Injuries are already crippling the Edmonton Oilers’ forward depth, and that could be good news for a former Detroit Red Wings farmhand.
Coming off a 26-goal season with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins, Eduards Tralmaks signed with the Oilers as an unrestricted free agent on July 1. He seemed destined for a spot with Edmonton’s AHL farm club in Bakersfield. That is, until the injury bug took a big bite out of the Oilers’ roster.
Four Edmonton players – forwards Matt Savoie and Mattias Janmark, goalie Federik Andersen, and defenseman Alec Regula – will all miss training camp through a variety of ailments. Interestingly, both Janmark and Regula were Red Wings draftees who were dealt away before playing a game in Detroit.
The injuries are opening the door for several Edmonton farmhands, including Tralmaks.
Stan Bowman mentioned Isaac Howard, Quinn Hutson, and Josh Samanski as players who could now get more of an opportunity to push for a regular spot in the Oilers’ lineup.
— The Mug NHL (@TheMugNHL) August 29, 2026
He also mentioned Aku Raty and Eduards Tralmaks as AHLers who could get more of a look in training camp.
“There’s an opportunity, probably, for someone else to get a better look than they may otherwise would have,” Oilers GM Stan Bowman said in an interview with Sportsnet’s Mark Spector.
Edmonton does have some young prospects that the club could slot into the vacant forward spots. This group includes Quinn Hutson, Isaac Howard, and Josh Samanski. Then there are veteran pro campaigners like Tralmaks and Aku Raty.
“You’ve got maybe unknown guys that are a little bit older, like Eduards Tralmaks (29) and Aku Raty (25),” Bowman said. “Those guys are not young guys, but they’re accomplished American League players who were always going to get a look.
“Now, maybe they’ll get a different look.”
Tralmaks Never Played For The Red Wings
The Red Wings signed Tralmaks as a UFA in 2025 after he led the Czech Extraliga in scoring. Despite finishing second on the Griffins with 26 goals, he was never used for a single game by the goal-starved Red Wings.
His one chance to play came late in the NHL season. Tralmaks was summoned on an emergency basis following an injury to Michael Brandsegg-Nygard. But when MBN was able to answer the bell, Tralmaks was left to watch from the press box.
Tralmaks recently took time to say goodbye to Grand Rapids through an appearance on the Hockeytown West Podcast.
“I knew this was going to be my home,” Tralmaks said of Grand Rapids. “I was hoping it’s going to be my home for most of the year, but not all the year.
“When I signed the contract, my goal was to play in the NHL. In my opinion, I deserved a chance, deserved a few games.”
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