3 Edmonton Oilers Who Deserve Bigger Roles in 2026-27 – The Hockey Writers – Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers dramatically reshaped their roster this offseason, but some of their most useful options for 2026-27 were already in the organization.

Colton Dach made an immediate impression after arriving from the Chicago Blackhawks at the 2026 Trade Deadline. Josh Samanski unexpectedly worked his way from the Bakersfield Condors into Edmonton’s playoff lineup. Spencer Stastney showed flashes of being a useful NHL defenseman before disappearing from the lineup completely down the stretch.

None of the three should be guaranteed major minutes under new head coach Mike Babcock. Each has done enough, however, to deserve a more consistent opportunity.

General manager Stan Bowman discussed wanting Edmonton to find the right balance between its established veterans and younger players when Babcock was introduced as head coach. Giving Dach, Samanski, and Stastney legitimate opportunities could help accomplish that goal while reducing some of the workload Edmonton has continually placed on its veteran core.

1. Colton Dach Can Become More Than a Fourth-Line Hitter

Colton Dach gave the Oilers exactly what they needed after arriving from Chicago.

Edmonton acquired Dach and Jason Dickinson before the 2026 Trade Deadline in exchange for Andrew Mangiapane and a conditional 2027 first-round pick. An injury limited Dach to eight regular-season appearances with his new team, but he recorded two goals and four points while averaging only 10:09 per game.

His offense was encouraging. His physical impact was impossible to miss. Dach accumulated 219 hits in 61 games between Chicago and Edmonton, placing him among the NHL leaders despite playing fewer games than most of the players around him. He delivered 30 hits in his eight regular-season games with the Oilers before adding another 23 in five playoff appearances.

Edmonton rewarded the 23-year-old with a two-year, $2.4 million contract carrying a $1.2 million average annual value.

That agreement gives the Oilers an inexpensive young forward with size, energy, and some offensive upside. They should find out whether he can provide more than eight or nine minutes per night.

Dach is 6-foot-4 and 218 pounds, but his game should not be reduced to hitting. He gets to the front of the net, can protect possession below the goal line, and has enough skill to create offense when the puck reaches dangerous areas.

His 2025-26 Oilers report card noted that Dach, Samanski, and Trent Frederic developed chemistry late in the season. The trio outscored opponents 3-1 at five-on-five during its limited time together.

Keeping that combination intact would be a reasonable starting point, but Dach should also receive opportunities to move higher in the lineup when injuries strike or another winger struggles.

The Oilers have spent several seasons searching for inexpensive supporting forwards who can contribute around Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Dach’s contract gives them a chance to develop one internally rather than constantly paying veteran prices for bottom-six help.

He does not need top-six deployment or regular power-play time. Increasing his minutes into the 11-to-13-minute range and trusting him in more offensive situations would provide Edmonton with a much better understanding of his ceiling.

Dach has already shown he can create energy. The next step is determining whether there is more offense behind it.

2. Josh Samanski Earned a Full-Time Bottom-Six Role

Few Oilers exceeded expectations more dramatically last season than Josh Samanski.

Edmonton signed the undrafted German forward out of Europe in April 2025, and there was little expectation that he would become an NHL regular during his first season in North America.

Samanski began the season with Bakersfield and produced eight goals and 31 points in 45 American Hockey League (AHL) games. He was initially recalled in January and eventually established himself in Edmonton after returning from the 2026 Winter Olympics.

By the postseason, he was no longer simply an emergency call-up. NHL.com described Samanski as an everyday player entering the playoffs after he recorded two goals and four points in 24 regular-season games. When Adam Henrique was injured in Game 1 against the Anaheim Ducks, the Oilers trusted Samanski enough to insert him into the lineup for Game 2.

He responded by scoring his first career playoff goal that night.

Samanski finished the six-game series with one goal and two points in five appearances. Those numbers were modest, but merely being trusted in playoff games was significant considering where he began the season.

His value also extends beyond scoring. Samanski is a 6-foot-2 centre who can forecheck, defend, and kill penalties. His Oilers season report card highlighted how quickly he gained the coaching staff’s trust and argued that he had established himself as Edmonton’s fourth-line centre.

That role should belong to him entering training camp.

