Projecting the Edmonton Oilers’ 2026 Playoff Lineup

With just three games remaining in the regular season for the Edmonton Oilers, it’s time to turn our focus to what things will look like for them when the postseason begins.

They’ve been battling the injury bug lately, as they did late in the 2024-25 season. However, they’re still on the cusp of heading back to the playoffs. Head coach Kris Knoblauch and associates have some decisions to make over the next week in terms of how they want the Oilers to align in Game 1 of their first series.

There are still a couple of injury statuses up in the air at the moment to consider. Connor Ingram and Jason Dickinson both left the team’s most recent game against the San Jose Sharks a bit early with undisclosed injuries. Leon Draisaitl is expected to return in the first round, but it hasn’t been nailed down when exactly that is. Zach Hyman is also out right now, but Knoblauch believes he’ll see the ice prior to the postseason.

So with all that in mind, it’s rather tough for the coaching staff to put together a concrete lineup right now. I’m going to construct what I believe the best Oilers lineup would be if everyone were healthy for Game 1. Best-case scenario, all players are ready to go. Let’s start with a breakdown of each position group and why each decision should be made.

Forwards

There are a few obvious alignments up front. Connor McDavid, Draisaitl, and Dickinson as the top-nine centres seem natural to start. Matt Savoie has performed above expectations on McDavid’s wing, and adding Zach Hyman back on his right side is the perfect recipe. Draisaitl has succeeded with basically every wing combination, so there are no wrong answers there. Jack Roslovic and Vasily Podkolzin are two guys who can move the puck and complement the Oilers’ alternate captain well, though.

On Dickinson’s wing, a couple of strong two-way players with speed are needed. Kasperi Kapanen fits that bill, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is a versatile guy who can also win draws if needed. The middle six lines can definitely be shuffled if need be, too. All six of the players in it are familiar with each other and have similar traits that make for good lines.

It’s the fourth line where things got trickier for me when deciding who should be in. Trent Frederic and Colton Dach are a couple of bulldozers, especially together, so it wasn’t particularly hard to put them on the same line. However, it’s the centre for their line that could cause controversy: Adam Henrique.

Henrique has the playoff experience and understands the style of play in the postseason. He gets the edge right now for the last forward spot, but Josh Samanski and others waiting in the press box should be ready if the coaches decide to make a change.

Defence

The defence core for Edmonton is arguably the easiest to figure out of the three position groups right now. All three pairings are playing stand-up hockey, and it’s showing in the latest game results. Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard are the staple pairing at the top that leads the league in multiple categories as a duo, including expected goals for with 66.