The new National Hockey League schedule as laid out in the collective bargaining agreement that takes effect this September has 84 regular season games and just 4 preseason ones. That will affect how Edmonton Oilers head coach Mike Babcock utilizes the time available to assess his team, and also who is in attendance.
In addition to potentially limited opportunities for young players, veterans will be affected as well. Oilers general manager Stan Bowman has stated that the team is unlikely to bring in any players on Professional Tryout Agreements (PTOs). If that trend becomes a common approach across the league, then a lot of players who might have forced their way onto a NHL roster with a strong preseason showing could remain without a contract in 2026-27 and beyond.
Historically PTOs can work
Many PTOs amount to nothing, and the risk of wasting a preseason roster spot on a player that isn't part of your team's long term plans is increased in this new scheduling format. But there have been times in the past when taking a chance on a veteran player has paid off for the Oilers.
Alex Chiasson: Signed to a PTO in the 2017-18 preseason, Chiasson made the Oilers' pro scouts look great. Not only did he make the squad, but he scored a career high 22 goals that season, playing 73 games and logging just shy of seventeen minutes a night. That career high earned him a two year deal with Edmonton, and while his numbers declined in each subsequent season, he remains a PTO success story.
Sam Gagner: The former Oilers first round pick ended up as quite the journeyman over his NHL career, landing for a third stint with the team on a PTO in 2023. Gagner made the big club, dressing for 28 games over the course of the season. He managed five goals and ten points, which would have translated to a decent depth player total of 15 goals and around 30 points over 82 games. Gags is widely regarded as a great teammate and person, and it was nice for Oiler fans to get a chance to cheer for him on a far improved version of the roster than those he played on early in his career.
Devin Shore: Joining the Oilers training camp in 2020, Shore was not the sort of player who provided significant offense. Still, as a guy who could come up from the minors as the team's needs dictated, he had an ability to jump into the pro team's lineup with some juice and a willingness to hit, fight or kill penalties. That jack-of-all-trades aspect impressed Oilers management enough that former GM Ken Holland signed him to a one year and then a two year deal. He went on to be a role player for other NHL teams before his NHL career wound down.
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