3 Players Who Could Surprisingly Make the Oilers’ Opening Night Roster

The Edmonton Oilers are hoping they can finally win their first Stanley Cup since 1990, after a disappointing end to last season where they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Anaheim Ducks, and coming up just short in the two seasons before that in the Stanley Cup Final.

After a busy offseason, the Oilers seem to have their lineup mostly set in stone. They have left themselves some cap space to be able to make an addition or two at the 2027 Trade Deadline if they want to, but it doesn’t sound like another move is coming before training camp.

With that in mind, the Oilers did make a lot of new additions in the offseason, and it seems as though there will be a few new faces in their lineup on opening night. With that in mind, here are three players who could surprisingly make the Oilers’ opening night roster.

Eduards Tralmaks

The Oilers signed 29-year-old forward Eduards Tralmaks this summer, and while everyone understands he was brought in to be organizational depth, there is a chance he could sneak into their bottom-six forward group with a strong training camp.

Tralmaks has never played a game in the NHL. Last season, he played in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Grand Rapids Griffins where he scored 26 goals and added 16 assists for 42 points through 64 games.

In the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, Tralmaks played in Czechia with the Kladno Knights, and before that he spent time with the Providence Bruins in the AHL and the Maine Mariners in the ECHL.

His offensive production last season makes him an interesting player. He is always trying to drive the play, is a workhorse that doesn’t take a shift off, and has some tools that could finally let him see some action in the NHL this season. With a good showing in training camp, it is possible that Tralmaks gets a look and sticks around to start the campaign.

Mathieu Joseph

Another depth forward the Oilers signed, was Mathieu Joseph. Joseph, who is 29 years old, spent last season split between the St. Louis Blues and the Los Angeles Kings, playing 51 games and scoring two goals while adding nine assists for 11 points. Throughout his career, he has played 471 games scoring 61 goals and adding 99 assists for 160 points.

Under a new head coach in Mike Babcock, Joseph’s physical and grinder style might be something that the Oilers utilize out of the gates. Someone who can change the momentum of a game with a fight or a big hit is something that the Oilers have lacked in recent seasons, and considering they would like to start the season strong for a change, having Joseph in the bottom six wouldn’t be a surprise.

Joseph would likely have to beat out Josh Samanski and Quinn Hutson, but with a strong training camp, it’s possible he gets the nod with the two younger players going to the AHL to start the season.

Atro Leppänen

Atro Leppänen would have to beat out some strong depth defenders, but with a perfect training camp, he could make it onto the Oilers’ opening-night roster as their seventh defender.

After a strong showing in the AHL last season, Leppänen should be on radars as a dark horse candidate to make the Oilers’ roster to start the 2026-27 season. He had 38 points in 53 games with the Bakersfield Condors, and there is no reason he should be counted out automatically.

Shakir Mukhamadullin, Spencer Stastney, and Ty Emberson will be battling for the bottom-pairing and seventh defender roles out of the gates, but if Leppänen can prove he is ready to make the jump to the NHL, there is a world where the Oilers would have a really tough decision to make.

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