Since he was hired earlier in the off-season, Edmonton Oilers new man behind the bench, head coach Mike Babcock has preached the importance of depth. In fact, based on comments, it seems that Babcock's plans to utilize players further down the lineup was a big reason why he got the job.
It makes sense given that was one of the biggest mistakes made by former head coach Kris Knoblauch, relying too much on the Oilers stars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. It is clear that the Oilers needed to find a way to get more out of their depth and so far, their new coach is saying all of the right things.
Mike Babcock on the Jake's Takes Podcast: ''We need to improve the depth on the team. And what I mean by that, we have to make more people important. You can't win in the NHL with 6 guys [...] If you're an edge piece, you don't feel like part of the group. That's no good. And so… pic.twitter.com/aCJKkpWTxo
— R i N K Y (@RinkyReport) September 12, 2026
If Babcock is able to reinvigorate the Oilers depth and get the most out of them, it could be huge for how they perform this season. There are a number of depth Oilers that are set to benefit from a head coach who will prioritize their play this upcoming season.
Trent Frederic
It is no secret that Trent Frederic has struggled since being acquired by the Oilers at the 2025 NHL trade deadline. Brought in to be a complimentary powerforward who can chip in offensively, he was mostly utilized as a fourth line forward last season.
Through 74 games, he scored just four goals and three assists for seven points while logging an average of 11:02 of ice time. This is quite the fall from Frederic's career best season in 2023-24 as a member of the Boston Bruins where he scored 18 goals and 22 assists for 40 points in 82 games, playing 13:45 of TOI per game. This is nearly three whole minutes of time on a nightly basis and likely had him playing higher up the lineup.
If Babcock can give Frederic more time and put him in a better position to succeed, the Oilers could find him to be a lot more valuable than he currently is. At the very least, Frederic deserves a shot with more ice time.
Kasperi Kapanen
It cannot be overlooked that Babcock and Kasperi Kapanen have some familiarity with their paths having crossed with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The two spent over 100 games together with the Leafs and now are reunited in Edmonton.
It also should be noted that Kapanen had the best season of his career while playing under Babcock during the 2018-19 season where he scored 20 goals and 24 assists for 44 points in 78 games. Babcock knows how to get the best out of Kapanen and he knows what he is capable of when he plays to that level.
This season, look for Kapanen to be used more often in the top-nine and potentially get a look alongside the Oilers stars. However, he has been used mostly on a defensive shutdown line for the Oilers through the preseason.
Josh Samanski
Making his NHL debut last season, Josh Samanski has shown a lot of potential in his time with the Oilers, going from a top U-23 scorer in the German top men's league DEL to becoming a top-six AHL centre to an Olympic athlete to ending his season as an Oilers regular.
Now, he looks poised to begin the season as a top-nine centre, especially with Jason Dickinson potentially missing time. If he can make the Oilers out of camp and be given a position within the top-nine, he could really impress with his two-way play and secondary scoring ability.
Samanski may be the best example of the Oilers push to supplement their prospect pool with free agent talent. Under Babcock who has preached about leaning on his depth, the 24 year old pivot could take off in his first full season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google