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The Edmonton Oilers are just a few days away from the start of the regular season, skating on Sunday morning after a loss on Friday in their final preseason game of the season.

The Oilers made some key decisions this week, with others yet to be made. Among the major off-ice moves: the team has signed head coach Kris Knoblauch to a three-year extension through the 2028-29 season. There is also talk about Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman, and which players will make the opening night roster. 

Oilers' Early 2025-26 Season Projections: The Goalies

Oilers' Early 2025-26 Season Projections: The Forwards

Oilers' Early 2025-26 Season Projections: The Defense

Knoblauch Inks New Three-Year Extension

Knoblauch, who took over during the 2022-23 season, has posted a 94-47-10 record in 151 games and guided the Oilers to back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances, both of which were losses to the Florida Panthers. We spoke to Knoblauch after the extension was announced and he was grateful to the organization and the Katz family for giving him an opportunity and excited to get this deal done before the start of the season. 

It will be fascinating to see if Knoblauch’s extension will influence Connor McDavid’s contract situation, a storyline that has dominated offseason chatter.

Latest on McDavid's Contract Talks

While the Oilers captain has yet to sign a new deal, sources suggest he remains committed to Edmonton, with speculation pointing toward a short-term, in-season extension (there is still a chance it happens before October 8) rather than a massive long-term commitment.

Analysts continue to debate whether McDavid could top Kirill Kaprizov’s AAV, but most are now expecting his salary to come in under Kaprizov's, a decision he'll make to help the Oilers build a championship team around him. 

His influence may already be shaping the roster, as David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reportedly engaged in preliminary discussions with GM Stan Bowman to potentially bring in an impact player to boost the team’s championship window.

TSN's Darren Dreger said this week that he believes McDavid re-signing in Edmonton now sits at 50/50 odds. When asked why so low, he responded that anything higher likely would have seen McDavid already signed by now. 

Should Oilers Circle Back On A Still-Unsigned UFA?NHL and TSN insider Darren Dreger said on Flames Nation and TSN OverDrive that the Edmonton Oilers had made unrestricted free agent Jack Roslovic a multi-year offer, but he turned it down. 

Final Opening Night Roster Decisions

Off the ice, the Oilers face tough decisions for their opening-night roster. Several players were sent down this week, but more decisions need to be made, with at least three more cuts coming. 

Names like Troy Stecher, Curtis Lazar, and Max Jones have surfaced as potential candidates to go down, while prospects such as Alec Regula and David Tomasek, and Noah Philp remain key considerations.

Waiver-exempt forwards like Matt Savoie, Ike Howard, and Tomasek provide flexibility for GM Stan Bowman, but all three arguably deserve to be on the opening night roster. Depth players like Lazar and Jones are most vulnerable, though moving them could be tricky if younger talent needs NHL minutes.

Is Zach Hyman Getting Closer to a Return?

Zach Hyman continues his recovery from a wrist injury suffered last season. While November 1 was initially projected as his return, sources suggest he may be back sooner, giving the Oilers another boost in the lineup.

He hopped on the ice after morning practice on Friday, taking shots and doing workouts with the Oilers' conditioning coach. He looked pretty good, even though he's not ready for opening night. 

In other injury news, Jake Walman is expected to be ready for opening night, while Mattias Janmark is hurt and could be up to a week. Jones should be ready to go as well. 

Is Draisaitl the Contract Comparable for Eichel?

As the Oilers try to figure out extensions for McDavid, Walman, Mattias Ekholm, Brett Kulak, and their goaltenders, another superstar sees Leon Draisaitl as a potential contract comparable. 

Jack Eichel and the Vegas Golden Knights are reportedly negotiating an eight-year deal worth roughly $14 million AAV, mirroring Draisaitl’s contract. Eichel’s camp appears to be using Draisaitl’s salary as a benchmark instead of comparing him to other players who are signing deals this summer or are expected to over the next few weeks and months. 

