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Off-Season Review: Edmonton Oilers

Photo credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

By Cynthia Ryley Delaney

Sep 26, 2026, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 26, 2026, 00:02 EDT

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It was a busy summer for several teams in the Pacific Division.

Arguably the busiest of the bunch were the Edmonton Oilers, who were bounced in the first round of the 2026 National Hockey League playoffs, the first time that’s happened since the 2021 post-season.

With the time ticking on their window of contention, they shook up their roster and are looking to finally win Connor McDavid his Stanley Cup.

Let’s take a look at what they did this off-season.

Who departed the Oilers this past off-season

The Oilers’ biggest departure came in the form of a trade. On July 1, the Oilers managed to trade Darnell Nurse’s entire $9.25 million cap hit, shipping him off to the San Jose Sharks for defenceman Shakir Mukhamadullin and prospect Zack Sharp.

Nurse was part of the team’s leadership core and one of the longest-tenured Oilers at the time of the trade, as he was selected seventh overall in 2013. Over 12 seasons with the Albertan team, the left-shot defenceman scored 88 goals and 324 points in 798 games, as well as seven goals and 29 points in 100 playoff games.

The other notable departure the Oilers suffered this off-season was Jack Roslovic, who signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Signing shortly into the 2025-26 season, the American forward scored 21 goals and 36 points in 69 games, valuable middle six depth for a team that relies heavily on McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

As for the rest of their departures, they were minimal. Adam Henrique remains an unrestricted free agent, while former Flame Curtis Lazar signed in Switzerland. Connor Ingram recently announced his retirement, while Calvin Pickard signed with the Minnesota Wild. The Oilers addressed their crease with corresponding moves, which we’ll get to later in the article.

Some American Hockey League forwards departed as well. Cam Dineen was acquired in the Nick Bjugstad trade before the 2023 trade deadline (a move that saw the Oilers trade Michael Kesselring and a pick for a rental), and he signed with the Philadelphia Flyers. Samuel Poulin, acquired alongside Tristan Jarry last December, signed with the Montréal Canadiens. James Hamblin signed with the Anaheim Ducks.

Who’d the Oilers bring in

So who did the Oilers turn to while looking to replace Nurse, Roslovic, Henrique, Lazar, Ingram, and Pickard? Well, they received Mukhamadullin in the Nurse trade, but he figures to be a depth defenceman rotated in and out of the lineup.

Shortly after the trade, the Oilers announced that they signed Ryan Shea to a five-year deal. After spending parts of three seasons in the AHL, the left-shot defenceman made his NHL debut in 2023-24, before becoming a regular just last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins. It also happened to be a breakout season, scoring six goals and 35 points in 80 games in a PDO heater.

Shea joins a deep Oilers’ blue line, as Spencer Stastney and Mukhamadullin also re-signed. As did Connor Murphy, a right-shot defenceman which the Oilers acquired ahead of the 2026 trade deadline from the Chicago Blackhawks. A few days later, they also acquired Jason Dickinson and Colton Dach from the Blackhawks, signing both of them to contracts this off-season. Both Dickinson and Murphy were set to become unrestricted free agents before re-signing.

Two Oilers who joined the team in 2024-25 also re-signed, Kasperi Kapanen and Max Jones. The former was one of the Oilers’ best players in their short-lived post-season run, scoring four goals and six points in six games.

Replacing Henrique and Lazar in the Oilers’ bottom six are Mathieu Joseph and Alex Formenton. Joseph has his name on the Stanley Cup and even scored a career-high 11 goals and 35 points back in 2023-24, but has only been good for 11-14 points the past two seasons. They also signed some depth in Eduards Tralmaks, who has the scouting report of “hits everything in sight.” The Latvian has yet to make his NHL debut.

But what about the situation in the crease, something they’ve desperately needed for the entirety of the McDavid/Draisaitl era? Well, they signed veteran netminder Frederik Andersen to a one-year deal, though he’ll be out to begin the season. Additionally, they acquired a former top goaltending prospect in Devon Levi from the Buffalo Sabres. He hasn’t had great success in the NHL, but has put up solid numbers in the AHL the past few seasons.

Cynthia Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for DFO Calgary, DFO Edmonton, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @CynthiaRDelaney.

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