The Edmonton Oilers may be in the midst of a division title race, but could they end up opting to balance that push with the need to get ready and stay healthy for the postseason?
That's the tough but necessary question that the team will need to answer during their final game of the regular season, which will see them host the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.
On one hand, it won't be an easy game at all. The Avalanche still earned an overtime result against the Vegas Golden Knights despite winning the Presidents' Trophy and beat us in a shootout. Elsewhere, the Canucks just threw a wrench into the Anaheim Ducks' hopes of ending their postseason drought in front of their home fans, which is now the second-longest current absence.
On the other hand, the Oilers are within touching distance of, at the very least, avoiding the Avs in the first round. Alongside that basic seeding goal, the Oilers could also secure a top-three seed in the opening round of the playoffs as soon as today. That said, it would require that the Oilers beat the Avalanche and that the Los Angeles Kings lose to the Kraken. Alternatively, Edmonton could clinch such a position with an overtime result and a Kings loss to the Kraken in regulation.
Why the cap situation dictates what the Oilers do this week and during the offseason
As of this writing, the Oilers are projected to be almost $2.5 million above the cap, with only a few thousand dollars representing their current cap space. For the 2026-27 season, the Oilers are only going to have $16 million in projected cap space and $2.725 million worth of potential bonuses to pay.
If you think that money is going to be going towards preventing yet another exodus of forward talent, you're half-wrong. Goaltender Connor Ingram is going to be heading for free agency; considering that he's been one of the team's better goalies over the past few seasons, it would be wise for the team to offer him a new contract. Any Ingram deal would more than likely have to at least be double his current AAV of $1.15 million.
I'll save the free agency discussion for the offseason, but I will say that half of the Oilers' 16 forwards on this year's roster are going to be heading for free agency in some form. The Oilers will more than likely bring a handful of those forwards back for the next season or two, however they do have 11 non-roster forwards that they could trial over the last one or two games of the season.
One such name is Quinn Hutson. Currently playing with the Bakersfield Condors, the Oilers' AHL affiliate, Hutson has recorded 59 points through 64 games played with the team. He also played four games earlier this season for Edmonton, recording one goal over that span.
While it remains to be seen if he can take on a depth role like that of Adam Henrique, his play thus far could inspire the Oilers to give him another game or two to close the regular season. If he performs well, then the front office could opt to give him a chance at a role with the team for the 2026-27 season.
He would more than likely serve as the team's final post-trade deadline recall; the Oilers recalled Isaac Howard from the Condors on Sunday. Through 28 games played earlier in the season, Howard recorded five points, including two goals and three assists. He also recorded 47 points through 45 games played with the Condors.
The short-term outlook for Howard is slightly better than that of Hutson. A decent performance and diverse utilization of his skills could see him work his way onto the Oilers' postseason roster; doing so would very likely put him in the driver's seat for an opening day spot for the 2026-27 season. Even if he were to be used simply to give starters like Connor McDavid some much-needed rest before the playoffs, a good showing could earn him a role to start next season.
While the day will come for both Howard and Hutson to work their way to the starting lineup, that day could very well come sooner considering that the Oilers could be going through another forward exodus during the summer. Free agents will come and go, but the Oilers need to start reinforcing their depth for the future.
That starts this week.
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