Oilers Ranked Atop The Points-Getters List

The Athletic ranked the Edmonton Oilers as the top team in the NHL when predicting which NHL club will get the most regular season points. With 109, the Oilers led the way as potential Presidents' Trophy candidates. 

With preseason games wrapping up and opening night just days away, the Oilers’ combination of roster moves, McDavid speculation, and coaching stability sets the stage for a compelling 2025-26 campaign. Between potential acquisitions, Hyman’s return, and key roster decisions, Edmonton’s front office has some big decisions to make and fans will watch closely in the hopes that every move is the right one. 

The Oilers are trying to get one step closer to the Stanley Cup.

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MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- The St. Louis Blues are down to their final roster cuts, and five were assigned to Springfield of the American Hockey League on Sunday.

The club announced it has assigned 2023 first-round picks, forwards Dalibor Dvorsky, Otto Stenberg and defenseman Theo Lindstein, along with forward Aleksanteri Kaskimaki and defenseman Leo Loof to the Thunderbirds, reducing the training camp number down to 26.

All five played in the preseason finale on Saturday, a 4-0 win against the Chicago Blackhawks, but it was clearly evident as things progressed to Monday's 4 p.m. (CT) deadline for opening night rosters to be submitted that these players had made strides but would not make the initial cut to be on the roster for opening night on Thursday against the Minnesota Wild.

"I think they had really good camps; we just have a lot of good depth in the organization," Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. "We have 14 really good forwards here that are signed and we have seven really good defensemen. And those other guys, they've got to go down there and be really good. Our organization's in a real good place with all positions."

That leaves three more cuts for the Blues to make by Monday, and among those is expected to be goalie Colten Ellis, who has to clear waivers to go to Springfield, as does defenseman Hunter Skinner, who had himself a terrific training camp. Neither were on the ice Sunday morning and likely on waivers by Sunday afternoon.

"If I had to pick a couple (tough ones that got sent down) off the top of my head, I would say Skinner, Stenberg and Kaskimaki," Montgomery said. "All did a lot to show that they can play in the league, but again, they've also got to show that they can really be good American League players."

Observations From Blues' 4-0 Preseason Win Vs. BlackhawksThe St. Louis Blues closed out the preseason in impressive fashion with a 4-0 win against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center in Chicago on Saturday.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have 8 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Today, we look at the history of jersey #8. 

Let's take a look.

Geoff Sanderson - 2001-2006 - Drafted by Hartford in 1990. 

Sanderson played 268 games as a Jacket and had 168 points. In the franchise's first season, he dazzled the NWA crowds when he scored 30 goals and had 56 points. Sanderson was a very good player for the Blue Jackets and brought some excitement to a fledgling franchise desperate to win some games. He's the only player in CBJ history to score 4 goals in a single game and was the first player in franchise history to have 5 points in a game. 

He retired in 2008 after playing 1100 games and totaling 700 points. Last season, he was a pro scout for the New Jersey Devils. 

His son Jake is now a star defenseman for the Ottawa Senators.  

Jan Hejda - 2008-2010 - Drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in 2003. 

Hejda signed with Columbus in 2007 after playing one year with the Edmonton Oilers. In all, he played with Columbus for four seasons and totaled 302 games. He scored 11 goals and 67 points playing on the Columbus blue line. 

He left for the Colorado Avalanche in 2011 when free agency opened. He would play there until 2015. He signed a PTO with the Lake Erie Monsters in December of 2015 and was released in January of 2016 and would retire.

Scottie Upshall - 2011 - Drafted by Nashville in 2002.

Upshall played 21 games as a Jacket and had seven points after being traded on February 28, 2011, from the Phoenix Coyotes.  After his time in Columbus, he played for the Florida Panthers and St. Louis Blues.

He left for Europe in 2019 to play a single season in Switzerland. 

Maksim Mayorov - 2012 - Drafted by Columbus in 2007.

