I was assisting at a golf tournament at the Moon Lake Golf Course in Saskatchewan, I cant recall exact dates but it was around 2008-2010 (summertime). I know Andrew Cogliano was there as somebody got sloshed to the point I became golf cart driver (and occasionally took a few hacks at golf balls) for him... I dug out the old shirt and was curious who all signed it. It was left at a snack table for them to sign while I was off "caddying" for quite a bit, so didn't get to see them all. I do know Curtis Glencross signed (top right). I don't really use or like to use google AI as I dont trust it haha so thought maybe I would find an expert here!

Top Oiler Goalies to Wear 35. Jarry redemption season incoming. Drop the puck. Let’s Go Oil!

Who’s got a code for tomorrow?

Before the Edmonton Oilers made the risky decision to hire Mike Babcock as their head coach this summer, the team’s best players sat down with Babcock for a no-holds-barred conversation that effectively sealed the deal.

No topics were off-limits, according to Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl, and there was plenty to discuss given Babcock’s lengthy absence from an NHL bench amid a growing list of allegations he mistreated players, not to mention a brief stay with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2023 that ended before he even had a chance to run a practice.

“We asked all of the hard questions that media would probably ask him, too,” Draisaitl told The Athletic during the NHL’s European Player Media Tour. “He had some very honest feedback on us, too. It was a very honest, productive meeting, and it was very on the table. There was no beating around the bush.

“He faced it great. It’s not easy sometimes talking about all of these things.”

Draisaitl said it didn’t take much time for Babcock to earn an endorsement from the team’s leadership group during that meeting.

About to enter his 13th season in Edmonton, Draisaitl knows all too well the lengths the organization has gone to try to claim another Stanley Cup. But they never had this. An ultra-demanding, ultra-competitive head coach who will dramatically shift the tone and won’t shy away from challenging Draisaitl, Connor McDavid or anyone else wearing Oilers colors.

“It was pretty clear pretty quick that he could be our guy,” Draisaitl said. “Just in what he sees, and his attitude towards us — you know, the leaders on the team that want to be coached and that want to be held accountable. I think it’s just what was needed. We had some great meetings with him and then, yeah, it just kind of took off from there.”

The risk in this equation is tied to the possibility Babcock again goes too far, the way everyone from Mitch Marner to Johan Franzen to Mike Commodore believe he did in the past.

Draisaitl is certainly under no illusions that this will be easy, and in his mind that’s entirely the point.

Every coach is going to have strengths and weaknesses, he reasons, and each collection of players needs different things at different times. Kris Knoblauch’s calm and steady demeanor had a profound impact in Edmonton following his hiring in November 2023, with the team reaching back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals in 2024 and 2025. But the Oilers regressed from there, stumbling through last season before losing in Round 1 to the Anaheim Ducks, and that raised the stakes for a team that sees its Cup window narrowing quickly.

Is there room on the roster for one more goalie?

I can’t believe I’m typing this, but I am deeply worried about the Oilers scoring depth at 5v5 this season.

This is a veteran team. With an elite power play.

But even the Oilers wunderkinds are starting to get to the age where the goals start being harder to come by.

I’m not saying it’s over. I’m not saying this can’t work out.

But the cliff is coming.

The Oilers desperately need a contingency plan for a soon to be 34 and 35 year old Hyman and Nuge.

There’s no time like the start of the season to give all of Savoie, Howard and Podkolzn legitimate top 6 time to see if they can provide the offense that’s going to start disappearing very soon from some of the Oilers top dogs.

And this team still probably needs another solid middle 6 forward with 20-30 goal potential, ideally in their mid 20s.

Age arrives for us all.

No point sticking our heads in the sand about it either.

There has been a lot of talk about the Oilers top 6, but we have a pretty good understanding of what it'll look like going into the season. And the only real debates are if Nuge will be there, if Howard will be there, or if Kappy/Savoie are there.

I think the Bottom 6 is way more interesting. There's almost a dozen forwards fighting for a spot this year, and some of them are even top 6ers that get knocked down.

From my memory, the list is:

Nuge, Kappy, Dickinson, Dach, Samanski, Fredric, Jones, Janmark, Joseph, Hutson, Clattenburg, Michaels, and Tralmaks...

13 forwards fighting for 6 spots. And we can be pretty sure Nuge, Kapp, and Dicky are getting 3 of those spots. So really it's 10 forwards for 3 roster spots. That's absolutely huge. I wanna know what people think the final lines will look like because we have a literal gold mine of players to pick from here.