Edmonton has several veteran depth forwards, and newcomer Mathieu Joseph will create additional competition. A recent THW look at players who could make Edmonton’s opening-night roster even identified Samanski as someone Joseph could potentially push back to Bakersfield.

The Oilers should be careful not to prioritize veteran experience simply because it is familiar.

Samanski is younger, inexpensive and already demonstrated that he can handle NHL defensive responsibilities. He also produced seven points in seven games for Germany at the 2026 IIHF World Championship after Edmonton’s season ended, providing another encouraging sign that his offensive game could continue developing.

His 10:34 average regular-season ice time does not need to increase dramatically. A bigger role for Samanski means becoming a permanent NHL player rather than someone whose position changes whenever another veteran becomes available.

Give him consistent fourth-line minutes, penalty-killing opportunities, and a chance to build chemistry with Dach.

If Samanski continues developing offensively, Edmonton could have found a useful bottom-six centre without spending a draft pick or meaningful cap space.

3. Spencer Stastney Deserves Another Chance to Win a Regular Job

Spencer Stastney presents the most complicated argument of the three. Unlike Dach and Samanski, he did not finish last season with momentum.

Edmonton acquired him from the Nashville Predators in December for a 2027 third-round pick after Brett Kulak was included in the Tristan Jarry trade. Stastney appeared in 36 games for the Oilers, recording one goal while averaging 16:02 per game.

He eventually lost his place. After Edmonton acquired Connor Murphy at the deadline, Stastney became the seventh defenseman. He did not appear after March 19, missing the final 12 regular-season games and all six games of Edmonton’s first-round playoff loss.

His 2025-26 report card was appropriately critical. Stastney’s underlying results declined after arriving from Nashville, he provided little offense, and Ty Emberson deservedly moved ahead of him on the depth chart.

That does not mean Edmonton should stop trying to extract value from him. The Oilers re-signed Stastney to a one-year, $1.525 million contract in July. The commitment is small enough that he can remain the seventh defenseman, but the roster has changed enough to justify giving him another opportunity during training camp.

Darnell Nurse and Jake Walman are gone. Ryan Shea and Shakir Mukhamadullin have arrived. Edmonton’s defensive hierarchy behind Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm, and Murphy will be different.

Shea received a five-year contract and will enter camp with a clear inside track on a regular job. Mukhamadullin is an important part of the Nurse trade and should also receive meaningful opportunities.

Stastney still deserves a chance to challenge Emberson and the rest of Edmonton’s depth defensemen rather than beginning the season permanently attached to the press box.

His strongest attribute remains his skating. Stastney retrieves pucks quickly, can escape pressure, and has the mobility to move possession out of the defensive zone. Those skills should fit an Edmonton roster built around getting the puck into the hands of its elite forwards as quickly as possible.

The problem last season was that the strengths never translated into consistently positive results.

A bigger role therefore needs to be earned differently than Dach’s or Samanski’s. Stastney should not automatically receive 18 minutes every night. He deserves regular early-season opportunities to show whether familiarity with Edmonton and a new coaching structure can produce the version of the player the Oilers thought they were acquiring.

If he struggles again, the team can return him to the seventh-defenseman role. Playing him occasionally from the beginning would at least provide a real evaluation.

Oilers Need to Give Younger Depth Players a Chance

Edmonton remains firmly inside its championship window, which naturally creates pressure to rely on proven players. That approach has drawbacks.

McDavid, Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman, Ekholm, and other veterans have carried enormous workloads during repeated long playoff runs. Edmonton’s disappointing first-round elimination last season only reinforced the need for greater contributions throughout the lineup.

Babcock will not solve that issue simply by handing younger players minutes they have not earned. He can create genuine competition.

Dach showed enough offense and physicality to warrant more regular usage. Samanski turned himself from an unexpected AHL signing into a playoff contributor. Stastney has more to prove but should receive an opportunity to recover from the way last season ended.

None needs to become a star. If Dach develops into a dependable physical third- or fourth-line winger, Samanski locks down a bottom-six centre role, and Stastney becomes a trustworthy sixth defenseman, the Oilers will have added meaningful depth without making another trade.

Edmonton spent much of the offseason changing its roster. Part of improving it in 2026-27 should involve getting more from the young players who were already there.