Mayorov played 22 in Columbus and totaled 11 points. He never played another game for the Jackets.

He left for Russia 2012 and played there until he retired in 2021. He is now an amateur scout for the Washington Capitals. 

Nathan Horton - 2014 - Drafted by Florida in 2003. 

Horton only played 36 games for Columbus after signing with the Jackets in 2013. After netting 19 points, he was forced to medically retire due to a back issue. 

During the first period of a March 10, 2014, game against the Dallas Stars, Horton scored a goal to put the Blue Jackets ahead, 1–0. Shortly thereafter, Dallas Stars center Rich Peverley collapsed on the bench. Play was suspended, and on April 9, 2014, the game restarted from the beginning, with the Blue Jackets leading, 1–0. Horton was unavailable for the restarted game due to an injury. However, his goal from the original game was still recorded in official statistics, making him the only NHL player known to score in a game in which he did not play.

Zach Werenski - 2017-2025 - Drafted by Columbus in 2015. 

Zach Werenski has cemented himself as the best defenseman in Columbus Blue Jackets history. Werenski came into the league like a lion and really hasn't stopped since. Unfortunately, injuries set him back during his career, but last year, he stayed healthy and became a top-scoring, elite defenseman. 

Last season, he set single season records for a Blue Jackets defenseman in goals (23), assists (59), and points (82). He also passed CBJ legend Rick Nash in career assists, a mark that will probably take two decades to catch, if it's ever caught. His assist mark stands at 271, and there isn't an active Blue Jacket that even has 100 career assists. By the time his career is over, he could very well have 500 assists.

Per the NHL, Werenski is looking to become just the seventh U.S.-born defenseman in NHL history with three career 20-goal seasons.   

He'd join Phil Housley (7x), Reed Larson (6x), Brian Leetch (5x), Gary Suter (3x), Al Iafrate (3x), and Mark Howe (3x) as the only ones to do so to date.    

Last season, he also had a historic home points streak. The streak tied Phil Housley for the third-longest by a defenseman in NHL history, trailing only Bobby Orr and Paul Coffey. It was also the fourth-longest home point streak by an active player in the league, with only Nathan MacKinnon (35 GP in 2023-24), Connor McDavid (26 GP in 2023-24), and Nikita Kucherov (24 GP in 2022-23) having a longer streak.

Zach Werenski will look to continue his spectacular play when the season starts next week in Nashville. How many points do you think Werenski will have this season? 

Let us know what you think below.

Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more!

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More from THN Columbus

The Hockey News Sunday Recap: Columbus Blue JacketsFrom Ex-players to current players and everything in between, we've got you covered.  Blue Jackets Lose Daemon Hunt To WaiversChris Johnson of TSN has reported that the Minnesota Wild have claimed Daemon Hunt off the waiver wire from the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Jackets were hoping he'd clear so he could return to Cleveland, but sadly, that didn't happen.  NHL Analyst Believes Greaves Is A Breakout Candidate This SeasonRecently on an episode of Real Kyper and Bourne on Sportsnet, they had NHL analyst Steve Valiquette on the show, who specializes in goalies.

Let's get one thing straight: Connor Ingram is a good story. The journeyman goaltender who battled through OCD and anxiety to find his footing in the NHL deserves respect. But if you're an Oilers fan hoping he's the answer to Edmonton's perpetual goaltending question, we need to have a hard reality check.

The Oilers have been searching for reliable goaltending since the days when Dwayne Roloson was stealing playoff games. Every season brings new hope, new names, new "this could be the guy" energy. Ingram's name has floated around in trade speculation, and some fans see his .904 save percentage from last season as a potential upgrade.

Here's the problem: it's not.

Let's start with the facts. In 2023-24, Ingram posted a .904 save percentage across 47 games with the Utah Hockey Club (formerly the Arizona Coyotes). That's not terrible, but it's also not moving the needle for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations. For context, Stuart Skinner—who Oilers fans love to criticize—posted a .905 save percentage last season while facing significantly tougher competition.

