It looks as if the roster is mostly set. We more or less know who will be members of the Edmonton Oilers organization for the 2024–25 season. With the exception of a second pairing right defender joining off of a PTO or even a trade, most of what we see now is who will be around for opening night.
So as we start to inch ever closer to training camp, let’s run through a quick breakdown of the Oilers depth chart by position for the 2024–25 season.
Edmonton’s centre depth
The Oilers have arguably the best centre depth in the entire league. Even more so now that they have improved their forward depth. Led by two of the best in the world in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, they’ve filled out this chart to help the bottom half of the lineup compete with the rest of the league.
| Player | Notes |
| Connor McDavid | |
| Leon Draisaitl | |
| Adam Henrique | |
| Derek Ryan | |
| Matthew Savoie | Possible transition to wing TOR #1 Prospect |
| Noah Philp | Returning after missing 2023–24 season |
| James Hamblin | |
| Lane Pederson | |
| Carl Berglund | |
| Jayden Grubbe |
Within the centre position, the Oilers have two or possibly three players who could jump up and see NHL time this season.
At the top of the list is James Hamblin, who already played some NHL games over the last two seasons. He is a likely call up due to his ability to fit into the bottom half of the lineup while someone else can shift into a bigger role if needed.
Matthew Savoie could very easily see some time with the Oilers if they need a more offensive player on the third line. However, he is far more likely to play wing in the NHL. Partly due to his size and experience, partly due to the Oilers being weaker on the wing than at centre.
Noah Philp is an interesting case. He stepped away from hockey for the entirety of last season, rejoining the organization in the spring when he announced his return. His development curve was looking promising and he was working his way up to a call-up before his break. If he can return and find his feet quickly, he may be a perfect fourth line centre option.
Edmonton’s left wing depth
| Player | Notes |
| Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | |
| Evander Kane | Likely on LTIR to start the season |
| Jeff Skinner | |
| Mattias Janmark | |
| Roby Jarventie | TOR #4 Prospect |
| Drake Caggiula |
Left wing may be a bit of a more shallow position, numbers-wise. Especially with the likelihood that Evander Kane will be starting the season on LTIR.
It is almost assumed that some wingers will be playing both sides, as someone like Vasily Podkolzin is projected to fit better on the left side.
This is where some of the centre depth comes into play. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Savoie, and Hamblin are all expected or have played wing with the team before and would likely be asked to again.
One interesting placement to watch out for is where Nugent-Hopkins and Jeff Skinner fall. The former spent a lot of time on the top line last season, but has played well with Draisaitl in the past. Skinner, being more of a shooter than Nugent-Hopkins, could jump up and play with McDavid for some extra offensive punch.
Edmonton’s right wing depth
| Player | Notes |
| Zach Hyman | |
| Viktor Arvidsson | Could play both wings |
| Connor Brown | |
| Vasily Podkolzin | Could play left wing |
| Corey Perry | |
| Raphael Lavoie | TOR #5 Prospect |
| James Stefan | TOR #8 Prospect |
| Matvei Petrov | TOR #10 Prospect |
| Brady Stonehouse |
A position of weakness in the past has suddenly become one of strength for the Oilers. Finally, they have legit options that can play in the top-six.
Zach Hyman, after becoming one of the best goal scorers in the league last season, should return alongside McDavid. This leaves the newcomer Viktor Arvidsson to play alongside Draisaitl and finally improve his options on wing.
The bottom six has plenty of options who can and likely will get chances this season in various roles. Connor Brown endeared himself to Oilers fans with an incredible performance through the playoffs, especially the Cup Final, and has earned a role on this team and as a penalty killer.
That leaves one spot. Currently occupied by Corey Perry, we could also see Podkolzin play on his natural wing or a call-up like Lavoie take this spot.
The prospects at this position are all intriguing. James Stefan, Matvei Petrov, and Brady Stonehouse are all scoring forwards poised to take big steps in their careers and development this season.
Defence
| Player | Notes |
| Mattias Ekholm | |
| Evan Bouchard | |
| Darnell Nurse | |
| Brett Kulak | |
| Ty Emberson | Likely first choice at 2RD |
| Troy Stecher | |
| Josh Brown | |
| Connor Carrick | Underrated option for playing time in NHL |
| Ben Gleason | |
| Phil Kemp | Made NHL debut last season |
| Noel Hoefenmayer | |
| Max Wanner | TOR #7 Prospect |
| Cam Dineen | |
| Beau Akey | Missed most of 2023–24 with injury TOR #2 Prospect |
Defence is where things might get tricky for the Oilers this season. The left side in the NHL is set. Mattias Ekholm, Darnell Nurse, and Brett Kulak have those spots locked down. But on the right side, after Evan Bouchard, it is all up in the air.
Emberson, acquired in the Cody Ceci trade, appears to be a front runner for the second pairing role. But with his lack of NHL experience (just 30 games), he is not a lock and the experiment could go poorly.
Behind Emberson, it appears that Stecher and Brown are the next two in line. Neither of whom are accustomed to playing that big of a role on a team before. It may be the case that the Oilers will be exploring the right defender market for external solutions.
Behind them, there are a couple of veterans and a couple of rookies who may surprise down in the AHL.
Connor Carrick, who has been mostly in the AHL for a few seasons but has played regular minutes in the past with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Ben Gleason, who has played four games with the Dallas Stars years ago and been in the AHL since.
Phil Kemp, one of the better defensive prospects in the organization, made his NHL debut last season. And Max Wanner, one of the best prospects in the Oilers organization, could also be taking huge steps forward this season and challenge for one of those spots. With Broberg’s departure, there is room for a young, dynamic defender to jump up and grab a bigger role. It will be a crucial year in both of these two players’ development.
Oilers goaltender depth
| Player | Notes |
| Stuart Skinner | |
| Calvin Pickard | |
| Olivier Rodrigue | TOR #9 Prospect |
| Collin Delia | |
| Connor Ungar |
Stuart Skinner has finally with 100% certainty taken the starting role in net. He was the primary starter last season after Jack Campbell faltered away. This is the first season he is going into the year as the undisputed number one.
Calvin Pickard earned himself an extension after being solid and reliable in his role, even (quite frankly) saving the team’s playoff run last season. His performance in his two games against Vancouver was enough to jump start the team and turn the tide of that series.
Another important prospect to watch this season is Olivier Rodrigue, who will now be the primary goalie in the AHL after splitting time with Campbell last season. He has only gotten better every season and is getting close to eyeing an NHL roster spot.
Oilers unsigned prospects
At this point, the Oilers’ prospect pool is quite weak. Most of these players are lower round picks who do not have very high ceilings. Only a couple of the team’s top prospects are still in this category, most have graduated up to the professional level in some capacity.
The hope is that a few of these players, particularly the wingers, can develop well over the next few seasons to provide some supplemental talent at the NHL level once other players begin to age out.
Forwards
| Player | Notes |
| Tomas Mazura | |
| Maxim Denezhkin | |
| Maksim Berezkin | |
| Shane Lachance | |
| Joel Maatta | |
| Matt Copponi | |
| Sam O’Reilly | TOR #3 Prospect |
| Connor Clattenburg | |
| Dalyn Wakely | |
| William Nicholl |
Defenders
| Player | Notes |
| Luca Munzenberger | |
| Nikita Yevseyev | |
| Paul Fischer | |
| Albin Sundin | |
| Bauer Berry |
Goalies
| Player | Notes |
| Ty Taylor | |
| Samuel Jonsson | |
| Nathaniel Day | |
| Eemil Vinni | TOR #6 Prospect |
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