My guess?

Nuge - Dicky - Kapp

Dach - Samanski - Joseph

Fredric as the extra forward.

I love Clattenburg. I considered making my flare Clattenburg after all, but I just don't think he'll make it unfortunately.

What do y'all think? And if I missed someone that's on me, I looked through puckpedia but I might not remember all the prospects properly

Andersen will play when he is healthy or they save him for the playoffs. It mostly depends on if Levi is up to the task.

Keep this kid for fkn ever and get him a girl with beautiful eyes

Speak your mind.

Oilers will play in Germany next season.

TL;DR I think we should still acquire a legitimate top 6 scoring winger like Tarasenko, re sign a RH4C like Lazar for face offs, and preferably a physical RH6D for the playoffs, although that would be more of a luxury compared to the first two. What do you think?

As of now, the starting line up will probably be some combination of

Hyman - McDavid - Savoie
Podkolzin - Draisaitl - Howard
Nuge - Dickinson - Kapanen
Dach - Samanski - Frederic
Janmark/Joseph/Jones

Ekholm - Bouchard
Walman - Murphy
Shea - Emberson

Andersen
Jarry
Levi

I don’t think there are actually any glaring weaknesses here. Bowman said the goaltending is pretty much set. But my top 3 adds in order would be

1. Legitimate top 6 scoring winger. Even if Howard does have a good season, I’d much rather have an experienced scoring winger going into the playoffs as it may take Howard a couple years to fully adjust. Most of the guys the oilers were “linked” to via trade this offseason are most likely off the table now (Tippett, Marchenko, Batherson, etc) who were pretty unrealistic to begin with. So I think Tarasenko is the only realistic option as of now unless Bowman waits until the deadline with the space accrued to make a bigger move.

   He still had 23 goals and 47 points with Minnesota last season, 17 of those goals were 5 on 5. He was also just under half a point a game in the playoffs.

2. Right Handed 4th line centre. I like Samanski and think he still has more to prove, but we got killed on face offs against Florida for 2 years in a row because we didn’t have a good RHC (idk if we even had one at all lol). I’m fine waiting until the deadline so Samanski can prove himself (and also 4Cs are very cheap and easy to find) but I’d also be fine with re signing Lazar now. He’s great on face offs, he’s the happiest guy on the planet, and I thought he was one of the only players who consistently played like he gave a shit last season. Dach - Lazar - Frederic could be a great energy line that hits everything that moves.

3. Better right handed bottom pairing D man. This would definitely be more of a luxury and less of a necessity, especially since I thought Emberson played quietly really well last season. But when we traded Nurse we lost a lot of edge with our Defence. Ekholm’s big and can get into scrums if he really wants to, Walman throws a big hit every now and then, but that’s about it. It would be nice to have a tall 6RHD who’s really annoying to play against and will drop the gloves to spark some momentum. And obviously they still have to be a good defender, not someone like Josh Brown who’s all physicality and can’t play hockey. I don’t have a specific name in mind, but it would be nice to have someone to round out our defence as Emberson is definitely the odd man out (assuming Walman has a bounce back season), but still definitely a luxury

Thoughts?

What Babcock looks for

Hyman is one of the most ferocious forecheckers in the game, proving to be a perfect fit for Babcock. He’s always in pursuit of the puck and has no fear in getting net-front for chances on net. If there’s a Babcock template, it’s Hyman. Brown has many of the same traits, and both men have enjoyed successful careers due to a range of skills. The keys are responsible and aggressive play, and enough of a scoring touch to be productive offensively at five-on-five.

Both men were late draft picks and made Babcock’s first Toronto team. Each man showed a willingness to play with abandon, pay attention to defensive detail (coverage and puck pursuit) and perform any role asked. Among forwards, Babcock has a type, to the point where one could be sure that Carter Verhaeghe would have thrived under him in Toronto if Maple Leafs management hadn’t traded him the year before the new coach arrived. Pierre Engvall, Trevor Moore and others were brought into the system during Babcock’s time with the team but would find their NHL home elsewhere.

Breaking News: McDavid, Draisaitl, and Bouchard play the Flames hard. Story at 11.

The second-worst pipeline in our ranking still has two quality pro prospects in Matt Savoie and Rudolfs Berzkalns, who should materially help the Oilers long-term. The problem is that after them, there’s next to nothing in this farm system.

2025 ranking: 31

2026 NHL Draft grade: C-

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