Ingram's goals-against average of 3.05 tells a similar story. Yes, he was playing behind a weaker defensive structure in Arizona/Utah, but the Oilers need someone who can elevate the team, not just maintain the status quo. When you're trying to win a Cup with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in their prime, "pretty good" doesn't cut it.

Here's what really concerns me about Ingram as a potential solution: consistency. Last season was his first as a legitimate NHL starter, and while he showed flashes, he also showed why he'd spent years bouncing between the AHL and NHL. He had stretches where he looked confident and capable, followed by games where he looked completely overwhelmed.

Oilers' Coach And GM Detail Game Plan For Connor IngramThe Edmonton Oilers traded for Connor Ingram on Wednesday, but head coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed this trade was not done to push either Stuart Skinner or Calvin Pickard out. The Oilers have their goaltenders, and Ingram's arrival alone won't change that. 

The Oilers don't need a project. They need a goaltender who can deliver night after night, especially in the playoffs when the margin for error evaporates. Ingram has exactly zero playoff games in his NHL career. Zero. This is a team that made it to Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final last season and Game 7 the year prior. You want to roll the dice on a guy who's never experienced that pressure?

Let's talk about something that doesn't get enough attention: Ingram's injury history. He's dealt with various ailments throughout his career, and durability has been a question mark. Last season was actually his healthiest and most productive, which is great, but it's also a single data point. The Oilers need ironman reliability in net, especially if they're going to make a deep playoff run.

The harsh truth is that the Oilers need elite goaltending, or they need to be comfortable with what they have. Ingram represents neither option. He's a lateral move at best, potentially a downgrade depending on which version of Stuart Skinner shows up—or frankly, which version of Connor Ingram shows up.

If the Oilers are going to make a move in net, it needs to be for someone proven. Someone with playoff experience. Someone with a track record of stealing games when their team needs it most. Ingram might develop into that player someday, but "someday" isn't in the Oilers' championship window timeline.

Bullish Oilers' D-Man Goes From "No Expectations" To Likely 2025-26 BluelinerEdmonton Oilers prospect defenseman Alec Regula has spent the past year fighting what had to feel like an uphill battle. He wasn't throwing his big frame around on the ice, but working to get his own body to cooperate so he could make an NHL return.

The other option? Commit to Skinner and actually build a defensive system that supports him. Skinner has shown he can be good when he remains calm in net—or just in net—and when the Oilers play structured hockey around him.

The solution might not be swapping out goalies like they're interchangeable parts—it might be finally addressing the defensive zone chaos that's plagued this team for years.

The Bottom Line

Connor Ingram is a fine NHL goaltender who earned his spot in this league. But fine doesn't win Stanley Cups, especially not when you're icing the two best players in the world. The Oilers need to either go big on a proven commodity or commit to developing what they have with better defensive structure.

Ingram isn't the savior. He's just another name in a long line of "maybe this guy" conversations that Oilers fans have been having for two decades. And until management recognizes that band-aid solutions won't fix a systemic problem, we'll keep having the same conversation next season too.

After The Score ran a random simulation on NHL 26, the Senators came out as the champions in a random simulation. While it obviously means absolutely nothing, it does suggest that, based on all the data the company pours into its game, the Sens compare very favourably to the best teams in hockey

What's troubling is the faces of the Senators' players. 

But I, for one, welcome our Ottawa Senator zombie overlords...

