Oilers News & Rumours: Stastney, Emberson, Howard, Andersen & More

The Oilers did lock up Stastney on a new deal this offseason, but after acquiring Mukhamadullin in a trade with the San Jose Sharks and signing him to a two-year deal, it seems as though he will be with the Oilers for sure. He can play both sides, is younger, and seems ready to finally take on a full-time NHL role this season.

That leaves Stastney and Emberson, and it seems like the smart move would be to keep the right-shot defender. Keeping Stastney means the Oilers would be running with five left-shot and two right-shot defensemen, which wouldn’t make any sense.

By no means is this a report, but all signs seem to point to Stastney being the odd one out. He has some value and could likely land the Oilers a fourth-round pick in return, which wouldn’t be too bad after they spent a third-round pick to bring him in from the Nashville Predators last season.

Ike Howard: Top-Six Forward?

A lot of fans are curious what this season has in store for Ike Howard, who dominated offensively with the Bakersfield Condors in the American Hockey League (AHL) last season, and seems pencilled into the Oilers’ opening-night lineup where he will be given a larger role right away.

The Oilers didn’t go out and add a top-six forward this offseason, leaving the door wide open for Howard to take that open spot and try to make it his. There is still a world where the Oilers bring in someone like Vladimir Tarasenko, as the two sides have been connected to each other all summer, but as of right now, they have some cap flexibility.

It seems like the path the Oilers are going to take is to give Howard every chance to establish himself as a full-time NHL player this season. With the cap space they have, the Oilers can be patient with him and wait up until close to the trade deadline to decide if they want to try and replace him with a more established forward, or use their cap space elsewhere.

For now, Howard will have to go into training camp and try to increase his role. I would guess that he is pencilled into the third line to start the season, but I can see a world where a strong training camp gives him a look alongside one of McDavid or Leon Draisaitl out of the gates, depending on what Mike Babcock wants to roll out early in the season.

Who Starts: Andersen, Jarry, or Levi?

Fans are wondering who will start between the pipes for the Oilers this season, and it’s a fair question.

Frederik Andersen seems like the easy choice, coming off a Stanley Cup victory in which he posted a +6.0 goals-saved-above-expected (GSAX) through 16 games and has a +17.9 GSAX combined over his previous three regular-season campaigns. He has dealt with some injury scares, though.

Tristan Jarry shouldn’t be counted out. The Oilers paid assets to bring him in, and while he struggled in a big way last season, there is no reason to believe he can’t find a way to bounce back and at least be just above league average. He is their highest-paid goaltender, and it is possible they give him the net for the first little while, just to see if he can handle it, and make a decision from there.

Devon Levi is an interesting one. The Oilers went out of their way and spent a draft pick to bring him in, and while he hasn’t been able to prove himself as a full-time NHL goaltender just yet, his potential is sky-high. I would expect Levi to start the season in the NHL as the third string, but a solid showing in training camp and preseason could earn him more starts as the season gets going.

Who starts in the postseason, if the Oilers clinch, of course, is another question entirely. One of them could estabish themselves as the no-brainer answer entering the playoffs, or they could still be looking for a new goalie come the 2027 Trade Deadline.

At least for now, the Oilers have made changes between the pipes and finally have some fresh faces that fans aren’t already questioning. At bare minimum, they have bought themselves some time.

Should Fans Expect PTOs?

Doesn’t seem like it.

The reality is, there really isn’t a need to bring anyone in on a PTO, unless it is for a veteran who is willing to earn a two-way contract and be a call-up in the event of any injuries, but even then, it seems like the Oilers have enough depth in their organization that they don’t need to worry about that.

Recently, Jim Matheson mentioned he doesn’t expect the Oilers to have many players, if any at all, at training camp on a PTO.

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