Oilers Fans Should Pump the Brakes on David Tomasek

The Oilers also signed international forward Josh Samanski in early to mid-April as well. Though he competed in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL), a different league from Tomasek, he has followed a similar path. Samanski played junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) before making the move to Europe. Edmonton could get these two forwards to work together in training camp and potentially in the minors to help each other get accustomed to a different style of play.

Tomasek’s Stats Aren’t a Full Circle

As noted, Tomasek has been good offensively in his career. He has recorded 102 points in 99 games in the last two seasons in the SHL. That includes an impressive 49 goals. He also posted very strong numbers prior to that, playing in leagues such as the KHL, Czech Extraliga, and Liiga. Aside from his rookie year, he never put up a sub-30-point season. So it is safe to say scoring has never been an issue for the 29-year-old.

It’s the defensive end where Oilers fans should be a bit concerned. Despite the high-octane offense Tomasek has provided his teams in the past, his plus/minus, among other things, tells a bit of a different story. He has never recorded higher than a plus-10, and his speed isn’t exactly game-changing; more specifically, in transition. That could be a problem for a team that sometimes needs a little extra help in the defensive end.

So even though the scoring is good, the Oilers need to clean up other aspects of Tomasek’s game in order for him to be as effective as possible.

Oilers Have Tried This Before

Something that, although it doesn’t directly affect Tomasek, should be noted for the precedent. And that is that the Oilers have been down the international signings road before. Not only have they done it, but they have been unsuccessful in this venture multiple times. We look at the examples of Gaëtan Haas and Joakim Nygard, names that should ring a bell for most fans in Edmonton.

Haas signed with the Oilers in the summer of 2019. He was coming off of back-to-back All-Star seasons in the National League (NL) in Switzerland and was a very consistent scorer in that league. However, he didn’t seem to find the same success with the Oilers. He posted 10 points in 58 games his first season; not bad for his first NHL season, and he was also a decent defensive piece.

He managed to earn another one-year deal with the team, but the little success he had could not be replicated, as he managed just three points through 34 games in the 2020-21 season. He would re-sign with his old squad in Switzerland, SC Bern, in the summer of 2021, and that is the last the NHL saw of Haas.

As for Nygard, it was a similar and even more unfortunate tenure. He signed with the Oilers shortly before Haas in the spring of 2019. The 2019-20 campaign was an alright one, as Nygard put up nine points in 33 games. He was seen as a valuable depth asset for the team, so he was given a new deal midway through his first season. However, his second season lasted just nine games, and he put up zero points. He would take a similar route to Haas, re-signing with his old team in the SHL and not returning again to the NHL.

Aside from his time with Edmonton, Nygard has spent his entire professional career with one team in the SHL: Färjestad BK Karlstad. Sound familiar? He played the last couple of seasons with Tomasek, so let’s hope this time is different than the last.

Pulling from the international pool is risky, and it’s clear that it doesn’t always work out. Here’s to hoping it does, but past experiences have told us to approach this with caution. And although there is potential for Tomasek to be a real game-changer, fans shouldn’t expect him to hang the moon and the stars. There are some real issues that can arise that everyone should be ready for.