NHL 26 season sim: Senators win Cup, Oilers lose 3rd straight finalThe 2025-26 NHL season is just around the corner, but before we get to the real thing, we thought it would be fun to simulate the campaign in NHL 26 and share the results. Remember, this is just a video game. Some of the outcomes were incredibly wacky.Atlantic Division!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}})}(); Panthers: The two-time reigning Cup champions win the Atlantic Division for the third time in five years, allowing a league-low 222 goals.Senators: Ottawa loses out on a division title courtesy of a tiebreaker, but it gets better in the playoffs.Red Wings: Detroit scores a conference-high 282 goals to snap its nine-year playoff drought. Lucas Raymond, Alex DeBrincat, Patrick Kane, Dylan Larkin, and Marco Kasper all score at least 25 goals.Lightning: Nikita Kucherov leads the way offensively for the Bolts with 50 goals and 98 points.Canadiens: Montreal takes a step back, but Cole Caufield breaks out with 97 points and Ivan Demidov makes it back-to-back Calder Trophy winners for the Habs.Maple Leafs: Turmoil in Toronto? The Leafs miss the playoffs for the first time with Auston Matthews, despite a 58-goal season from the captain. Matthew Knies suffers through an injury-plagued 38-point campaign.Sabres: Tage Thompson (80 points) and Rasmus Dahlin (65 points) enjoy strong years, but Buffalo extends its playoff drought to 15 seasons.Bruins: Things go from bad to worse in Boston. Although David Pastrnak's 57 goals are a bright spot, Jeremy Swayman struggles again with an .895 save percentage.Metropolitan Division!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}})}(); Islanders: Perhaps the best story in the league, New York finishes atop the Eastern Conference. Ilya Sorokin shines with 35 wins and a .918 save percentage.Penguins: Put the Sidney Crosby trade talk on hold, folks. Evgeni Malkin (73 points) and Erik Karlsson (69 points) turn back the clock to help the Penguins return to the postseason after a three-year hiatus.Capitals: Alex Ovechkin defies Father Time with a career-high 66 goals at age 40, putting him just 37 away from 1,000 for his career.Devils: Healthy seasons from Jack Hughes (80 points in 80 games) and Dougie Hamilton (64 points in 80 games) lead to a strong year for the Devils.Flyers: Philadelphia takes a step in the right direction on the back of Matvei Michkov's 78-point campaign.Rangers: J.T. Miller leads by example with a team-high 70 points as New York's captain, but it's not enough to overcome the club's lack of depth.Blue Jackets: Another strong season from Zach Werenski (team-high 77 points) isn't enough to will Columbus to the playoffs.Hurricanes: Arguably the biggest shock of the entire sim, Carolina finishes last in the East with the league's 26th-ranked offense.Central Division!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}})}(); Jets: Winnipeg soars to its second straight Presidents' Trophy by virtue of a tiebreaker over the Islanders. Kyle Connor leads the way with 53 goals and 99 points.Avalanche: Martin Necas racks up 70 assists (second in NHL) and 92 points to help Colorado forget about Mikko Rantanen.Mammoth: Eight players notch at least 50 points as Utah gets a taste of playoff hockey in an extremely tight division.Stars: Dallas misses the playoffs by a point, surely ending Jim Nill's three-year reign as General Manager of the Year.Blues: A disappointing 63-point season from Robert Thomas keeps the Blues out of the playoffs.Wild: Mats Zuccarello's career-high 79 points at age 38 aren't enough to help Minnesota overcome its 30th-ranked defense.Predators: Steven Stamkos (74 points) and defenseman Nick Perbix (41 points) serve as bright spots on a middling Preds squad.Blackhawks: Chicago finishes as the NHL's worst team despite a 36-goal campaign from Connor Bedard.Pacific Division!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}})}(); Kings: Anze Kopitar paces L.A. with 73 points en route to a division title in his final NHL season. Darcy Kuemper leads all goalies with 39 wins.Golden Knights: Jack Eichel scores a career-high 43 goals playing alongside Mitch Marner (61 assists), forming a new dynamic duo in Vegas.Ducks: Mason McTavish ends his contract stalemate and tallies 69 points to lead Anaheim to its first postseason appearance since 2018.Canucks: Filip Chytil solves Vancouver's second-line center woes with a 69-point season to bring the Canucks back to the playoffs.Oilers: Edmonton allows a league-worst 286 goals but squeaks into the postseason with solid yet unspectacular campaigns from Connor McDavid (95 points) and Leon Draisaitl (93 points).Flames: Calgary stays in the playoff hunt most of the season thanks to Nazem Kadri's career-high 47 goals.Kraken: New coach, new GM, similar result in Seattle. A team-high 63 points from Shane Wright is promising, though.Sharks: A breakout 81-point campaign from William Eklund is a bright spot from another long year in San Jose.Playoffs EA Sports NHL 26Round 1 Oilers, Mammoth, and Lightning all pull off major upsets. Golden Knights, Kings, and Senators win their series handily in five games. Round 2 Oilers roll through Mammoth in five games. Kings, Penguins, Senators win in seven. Conference finals Crosby and the Penguins run out of gas against a much younger Senators team, losing in five games. Oilers beat the Kings in the playoffs for the fifth year in a row. Stanley Cup Final 🏆An Ottawa-Edmonton final guarantees a Canadian team wins the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1993. The Oilers erase a 3-1 series deficit to force Game 7, but they have their hearts broken in the Cup Final for the third straight year after David Perron scores the double-overtime winner to give the Senators their first Stanley Cup. EA Sports NHL 26Dylan Cozens is awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy with a team-high 18 points in 24 postseason games. However, Linus Ullmark was snubbed after stopping 48 of 51 shots in Game 7 and posting a .931 save percentage in the playoffs. EA Sports NHL 26Major AwardsHart Trophy - Aleksander Barkov EA Sports NHL 26 GP G A P ATOI 82 28 75 103 19:48 Norris Trophy - Evan Bouchard EA Sports NHL 26 GP G A P ATOI 77 18 58 76 25:07 Art Ross Trophy - Nathan MacKinnon EA Sports NHL 26 GP G A P ATOI 82 54 57 111 19:55 Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy - Alex Ovechkin EA Sports NHL 26 GP G A P ATOI 82 66 32 98 18:32 Calder Trophy - Ivan Demidov EA Sports NHL 26 GP G A P ATOI 82 11 41 52 15:29 Vezina Trophy - Jake Oettinger EA Sports NHL 26 GP W GAA SV% SO 66 33 2.74 .917 2 Selke Trophy - Aleksander Barkov EA Sports NHL 26 FO% +/- Takeaways Giveaways 53.8 40 159 43

