What Has and Hasn’t Worked in the Oilers’ Lineup in the Early Season

We’ve only seen three games of Edmonton Oilers hockey so far this season, but it’s enough of a sample size to see what has worked so far and what hasn’t. Obviously, there are multiple aggravating factors causing some things to not work, such as a slew of injuries and a new head coach finding his way; however, we can still have a look at the good and not-so-good in the early going in Edmonton’s lineup.

Working: Podkolzin Getting Top Opportunities

Vasily Podkolzin has been an offensive machine to start the 2026-27 season, posting five points through three games and playing like a high-level threat every time he’s on the ice. One of the main reasons for this early outburst is the opportunity he’s getting to play on the top line with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. He has perfectly complemented the two superstars and has padded his stats in the process.

Podkolzin is also getting time on the first power-play unit with the injuries to Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. I believe even when those two return, Podkolzin should continue to see at least some chances on special teams as he has proved to be an asset with the big boys. His combination of speed and physicality is a blessing for head coach Mike Babcock to utilize in the lineup.

Not Working: No Emberson in the Lineup

This is the smallest problem that was quickly rectified in Saturday night’s matchup with the Seattle Kraken when Ty Emberson was added to the lineup for his first game of the season. He replaced recent addition Shakir Mukhamadullin on the third pair alongside Jake Walman, a familiar place for him as the two of them played more than 157 minutes together last season.

Mukhamadullin clearly struggled a bit out of the gate; granted, the home-and-home with the Vancouver Canucks saw 27 goals, so it’s not like blame can be placed on any one person. He is very young and will continue to learn as he goes. However, Emberson has been quietly one of the Oilers’ most steady defenders over the last two seasons, posting an on-ice expected goals against per 60 minutes of 2.7 in 2025-26, which was the best among Oilers defensemen.

He will be a difference-maker for depth, keeping pucks out of the net in the games to come as long as he stays in the lineup.

Working: Shea and Murphy Paired Together

Another part of the Oilers’ defence that should stay in the lineup and be slotted side by side is Connor Murphy and Ryan Shea. They are two of the newer guys back there, but so far are playing as if it’s the same old thing. Despite the flurry of goals in the first two games, Shea registered a plus-2 rating while Murphy had just a minus-1 with just over 18 minutes played during that back-to-back.

It’s a small sample size, but these two veterans both have great defensive skill sets and play an intelligent game on both ends, hence why they were rewarded with deals in the offseason. The top pairing of Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm will be relied on for the brunt of the offence, but Shea and Murphy will be able to help out on that front while also providing a tough approach in the defensive zone.

Not Working: Formenton Demoted Quickly

Edmonton’s lineup will see constant changes, and that makes sense, but one thing that didn’t add up for me was Alex Formenton being pushed down the lineup after a brief trial in the top six. Obviously, with Hyman hitting the injured list and Podkolzin’s early burst, it was hard not to form that top line, but I believe Formenton should get another chance alongside McDavid or even Nugent-Hopkins when he returns.

Formenton has scored two points through three games, moving the puck quite well and using his strong skating ability to disrupt the defence. Hopefully his opportunity to move up comes again, but for now he can build some chemistry in the bottom six and prove himself further as a reliable option.

We’ll see how the lineup takes shape as the Oilers (hopefully) get healthier in the coming weeks and months.