The Edmonton Oilers may be punting on one of their prospects.
On Saturday, the Oilers announced they had put the defenseman, Atro Leppanen, on waivers after he had started the 2026-27 calendar with the team's preseason roster. But an injury took away any chance at a prolonged appearance with the club, though the news of his contract being waived is certainly optimistic when it comes to a potential recall later in the future.
It is worth noting that he was one of two such moves to take place on Saturday, though his was the far less devastating one. Goaltender James Reimer, who was recently picked up by the New York Rangers after Igor Shesterkin went down with a season-ending injury, was also waived on Saturday; unlike Leppanen, his contract will be discontinued.
As long as Leppanen clears waivers and is not picked up by any other NHL team, he will make his way back to the Oilers' AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors.
Part of the reason Leppanen even got the opportunity to play in Edmonton during the preseason was because of his first campaign in North American hockey, which was with the Condors. During that 2025-26 campaign, Leppanen scored 11 goals and recorded 27 assists through 53 games. He also scored a goal during one of the Condors' three playoff games that year.
Prior to that campaign, Leppanen spent the first 14 years of his career in the Finnish system. He started his career with KPK before joining KeuPa HT. He finished his club career in Finland with Kiekko-Espoo and Sport.
Internationally, Leppanen has played 37 games with Finland's national team, all of which came after the end of the 2023-24 campaign. He scored three times and recorded a total of eight assists during that span of contests.
What could be next?
With the Oilers mostly set on the blue line, the chance that Leppanen is brought up to the Oilers for any regular-season action remains slim. Even if someone like Jake Walman were to be traded, there would still need to be significant movement on that side of the ice for a move back to the Oilers to be made possible in the short-term.
That said, Leppanen could earn another preseason opportunity should he find some form with the Condors. But if not, it's fair to wonder if the Oilers look to move him or his signing rights (he is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer) for some late-round draft capital or another prospect.
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