The news that the Edmonton Oilers will have four players missing from training camp as they are suffering from injuries is continuing to unravel. The club will open camp in September without forwards Mattias Janmark and Matt Savoie, along with defenceman Alec Regula and goaltender Frederik Andersen.
Just a few weeks ago, it looked like the Oilers were in a great position to accrue cap space this year. They were projected to enter the 2026-27 season with nearly $4.725 million in cap space but after it was announced that four players will be out with injury to start the year, the team will be forced to carry them on injured reserve.
This means that they will have to carry their full caphit and will take them from an estimated $4.725 million down to just $1.9 million according to Puckpedia.com. This means more than half of their previously expected cap room is gone. It is even worse to know that, according to Oilers beat reporter Ryan Rishaug, both Savoie and Andersen will be out until late October.
Sounds like Savoie and Andersen will be available late October or so. https://t.co/i0JOIiicM7
— Ryan Rishaug (@TSNRyanRishaug) August 26, 2026
Oilers will have less cap room to work with
This news presents a bunch of issues, namely that the team will miss out on a likely top-six forward in Savoie and their presumptive starter in Andersen for the foreseeable future. It does present some players with opportunities however, like newcomer Devon Levi now has the opportunity to take over the crease.
However, it also throws a few hurdles in front of general manager Stan Bowman, who will now see what could have been roughly $22 million in trade deadline cap space continue to shrink. As of right now, it is projected to sit around $8.9 million. It also handcuffs the Oilers to an extent, giving them less room to work with if they plan to sign one of the available remaining free agents.
All teams must overcome adversity and with the major changes to the Oilers front office along with their coaching staff gaining new faces. It also allows the team the opportunity to try out new combinations and allows players to have opportunities they would not normally have received. There are always silver linings to bad news and if the Oilers plan to make a true run for a Stanley Cup, they will need to overcome a lot more than a few early season injuries to do so.
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