Exploring the Edmonton Oilers’ forward role issues

The most glaring issue for the Edmonton Oilers this season has been without a doubt the continued problems in the bottom-six. Everyone knows how loaded the Oilers are on the front-end of their lineup. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins don’t need much introduction.

However, you need four lines to ice a hockey team, and so far this season, Edmonton has been struggling to get three going. Some players have found success, like Vasily Podkolzin cementing his place on Leon Draisaitl’s wing, and Matt Savoie establishing himself as a premier penalty killer, even though his 5v5 production has left something to be desired. Ultimately though,

Edmonton’s issues in the bottom-six stem from a lack of defined roles, and I’d like to take a look at what the team can do to better promote a more structured bottom-six system after the Olympic break.

Roles to help focus the play

After the Oilers fired Dave Tippett in February 2022 and hired Jay Woodcroft, there was a marked improvement in the play of the forwards, specifically the bottom-six. Then-Oilers forward Derek Ryan spoke to the media a few months after Woodcroft’s hiring and discussed how he thought the team had done a better job of making sure everyone in the lineup had a role, and how that had made the whole group play better.

The bottom-six in hockey is usually defined by more grit and physicality than the top-six. Your third and fourth lines are expected to be able to defend, play a hard game, and put pressure on the opposing players.

In their last two runs to the Stanley Cup Final, Edmonton’s bottom-six had an identity similar to these ideas, with the Connor Brown-Adam Henrique-Mattias Janmark line in 2024, and players like Kasperi Kapanen and Vasily Podkolzin in 2025. These teams were able to succeed mainly because the players on them had defined roles; Brown and Janmark killed penalties, Henrique took draws and played a 200-foot game, Kapanen and Podkolzin hit people and provided some quick jumps of offence.

This is something the current Oilers team is lacking. Sure, the subpar play of guys like Andrew Mangiapane and Trent Frederic hasn’t helped, but that’s not an excuse for why the entire unit seems disjointed. It’s hard to win hockey games, let alone playoff hockey games if you’re 1. unaware of where you should be, and 2. unaware of what you should be doing.

The current bottom-six doesn’t have much of an identity or any roles to speak of. There’s been speculation about perhaps mixing up the coaching staff after the Olympic break, but no matter what happens, Edmonton needs to establish roles and an identity in the bottom six. I’ve got two ideas for what kinds of roles they can establish, and what kind of identity they can bring.

Get a scoring third line and shutdown fourth line

This is the most popular angle most contending teams take when constructing their bottom six. It’s not enough to have a great first and second line anymore. Your third line is becoming increasingly important in the playoffs as line-matching becomes more and more prevalent.

A major part of why Florida beat the Oilers last year was due to their third line of Luostarinen-Lundell-Marchand, who were able not only to be physical but score goals as well. The Oilers would be wise to perhaps adopt a similar strategy. If Edmonton put together a line of Jack Roslovic, Ryan-Nugent Hopkins, and Kasperi Kapanen, suddenly they might have a similar deal. RNH plays a true 200ft game, Roslovic is offensively minded, and Kapanen has great hustle. Aside from the question of who replaces Nuge on McDavid’s wing (I think they need to try Isaac Howard with him), that hypothetical line might really work.

When it comes to a fourth line, the best compliment you can give them is that you don’t notice them—in a good way. So long as your fourth line can hold their own and not have the pace of play dominated by the other team, they’re winning.

Curtis Lazar has been the Oilers’ best fourth liner this season by a country mile, and he’s the kind of player you need on a good fourth line. Mattias Janmark can’t quite play third line anymore, but maybe he could succeed on the fourth. Josh Samanski didn’t look out of place on the third line, but maybe he could anchor a fourth line with two older players in Jamark and Lazar. This line won’t be lighting the lamp very much, if at all. However on paper, it’s a physical line that won’t give up much either. It’s certainly worth a shot.

Trying a kid line and veteran line

This is a riskier option, but it’s not without merit. Eventually, Edmonton needs to see what they have in their young players. Matt Savoie, Howard, Samanski, and Quinn Hutson are all seemingly part of the future in Edmonton. Fortunately for the Oilers, they might be able to help the lineup sooner rather than later.

If the organization really wants to give Samanski a test drive at 3C, why not pair him with two other kids in Savoie and Howard? Savoie’s 5v5 game has improved tremendously in terms of puck control and generating chances, and he’s the team’s best PKer. Howard has torn apart the AHL since being sent down and has earned another look. Samanski was brought up because the organization thought so highly of him. The 1990 Oilers won the Stanley Cup partially due to the “Kid Line” of Joe Murphy, Ryan Graves, and Martin Gelinas. Maybe a new age “Kid Line” is the answer Edmonton is looking for.

If you’re running a kid line, then your fourth line becomes the vet line. Lazar, Janmark, Frederic, and Henrique all jostle for positions on this line. Their job is very simple: tread water offensively and defensively. Be a calming presence that doesn’t get flattened 5v5. When the Oilers deal Mangiapane, maybe they should target someone who would excel in a role like this. Having a fast kid line that puts opposing teams on their heels contrasted by a vet line that slows the game down and changes the pace might be the mix-up the Oilers need.

Ultimately, something needs to change in the bottom-six. Head Coach Kris Knoblauch can’t continue to deploy those forwards in the same configuration after the break. If he does, he might not be the only one sent out the door. If the Oilers can establish some roles and identity with their lower-end forwards, it would be a massive boost coming out of the break, and into the deadline and the playoffs. In fact, I think it’s necessary if Edmonton wants any hope of reaching a third straight Stanley Cup Final.