With the crazy part of free agency behind us, it's time to start looking ahead to training camp and the preseason games leading up to the start of the 2026-27 regular season campaign.
A new-look preseason/regular season awaits the Edmonton Oilers, meaning that it is worth taking the time to place extra emphasis on this early portion of the on-ice sections of the NHL's annual calendar.
First things first: the schedule
The major change that is set to come into play this season is that the preseason will be shortened from six games to four, while the regular season will be expanded to 84 games from the previous mark of 82. This came as part of an early extension to the current Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NHL and the NHLPA, one that was agreed upon prior to the 2025-26 campaign.
The Oilers will open their four-game preseason with a home-and-home against the Winnipeg Jets. The preseason opener will take place in Edmonton on Saturday, September 19, while the return leg will be in Winnipeg on Tuesday, September 22.
Following the series against the Jets, the Oilers will make a quick trip to the West Coast to take on the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday, September 24. They will then head back to Edmonton to close the preseason against the Calgary Flames; that contest will take place on Saturday, September 26.
Could Connor Ungar get some minutes? Or will this be a chance for the Oilers to test out their new-look goaltending trio?
The Oilers entered the 2025-26 campaign with Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard leading the way, with Connor Ingram being the next player up.
This season, the Oilers are expected to run with a goaltending trio of Frederik Andersen, Devon Levi, and Tristan Jarry, one that represents a significant reconfiguration from the prior campaign.
That said, it's possible to expect the Oilers to lean away from veterans Andersen and Jarry in favor of youngsters Levi and Connor Ungar, the latter of which is one of three under-25 netminders that the Oilers have as part of their non-roster list. With one year left on his deal before he becomes a restricted free agent, it's fair to assume that the Oilers will give him some level of preseason playing time. It might not be in the Calgary game as that could act as a final tune-up before the regular season kicks off, but one shouldn't be surprised to see Ungar get some playing time during one of the two Winnipeg games.
Expect big minutes for the defensive depth but not for the offensive depth
It's fair for Oilers fans to expect Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to receive fewer preseason minutes, with such playing time more concentrated on the latter half of the training campaign. Given their career performances, the Oilers' coaching staff should be more than willing to give McDavid and the top two lines a pass for much of the preseason.
But should fans expect the defense to get the preseason off? Absolutely not.
Given the defense's struggles of the past few seasons and the turnover it experienced this offseason, head coach Mike Babcock will more than likely make the Oilers' defensive players play through the preseason as if it was the Stanley Cup Final. This is especially true when considering that the unit shipped out Darnell Nurse, replacing him with Ryan Shea and Shakir Mukhamadullin, the latter of which represented half of the return in the Nurse trade. The Oilers cannot risk a slow start ahead of a make-or-break season, meaning that the coaching staff will be expecting that the defense is ready to contribute and that those who won't/struggle to do so aren't offered spots on the opening night roster.
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