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Oilers free agent targets: Scott Laughton would be a bottom-six luxury
Scott Laughton
Photo credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Jun 30, 2026, 15:00 EDTUpdated: Jun 30, 2026, 13:22 EDT
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One of the biggest issues plaguing the Edmonton Oilers in the 2026 playoffs was the injuries to their centres.
Leon Draisaitl missed the last 13 games of the regular season and was clearly compromised during the series against the Anaheim Ducks. Jason Dickinson was injured even closer to the playoffs, while both Connor McDavid and Adam Henrique were injured in the series.
After back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals and looking mediocre throughout the regular season, it was clear a deep playoff run wasn’t in the card. That also may be for the best, giving the Oilers a long off-season to regroup for the 2026-27 season.
It’s going to be a big off-season, and to an extent, already has been. They’ve re-signed two of their most noteworthy unrestricted free agents in Dickinson and Connor Murphy, and will presumably trade Darnell Nurse sooner rather than later.
On top of the obvious need to improve their netminder situation, the Oilers need to sign players for their bottom-six. One player who could be of interest is Scott Laughton, who ranks as Daily Faceoff’s 18th-best free agent.

Scott Laughton’s fit in the Oilers’ lineup

For Laughton’s fit in the lineup, it’s best to look at the Oilers’ current centre depth. McDavid and Draisaitl are clearly the team’s 1C/2C, but it’s a little murky from there. There’s a chance that they could play together (they shouldn’t), which would give the Oilers a need for a second-line centre. Does Ryan Nugent-Hopkins fit there? Probably not.
Dickinson re-signed before entering free agency and currently slots in as their third-line centre. Defensively, he’s among the league’s best centres, but there is a lot to be desired offensively. Aside from a 22-goal, 35-point season with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2023-24, the Georgetown product has never reached the double-digit goal mark.
Dickinson’s lack of offensive production is better suited for the fourth line, which creates a big of a logjam with Josh Samanski. Signed toward the end of the 2024-25 season, Samanski had good numbers in the American Hockey League, earning a look with the Oilers. Defensively responsible, the 24-year-old centre scored two goals and four points in 24 regular season games, then a goal and two points in five postseason games.
If the Oilers were to sign Laughton, one of these four players would need to move to the wing. If it’s Draisaitl, the Oilers need to set their sights for an actual second-line centre, Robert Thomas would be nice, but that seems incredibly unlikely.
Laughton is a solid fit for the third-line centre role. The 32-year-old provides much more offence than Dickinson, scoring double-digit goals in eight of the last nine seasons, with the lone exception being the 2020-21 shortened season where he scored nine.
While not as good defensively as Dickinson, Laughton is still a defensively reliable bottom-six centre. He also kills penalties, amassing 100 minutes or more in each of the last five seasons. That included in 2023-24, when the Philadelphia Flyers scored eight goals with Laughton on the ice during a penalty kill.
Having McDavid, Draisaitl, Laughton, and Dickinson down the middle would make the Oilers’ centre group one of, if not the strongest in the National Hockey League. But the question is, should the Oilers actually pursue Laughton?

Should the Oilers pursue Laughton?

As always, it comes down to how much cap savings the Oilers get whenever they trade Darnell Nurse. If they end up keeping him, they have just over $7.415 million in cap space. While that’s enough to sign Laughton, they have other areas to address, namely their goaltending situation and filling out their bottom six.
Now if they can add $5 million or more, then adding a third-line centre such as Laughton would be a luxury, and they could add him with the saved money going elsewhere.
Laughton is a good fit for the team, any bottom-six centre who kills penalties, wins draws, and scores is. But as it stands, adding Laughton would just add to an area of strength for the Oilers, while also eating into cap space that should be used in other areas of need.

Other Oilers free agent targets…

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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