Oilers insider hints one veteran forward will be traded before training camp

To date, Oilers' GM Stan Bowman has made several changes to his roster, adding youth and depth to an already bolstered forward lineup. Yet, what the starting-day roster will be is a matter of speculation.

With an excess of forwards signed to contracts, Stan Bowman now must decide who will start the season, and who will sit it out. Oilers Daily projects the forward lines currently look like this:

Howard-McDavid-Hyman
Mangiapane-Draisaitl-Savoie
Frederic-RNH-Podkolzin
Janmark-Henrique-Kapanen

Scratches: Tomasek-Lazar-Philip

The Oilers have stated that David Tomasek will play on opening night. The 29 year-old Tomasek, who signed a 1-year deal worth $1.25M with the Oilers on April 2nd, 2025, can easily fit into a bottom-6 forward role, and with his talent, can also move up the lineup, as required.

In 2024-25, playing in Europe in the SHL, David Tomasek scored 24G and 33A in 47GP, demonstrating his ability to produce, which he also did in 2023-24, also in the SHL, recording 25G and 20A in 52GP.

Reports also suggest that Mattias Janmark might be the forward that will likely be moved out. At a cap hit of just below $1.5M, he can easily be substituted by one of Noah Philip and James Hamblin, both of whom have an AAV of $775K.

Yet, if Stan Bowman decides he wants more toughness in the lineup, then he might consider acquiring Klim Kostin on a PTO. The bug Russian forward is already familiar with Edmonton, having played with the Oilers in 2022-23, when he recorded his career-best 11G and 10A in 57GP.