The Edmonton Oilers training camp kicked off Wednesday with media availabilities and fitness testing set to take place. The club released the full 55-player roster on Tuesday as the team prepares for another season to compete for the Stanley Cup.
The team saw a lot of turnover this offseason and as a result, enter camp with a lot of question marks scattered throughout their roster. General manager Stan Bowman seems set on banking on players like Andrew Mangiapane -- who they signed as an unrestricted free agent (UFA) -- to have bounce back seasons as well as hoping that their young rookies will show up.
The team did a good job to address their depth but with the goaltending having been left relatively untouched and with some uncertainty around the roster, there is some tension in Oil country. This is amplified with a few key players set to hit the open market on July 1st still being unsigned as of right now.
There are plenty to choose from but below are the top three pressing storylines entering the 2025-26 training camp.
McDavid contract extension
There is no question that when the best player in the sport -- let alone on the Oilers -- enters the season without a new deal in hand, it will stir up controversy. There was plenty of rumours and speculation surrounding the extension, with some members of the media making grand proclamations about the contract.
Unfortunately for Oilers fans, there has been no extension and given everything that is being said in regards to the extension lately, it may not be signed for a while. McDavid seems intent on weighing his options and waiting it out, which is his right.
Although it is the matter that is sure to garner the most attention, which is why it is first, it is not time to hit the panic button, yet.
Goaltending questions
There is no hiding that the team and fanbase are not confident in their crease. The Oilers brass would not have replaced the goaltending coach if Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard had the full support of the front office.
Replacing Dustin Schwartz is simply the easiest move they could have made and is usually the move that directly precedes a shakeup. It is the same thing as when a team fires all of the assistants before firing the head coach or when the team trades away less impactful pieces before trading their stars.
The netminders although were not the sole issue preventing the Oilers from winning the Stanley Cup in either of the past two seasons, they certainly did not do the team favours. This has caused many to link any and all free agent and trade market options but these rumours never panned out as the team did not acquire any new goaltender, aside from Matt Tomkins.
Even now as we enter training camp, some are questioning if a player like Ilya Samsonov could provide goalie insurance.
Rookies fighting for roster spots
As mentioned before, the Oilers saw a lot of turnover this offseason like dealing away Viktor Arvidsson and Evander Kane to clear cap room. On top of this, the team let a few players walk in free agency like; Corey Perry, Connor Brown, Jeff Skinner, and Drake Caggiula.
This has left some possible holes in the lineup, likely to be filled by rookies. The two that appear to be penciled in are the newly acquired top prospect Ike Howard -- who was recently listed a top prospect league wide -- and former ninth overall pick, Matt Savoie.
However, there are others who could battle for spots with new top European free agent David Tomasek as well as Josh Samanski. The team could also look to give both Noah Philp and Quinn Hutson a shot at making the roster. Even if some of these players do not make the cut to start the year, they could find themselves high on the call-up list.
This is a good problem to have and with the Oilers having no shortage of depth to fill out their roster, they are poised to have a good season with many different possible line combinations.