Flyers trade Ryan Ellis contract to Sharks, bring back two players originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Flyers moved Ryan Ellis’ contract to the Sharks, along with a 2026 conditional sixth-round draft pick, in exchange for Carl Grundstrom and Artem Guryev.

Ellis was entering the seventh season of an eight-year, $50 million deal that he originally signed with the Predators. The contract had a $6.250 million annual cap hit.

The 34-year-old defenseman had not played for the Flyers since 2021-22 because of a multilayered injury in his pelvic region.

After being acquired by the Flyers in a July 2021 trade, Ellis played just four games for the club.

Come next offseason, the Flyers could be in a much more advantageous position to spend. The salary cap is going up and Ellis’ contract is no longer on the books. This season is also the last in which the Flyers have cap hits from the Cam Atkinson buyout, the Kevin Hayes trade and the Scott Laughton trade.

Grundstrom, a 27-year-old winger, comes to the Flyers as a pending unrestricted free agent. He’s in the final year of two-year, $3.6 million deal ($1.8 million cap hit). He was placed on waivers Sunday, according to PuckPedia.com. If he clears, he can eventually head to AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley.

Guryev is a 22-year-old defenseman who was selected by San Jose in the fifth-round of the 2021 draft. He played in the ECHL last season and will report to the Phantoms.

The Flyers’ roster is at the maximum of 23 healthy players. It needs to be submitted by Monday at 5 p.m. ET.