Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will open the National Hockey League season together on the Edmonton Oilers’ top line on Tuesday night against the visiting Vancouver Canucks, while injury questions, roster battles and goaltending decisions continue to shape the team’s lineup. Head coach Mike Babcock outlined his latest lineup plans on Monday, including the reunited superstar duo, an update on checking centre Jason Dickinson and a growing opportunity for rookie Owen Michaels. Top-line look Babcock will pair Vasily Podkolzin alongside McDavid and Draisaitl. It’s a familiar position for the 25-year-old Russian winger, who spent part of last season alongside McDavid and appears set to reprise that role. The six-foot-one, 212-pound Podkolzin is expected to spend much of his time around the net while the superstar duo handles most of the puck possession. “You play lots of minutes, so I think it’s a heck of a position,” Babcock told reporters Monday after practice. “You understand, though, they don’t want you to have the puck in the neutral zone. If you have three guys who all want the puck on one line, you’re in trouble. (Podkolzin’s) job is to get it back, get to the cage (and) play well without it.” Dickinson’s status One of the biggest questions heading into Tuesday’s game is the status of Jason Dickinson. The Oilers acquired the 31-year-old centre, along with forward Colton Dach, at last season’s trade deadline in exchange for winger Andrew Mangiapane and a first-round draft pick. Dickinson signed a five-year contract extension with the Oilers in July. His injury dates back to the final weeks of the regular season, when he blocked a Connor Murphy slapshot with his skate. Dickinson then aggravated the injury during training camp, Babcock said last week. Dickinson’s spot on the third line was filled by Owen Michaels during Saturday’s final preseason game against Calgary. Michaels skated on the fourth line alongside Ike Howard and Trent Frederic during Monday’s practice. Babcock said Michaels, who captained Western Michigan to an NCAA championship in 2025, has impressed during camp. “He really can skate, and if you look back at his career, he wasn’t a big scorer, so he didn’t hang his hat on that; he had to be a two-way, very effective player,” Babcock said of the 24-year-old, who signed with Edmonton in April. “He won a national championship, so he knows how to win, and he’s in all the good clips. It wasn’t like we had this plan that he was going here. He wasn’t supposed to be here, but that’s the great thing about plans: you get to change them.” Samanski draws short straw Michaels continues to strengthen his case for an opening-night roster spot after the Oilers assigned Josh Samanski to the American Hockey League on Monday. Samanski, 24, appeared in 24 regular-season games and five playoff games with Edmonton last season. However, Michaels and Dach have emerged as Babcock’s preferred options for bottom-six centre roles during training camp. Babcock said Samanski’s path back to the NHL starts with refining the details of his game. “When you go down in the AHL, they put you in a totally different role, but you have to become an elite face-off guy, elite penalty killer, a great two-way defensive centre to play here because that’s going to be your job in the American League,” he said. “They want him to be on a power play, play on the first line, do all that. Sometimes it gets in the way, but as a player, you’ve got to learn that. He’s old enough now to understand that’s what he’s got to do to get back.” Crease plans Babcock confirmed Tristan Jarry will start in goal Tuesday against Vancouver, with Devon Levi serving as backup after starting Saturday’s exhibition game. The pair make up two-thirds of Edmonton’s goaltending group while Frederik Andersen remains sidelined with the knee injury he suffered during June’s Stanley Cup Final with Carolina. Babcock said Jarry has shown encouraging signs this preseason. “He’s really worked hard in the off-season,” Babcock said. “He’s really improved his conditioning. He’s worked closely with Pete (goalie coach Aubry), and they seem to have a plan (to) stabilize his game. Anytime you have a tough year, and those things happen in the National League, you always want to bounce back. He’s ready to do that.” Familiar pairing On defence, Mattias Ekholm appears headed back alongside Evan Bouchard on Edmonton’s top pairing. The duo played together against Calgary and were paired again during Monday’s practice after spending part of training camp apart, with Bouchard previously skating alongside Ryan Shea. Shea worked on the third pairing Monday with Shakir Mukhamadullin, acquired in the Darnell Nurse trade. Connor Murphy and Jake Walman formed the second pairing, while Ty Emberson and Spencer Stastny skated as an extra pairing. Frederic watch Trent Frederic remains a player to watch after a disappointing first full season in Edmonton. The 28-year-old managed four goals and seven points in 74 regular-season games while primarily playing in a bottom-six role and averaging 11 minutes per game. Despite signing an eight-year contract extension before last season, Frederic has yet to establish himself as the top-six power forward Edmonton hoped it was acquiring. He was given an opportunity higher in the lineup Saturday against Calgary, skating with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman on the second line, but was back on the fourth unit during Monday’s practice. Acquired from Boston at the 2025 trade deadline, Frederic arrived with a reputation as a physical winger capable of contributing offensively after scoring 17 and 18 goals in consecutive seasons with the Bruins. So far, that production has not followed him to Edmonton.
