The Edmonton Oilers are only one game in to the 2026-27 NHL season, and already they’re facing injuries and making emergency roster moves.
The Oilers lost their opener on Tuesday night to the Vancouver Canucks, 6-5 in overtime. On Thursday morning, they began the day with a quartet of roster moves.
They’ve placed standout forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on injured reserve.
They’ve also put forward Matt Savoie on the long-term injured reserve list.
The Oilers additionally put defenseman Alec Regula on the long-term IR, as well.
And to wrap up the moves, they’ve recalled Josh Samanski under “emergency conditions,” according to the official announcement.
The #Oilers have placed forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on injured reserve (IR). Forward Matt Savoie and defenceman Alec Regula have been placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR).
Forward Josh Samanski has been recalled under emergency conditions. pic.twitter.com/sZJ5UuCtkP
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) October 1, 2026
What are NHL Emergency Conditions?
An emergency recall can take place when a team is short on players, with one of the reasons cited in the league rules being “by reason of incapacitating injury.”
The key is that in those situations, the call-up doesn’t count as a standard recall but instead goes under the emergency umbrella.
Once the “emergency” has ended, the called-up player must be returned to the team he came from.
The emergency level, according to the CBA, is when a team is below two goalies, six defenseman and 12 forwards.
These recall rules impact the waiver claim setup that goes along with players being sent down to the AHL.
If a player appears in 10 NHL games and is waivers-eligible, they have to pass through waivers to return to the AHL.
The same is true under emergency recall, but it counts separately. So if a player plays nine games on emergency recall, they could still play nine games on standard recall later in the year and not be subject to waivers.
Anyway, that’s how the Oilers are bringing up Samanski in lieu of the slew of injuries.
Who is Josh Samanski?
Samanski is a German-born forward for the Oilers.
He signed with the Oilers on April 2, 2025 on a two-year $1.95 million contract. He made his NHL debut in January and recorded an assist in his third career game.
Samanski’s first NHL goal came in March, and he finished the season with 24 games in Edmonton that included two goals and two assists.
He also had eight goals and 23 assists in 45 games for AHL Bakersfield.
Samanski did play for Germany at the 2026 Winter Olympics and scored one goal with one assist in five games. He also played in the World Championships this summer for his country and had two goals and five assists in seven games.
Oilers Make Emergency Move After 3 Injuries