What might the Edmonton Oilers roster look like 5 years from now?

Suddenly, it’s summer 2031. In this reality, the Jetsons’ aerial vehicles are here, there’s a four-day work week and the Edmonton Oilers have finally won their sixth Stanley Cup.

What next?

Five seasons from now, Leon Draisaitl will be 35, just two years from free agency. Connor McDavid will be 34 and under a new deal, since he reached free agency in the summer of 2028. Older players like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman, Mattias Ekholm and Frederik Andersen will likely be retired or in other NHL cities.

Here’s a look at what may come for the Oilers in the next five seasons.

The captain

The nature of McDavid’s value to the Oilers goes beyond wins and losses on the ice. The franchise value has skyrocketed during the McDavid years, and owner Daryl Katz has a significant interest in keeping the captain in Alberta. For McDavid, every interview he has ever done on free agency includes winning the Stanley Cup with the Oilers. The team’s success in the 2027 and 2028 playoffs will impact the decision, but the smart bet has the captain signing another deal with the Oilers after the conclusion of his current contract.

Leon Draisaitl

As mentioned above, he’ll still be playing under his current contract, but there’s evidence Draisaitl will age well. The big centre turns 31 in October, but last season his max foot speed was in the 92nd percentile, according to NHL Edge. He is one of two unicorns on the current team. Expect an Evgeni Malkin-level romp through his 30s.

Evan Bouchard

Evan Bouchard’s contract expires in the summer of 2029. If he continues to impact offence and five-on-five outscoring at his current pace, Bouchard will receive a substantial increase from his $10.5 million cap hit on the next contract. Bouchard is an easy player to project, as he plays 81 or 82 games per season (over the past five years) and is delivering some of the most impressive scoring campaigns for a modern defenceman (95 points in 2025-26). He’s in the 61st percentile in foot speed, and that will eventually impact his playing time, but Bouchard will be a productive player deep into his 30s. Even after his offence fades, Bouchard’s ability to move the puck out of the zone will have high value.

Aging veterans

Hyman will be 36 in the summer of 2028 when his deal expires. His utility and non-stop motor (87th percentile max speed) may still be on display, but the injuries will be more common, and the goals won’t come as often. The decline for Nugent-Hopkins (36 in the summer of 2029 when his contract ends) will continue as well, although it’s possible both men could be productive enough to remain in the league five years from now. Their presence on the Oilers roster may depend on how competitive the team will be during those seasons. Veterans often pursue Stanley Cup rings later in careers.

Defencemen are a different matter, as NHL teams value experience at the position heavily and are more forgiving in regard to lost foot speed at the position. Ekholm is 36, Connor Murphy is 33 and Jake Walman is 30. There’s a chance all three will still be playing in the NHL five years from now. Ekholm is especially aging like fine wine.

The younger roster players

I’ve written often over the last three summers about the importance of marbling youth onto the Oilers roster. A look at five years into the future brings home the point like a sledgehammer. The heart of the young cluster on this roster begins with Matt Savoie and Vasily Podkolzin. The talent Edmonton needs to step up includes Ike Howard, Devon Levi, Ty Emberson and Shakir Mukhamadullin.

Beyond that group, it’s tough to project any young players on to an NHL roster. A young prospect like Tommy Lafreniere, whose trajectory suggests an NHL future, will need to develop over the next two seasons in order to have a real chance. Two defensive prospects, Asher Barnett and Beau Akey, are building solid resumes that may involve significant minutes in important roles. Speed, coverage ability and puck-moving elan are all part of the package needed for the second pairing. Barnett and Akey are the best projectable defencemen in the system at this time.

Future acquisitions

The most difficult task in a projection five years into the distance involves outside additions. We know the Oilers won’t have a plethora of draft picks pushing for NHL work in 2031 unless something goes very wrong in the team’s annual push for a championship. Edmonton management could (and should) use offer sheets as often as possible, but trading high picks at every deadline makes that a difficult task.

All things considered, and keeping in mind the retention of McDavid being the primary goal for the Katz ownership, here’s a look at what the 2031-32 opening-night lineup might look like.

Forwards

In 2031-32, the Oilers will be able to fill most of the depth spots with players from the system. Lafreniere, William Nicholl, Rudolfs Berzkalns and Owen Michaels all have top-flight reputations for two-way play; all will be shy offensive types.

The chances the organization drafts a player between now and 2031 who can deliver on a skill line are not good. There’s so much luck involved in finding an impact scorer outside the top 20, and Edmonton won’t be choosing in that range until the mid-30s (if all goes well).

David Pastrnak is my choice for a free-agent addition. He’s aging well and has reeled off four electric 100-point seasons in a row. NHL teams are signing their best players earlier now, and to longer contracts, so free agency may well be the only way for the organization to find a talent worthy of playing on the McDavid line. Even if Bowman stopped trading his first-round selections today, the team is in a real spot of bother as it pertains to finding elite offensive talent for the future.

Defence and goaltending

The defence is more difficult to project, beyond Bouchard retaining his exceptional status. The Oilers are showing signs of being adept at finding college defencemen, and that is reflected here with Barnett and Damien Carfagna. It’s a stretch to place Mukhamadullin in the top pairing, but defencemen are easier to find, and Edmonton should be able to deal for a significant player after Ekholm falls off and exits the NHL. A deadline deal for an Ekholm type is most certainly in Bowman’s future.

Bottom line

Edmonton’s practice of trading first-round draft picks comes home to roost by 2031. Offer sheets can be sent, but teams will be aware of the practice and defend against such player raids. For the Oilers, the bottom will be closer than the top by the early 2030s, and at that point trading off McDavid and Draisaitl may not only be prudent, it may also be necessary.

A need for a rebuild will be in evidence by 2031.