Without Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on ice this season at 5-on-5, the Edmonton Oilers have been outscored 27 to 55. That translates to an atrocious 33 percent goal share, the lowest Edmonton has posted without them in the entirety of the McDavid and Draisaitl era.

The inadequate performance from their depth forwards has been an issue that has persisted all season long. Back in mid-November, this goal share was at an even worse 23 percent. It has technically improved ever since, but it remains not nearly good enough.

One of the biggest question marks in Edmonton’s bottom-six is their third-line centre. No single forward has truly claimed the role this season, as Kris Knoblauch is often shuffling the forward lines every one or two games (or even periods!). If the Oilers are to carry an effective bottom-six into the playoffs, they would heavily benefit from a much clearer answer as to who their third-line centre should be.

Let’s take a closer look at what options the team has.

Option 1: Jack Roslovic

Edmonton has most recently deployed Jack Roslovic at 3C, with rookies Matt Savoie and Isaac Howard on his wings.

Thus far, the line has produced decent results. They have an exact 50 percent goal share, and possess a 52 percent scoring chance share. Stylistically, the trio also makes sense on paper; two unproven but young, skilled, and creative wingers supported by a veteran forward who excels at transporting the puck through the neutral zone. There’s real talent on the line, and playing against third-line competition could also benefit Savoie and Howard development-wise.

That being said, there’s a compelling case to be made that Roslovic is better suited to playing wing rather than centre. He has spent most of his NHL career on the flank, and I would argue his strengths and playing style align more naturally with an offensive winger’s role than with the responsibilities of a play‑driver. His defensive game is also subpar, which further supports the argument for keeping him on the wing.

Option 2: Adam Henrique

Edmonton’s most frequently deployed 3C throughout the past three seasons has been Adam Henrique, dealt to the Oilers at the 2024 Trade Deadline.

In the prior two seasons, he did provide some genuine value in this role. The Oilers allowed just 2.1 goals against per hour with Henrique on-ice from 2023-24 to 2024-25 at 5-on-5, compared to 2.4 goals against per hour without Henrique. There was an even greater gap in the post-season, where the Oilers were at a 1.6 GA/60 with Henrique and 2.6 without him. Yes, his offence and production were unimpressive, but defensively speaking, he had some very strong goal suppression results.

However, this season, the Oilers are allowing 2.6 GA/60 with Henrique, compared to 2.7 without. That’s only a marginal difference this season, and does not nearly make up for the offensive gap; in terms of goals scored, the Oilers are just 1.3 goals per hour with Henrique on-ice, compared to 2.7 without. Overall, Henrique holds an atrocious 32 percent goal share.

As he turns 36 in a few weeks, it is clear that Henrique has considerably slowed down. Simply put, at this stage of his career, he is not fit to be the 3C on a cup contender.

Option 3: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has most commonly played as a top-six winger for essentially the majority of the McDavid and Draisaitl era, particularly post 2018-19 when McDavid and Draisaitl began spending more time centring their own lines. And for most of the era, due to Edmonton’s subpar winger depth, running McDavid, Draisaitl and RNH down the middle was not the most appealing option.

However, I don’t think that’s the case with the current roster. I do believe that deploying RNH as 3C is a viable option that the Oilers should strongly consider.

Let’s say the Oilers keep their duos of McDavid – Hyman and Draisaitl – Podkolzin in the top-six. Then, let’s say they target another top-six winger at the trade deadline. That leaves all of Roslovic, Savoie, Howard, and Kapanen as potential options for RNH’s wingers (depending on which one of them takes the sixth spot in the top-six). That’s a very good list, and certainly makes deploying RNH as a 3C a much more viable option.

There is also some evidence that RNH can succeed as 3C with the right wingers. It’s a small sample, but he spent some limited minutes at 3C with Podkolzin and former Oiler Viktor Arvidsson on his wing in the 2024-25 season, and they produced some pretty solid metrics. I could absolutely see something like Howard – RNH – Savoie or Roslovic – RNH – Kapanen having some success. Though he’s had an incredibly disappointing season to date, perhaps even Trent Frederic could finally see some success in the bottom-six if paired next to a stronger centre in RNH.

However, the main downside of this option is the potential impact on the top-line. The RNH – McDavid – Hyman line has seen great success this season, and it seems that Knoblauch is reluctant to break them up. McDavid has also seen much greater defensive results with RNH on his line as opposed to without.

Nevertheless, deploying RNH at 3C is likely the best internal option for the Oilers’ bottom-six, and Edmonton can absolutely build a strong top-line without RNH.

Option 4: Trade

There has been some discussion in recent weeks regarding the Oilers and whether they should trade for a top-six winger or a third-line centre at the trade deadline.

Acquiring a 3C via trade does have its benefits. It’s an option that could allow RNH to remain with McDavid and Hyman on the top line, and it allows Roslovic to play on the wing. The Oilers could also specifically target a defensively-minded 3C and deploy them in a shutdown role.

That being said, considering Edmonton’s limited cap space, I would strongly argue in favour of saving their assets on a top-six winger. The Oilers’ 5-on-5 offence is the lowest it has been since the 2019-20 season, and so they could greatly benefit from a winger that can make a genuine difference offensively rather than a bottom-six forward. As mentioned above, the Oilers have some internal options to fix the bottom-six, and acquiring a top-six winger could push other players down the lineup, indirectly improving the depth scoring.

All things considered, though it could be worth giving the Howard – Roslovic – Savoie line a greater sample to see what they can do, I believe that the team would be best with RNH at 3C. I hope this is an option that the coaching staff seriously considers as we approach the postseason.

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