Oilers Eye Trade to Clear Space for ‘Biggest Wild Card’ of 2025-26 Season

Oilers Now host and Edmonton Oilers insider Bob Stauffer has singled out Czech forward David Tomasek as the team’s biggest wild card heading into the upcoming NHL season. He’s a wild card for two reasons. First, it’s unclear where the Oilers will slot the 29-year-old, who led the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) with 57 points (25 goals, 32 assists) in 47 games last season. Second, with recent signings and trades, it appears the Oilers might have to move another forward to make room for Tomasek in his first NHL campaign.

Stauffer noted, “Not sure how his game will translate to the NHL. Teams tried to sign him in the Spring of 2024 after he led the SHL in goals with 25.” However, Jonathan Willis of The Athletic notes that “Tomasek brings something that the Oilers sorely missed in the playoffs this spring…” As the Oilers get younger and faster, it appears they have the right-shot center pegged to play, outbidding other teams and spending $1.2 million on him.

So far this summer, the Oilers have added Andrew Mangiapane, Curtis Lazar, and Isaac Howard. Roster spots are being filled, and cap space is becoming an issue. If Tomasek is going to play over names like Matt Savoie or Noah Philp — both chomping at the bit for regular NHL duty –, something has to give.

Could the Oilers Trade Janmark to Make Room for Tomasek?

Willis notes that the SHL is a strong league—certainly tougher than the AHL—and while there’s no guarantee that Tomasek will jump in and make an immediate impact, he’s on a one-year contract before he becomes a UFA. It’s time to find out what he can do, and that could mean trading a player whose impact has declined in recent seasons — Mattias Janmark.

Janmark is a strong two-way player and a smart penalty killer, but he’s not producing offensively. He’s no longer a regular in the lineup, and one area where Tomasek could make an immediate impact over Janmark is in the faceoff circle. Edmonton’s faceoff struggles were costly in last season’s playoffs, where they ranked near the bottom in defensive zone and penalty kill draws. Tomasek, a right-shot center, won an impressive 58% of his faceoffs in Sweden, including a league-best 55% in defensive zone draws. Janmark went 40% on 239 draws.

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Moving Janmark means removing $1.45 million off the roster. That’s helpful for the Oilers, who, with both Janmark and Tomasek on the roster, have only $225K in cap space.

While it’s unclear whether Tomasek will slot into the top six, center the third or fourth line, or provide depth scoring, this is the season he needs to get a look. If it doesn’t work, the Oilers can try something else, but they need to know if it will work. That’s what makes Tomasek such a wild card. He could be a significant addition, but it’s impossible to know that until they put him in, sink or swim.

Next: Oilers Recent Moves Giving McDavid a Reason to Stay Long-Term