Oilers to receive reinforcements ahead of Mammoth rematch

It is no secret that the Edmonton Oilers have started the 2026-27 season with a bout of bad injury luck.

However, finally there is a break in the clouds as the team attempts to bounce back on Saturday night when they face the Utah Mammoth. The Oilers winning streak came to an end in their last match on Thursday that saw them lose 4-2 against the Mammoth.

They will get their shot at redemption and according to the morning skate, they will receive reinforcements off the injury list. Three players are expected to come back into the lineup as the team takes a step towards a clean bill of health.

Multiple players returning

Bob Stauffer posted the Oilers morning skate lineup which seems to indicate that the team will see the return of three lineup regulars. Zach Hyman returns after missing the past six games with an injury. Joining him is Colton Dach and Jake Walman, who have missed the past four and three games respectively.

It is a huge win for the Oilers to receive three regulars back including a top six winger like Hyman. But, these are not the only players who are expected to return soon.

According to reporting by Jason Gregor on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, the Oilers expect to see five players return to the lineup over the next week or two. Hyman, Dach, and Walman were all expected to rejoin the team on Saturday but should be joined shortly by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jason Dickinson.

When Nugent-Hopkins returns he will be making his season debut while Dickinson will return, having only played three games this season. They will help solidify the Oilers' centre depth which has taken the biggest hit with the injuries this season.

Oilers have faced injury troubles

Before the season even began, the Oilers put out a press release announcing that multiple players would miss training camp due to lingering injuries. At the time, the injury list included Mattias Janmark whose 2025-26 season was cut short. As well as depth defenceman Alec Regula and regular forward Matt Savoie, who seemed poised to breakout. On top of them, the club announced that newly inked veteran goaltender Frederik Andersen would miss time.

Following the training camp and 2026 preseason schedule, the Oilers injury list piled up more and more. Assuming that Hyman, Dach, and Walman are officially back, the injury situation is slowly getting better.

As of right now, this leaves the Oilers injury list with; Nugent-Hopkins, Dickinson, Andersen, Savoie, Janmark, Regula, as well as Atro Leppanen and James Stefan sidelined. The former two should return soon leaving the rest to be determined.

The trio returning to the Oilers lineup on Saturday means that three players will also have to come out of the lineup. It appears that those players will be: Max Jones, Josh Samanski, and Shakir Mukhamadullin. If the others return soon after, it will cause a ripple effect and force the club to make some roster moves, potentially returning Samanski to the American Hockey League, where he will have to fight his way back to the NHL once again.

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