Draisaitl and Vasily Podkolzin, and there are two names to watch.

Kasperi Kapanen should be the number one contender to land the spot.

While the 30-year-old has never established himself as a consistent top-six forward, the trio of Kapanen, Draisaitl, and Podkolzin seems to click. The line was one of the few bright spots for the Oilers in their first-round loss to Anaheim, and Kapanen himself recorded four goals and six points. They have spent 315 minutes together at five-on-five over the last two seasons, outscoring opponents 22-6 while controlling 57 percent of the expected goals (xGF%). While the 22-6 may not be sustainable, the expected goal share shows that the line wasn’t just getting lucky.

Another name to watch is Isaac Howard.

After dominating the AHL with 24 goals and 50 points in 47 games last season, Howard has little left to prove at that level. The question now is whether he’s ready to translate that production to the NHL after recording just five points in 29 games with the Oilers as a rookie. Howard is the organization’s most talented prospect and possesses the offensive skill set to complement one of the game’s best passers. With Savoie out, he should get a legitimate opportunity to show whether he’s ready to take the next step.

Jason Dickinson appears locked into the third-line centre role, while Trent Frederic and Colton Dach should have the edge for two spots somewhere in Edmonton’s bottom six. Assuming the loser of the Kapanen-Howard battle slides onto Dickinson’s wing, that would leave two lineup spots open.

Josh Samanski’s ability to play centre should give him an advantage over the competition. The 24-year-old looked comfortable in his first taste of NHL action last season and had strong defensive metrics in the 24 regular-season games he played. He’s likely to start as the team’s fourth-line centre and should have a real role on the penalty kill.

After signing a one-year deal this offseason, Mathieu Joseph is another favourite to land a job in the Oilers bottom-six. With 471 games of NHL experience, the 6-foot-1 winger not only brings speed and a bit of physicality, but is also an effective penalty killer. While his most recent seasons leave a lot to be desired offensively, the veteran is just two years removed from a career high of 35 points.

At 24 years old, this is the time for Quinn Hutson to prove his AHL production can translate. The question is whether his game holds up in a bottom-six role, where concerns about his size and skating could work against him.

Viljami Marjala is a dark horse to watch after recording 60 points in 72 games as an AHL rookie. The 23-year-old also earned time on the penalty kill in Bakersfield, but he’s the longest shot of the group to make the jump straight to the NHL.

Max Jones shouldn’t be forgotten either. His size and physicality offer something different from most of the other candidates, and after re-signing with Edmonton this summer, he should have an opportunity to compete for a fourth-line role.

With the top four essentially locked in and Ryan Shea signed long-term, the Oilers should have a three-way battle for the final spot on their defence.

Ty Emberson enters camp as the favourite, as his underlying numbers as Edmonton’s sixth defenceman were solid last season. The right-shot defender is best in a sheltered role, and among NHL defencemen with 1000-plus minutes, Emberson ranked 15th in expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60) last season. He’s not going to produce offensively, but for a shutdown third-pairing role, that defensive profile is exactly the job description.

Shakir Mukhamadullin should be Emberson’s biggest competition. The 2020 first-round pick was the main part of the return for Darnell Nurse, and posted 12 points, 63 blocked shots, and 35 hits in 50 games with San Jose last season. At 6-foot-4, he brings size, reach, and penalty-killing ability, and his experience playing the right side despite being a left shot gives Edmonton some added flexibility.

Spencer Stastney shouldn’t be counted out either. While he is the best skater and puck-mover of the three, he may have the most to prove in camp. After being acquired from Nashville in December of last season, Stastney’s numbers dipped across the board, and he eventually found himself out of the lineup down the stretch. He’s also not waiver-exempt, complicating matters if he loses the battle. Edmonton could carry him as an extra, explore a trade, or risk losing him on waivers if they attempt to send him to Bakersfield.

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