The Oilers Might Have Found Another Useful Player

There’s a funny thing about NHL teams. Everybody notices the big names. The 40-goal scorers. The $10-million players. The guys who sell the jerseys. But every now and then, a season can turn on somebody most people weren't paying much attention to in September. Josh Samanski might be one of those guys for Edmonton.

Nobody is going to look at his numbers from last season and get too excited. Two goals and four points in 24 games isn't exactly the stuff of a highlight reel. But Samanski was starting to show that he can do some of the things that tend to become pretty important once the calendar turns to spring. He blocked 14 shots and had 27 hits in those 24 games. He was being used as a reliable two-way player, and now he's going to get a real chance to compete for a checking-line centre job.

That might be more important than it sounds. The Oilers have plenty of offensive talent. They don't need Samanski to suddenly become a 25-goal scorer. They need him to be the kind of player a coach can put on the ice late in a game and not worry about what happens next. That's a valuable skill. And the timing is pretty good for him.

Mattias Janmark is recovering from surgery, and his return date remains uncertain. That opens a door at training camp, and Samanski has a chance to walk right through it. This is where things get interesting.

Related: I Called the Nurse Trade, But Got a Few Things Wrong

Edmonton has spent a lot of time building a team that can win in the playoffs. Everybody knows about Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. But playoff hockey isn't played with six players. You need guys who can take a defensive-zone draw, kill a penalty, block a shot, win a battle along the boards and make the simple play when the game gets a little frantic. That's where Samanski could fit.

Maybe he becomes a regular. Maybe he doesn't. Training camp will tell us more. But this is exactly the kind of competition that a good team should have. And there’s something else to remember.

Players like Samanski don't have to be stars to become important. Sometimes they just have to prove they can be trusted. If he does that, Edmonton may have found another useful piece without having to go looking for one.

For the Oilers, that would be pretty good roster building.

Related: The Goalie Decision the Oilers Really Got Wrong