As experiments go, David Tomasek’s decision to sign with the Edmonton Oilers was a sound one. He had already reached the highest peaks available in European hockey and was looking for the ultimate challenge. Perhaps it would have gone better if Tomasek had made the journey a few years earlier, or with a lesser team. The success rate for European players coming to the NHL in their late 20s is poor.

The experiment is over. It took all of the fall and a couple of winter days, and now Tomasek will play for Färjestad BK in a starring role in one of the best leagues in Europe (SweHL). All that’s left is clearing NHL waivers, and that would appear to be a formality. The holdup is the NHL’s holiday roster freeze, which eases on Sunday.

When Oilers general manager Stan Bowman went shopping for European free agents in the spring of 2025, Tomasek was the only one with a resume strong enough to warrant an NHL roster spot. He led the SweHL in points during the 2024-25 season, and at 29, earned a shot in the world’s highest league. The Oilers had a need at centre, and his shot is good enough to play the wing (even the power play) at a high level.

Despite below average speed, Tomasek showed flashes of offensive and defensive prowess. Perhaps the most enduring memory fans will carry from his time with the team is a large number of point-blank scoring chances on the power play he was unable to cash. He didn’t score a power-play goal but did pick up two assists with the man advantage.

Why didn’t it work?

Aside from the failed power-play audition that began the season, Tomasek didn’t get much time with Connor McDavid (28 minutes) or Leon Draisaitl (12 minutes) at five-on-five. The Oilers have been challenged to find scoring on the depth lines, with Tomasek part of the group that couldn’t find the net.

The window of opportunity closed early for Tomasek. Feature minutes on the power play were plentiful in October. He played 40 minutes with the man advantage (two assists), and 35 of those came in October. Once Jack Roslovic went on a scoring streak, Tomasek lost playing time. By the time Zach Hyman returned from his injury on Nov. 15, Tomasek was reduced to a depth role and was a healthy scratch frequently.

Why didn’t it work? A couple of early power-play goals might have been the difference, and Tomasek received some cherry passes from several Oilers (specifically Draisaitl) but couldn’t make it work. Given a different situation, on a rebuilding team with a need for a centre/winger who was right-handed and could win faceoffs, the skill set should have worked in the NHL.

Once he lost playing time on the power play, the list of things that made him unique was secondary items like right-handed faceoff wins. He didn’t penalty kill, lost his power-play role and his five-on-five ice time also faded. In October, he played 99 minutes at five-on-five, averaging nine minutes per game (he stayed around nine minutes throughout the fall). In November, he played seven games and was a healthy scratch seven times. In December, Tomasek was scratched eight times and played in just four games.

At the cost of Stecher? 

If the Oilers had made this move earlier, the roster pressure that forced the team to place Troy Stecher on waivers wouldn’t have materialized. That may have kept Brett Kulak and Stuart Skinner on the roster, and the organization would have room to wheel in a significant trade around the deadline. Those options are now gone, and for the Oilers, the deadline is going to be almost impossible to navigate. Combined with the multiple no-movement deals on the roster, the only material assets available with $2 million or more dollars attached are Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm. Ironically, both men are signed to long-term deals starting next season, and those contracts include no-movement clauses.

On the other hand, the Oilers won their first five games with the new goalie tandem of Tristan Jarry and Connor Ingram, while Spencer Stastney has been quality on the third pair.

What’s next for the Oilers? 

There are several elements to Tomasek’s game that the organization auditioned him for during his 22 NHL games. Some of those have been covered by other veteran talents. The power-play minutes went to Hyman and Roslovic, along with rookie Matt Savoie. All three have posted a points per 60 above 7.00 in the discipline this season, via Natural Stat Trick.

Tomasek spent some time on right wing. The Oilers iced Hyman (first line), Roslovic (second line), Savoie (third line) and Mattias Janmark (fourth line) on Saturday night versus the Calgary Flames. Kasperi Kapanen will return from injury in the coming days, and several other forwards can play the position.

Tomasek spent time as the team’s fourth-line centre, an important role. He offered added value due to being a right-handed centre, taking important faceoffs on his strong side. However, his success rate (47 percent) trails right-handers Curtis Lazar (57 percent) and Noah Philp (currently injured, also 57 percent).

Tomasek’s time in the NHL

Tomasek will return to the SweHL and fill the net for several more years. The opportunity to play in the NHL was earned, tried and unlikely to be tried a second time. Still, never say never. Tomasek has size (6-foot-2, 209 pounds) and a plus shot, with enough of a rugged edge to survive in the NHL. Given a different set of circumstances, or a couple of lucky October bounces, his NHL story may have ended differently.

We can say his experience offers further proof that elite European players approaching 30 have a difficult time making the leap to the NHL. Mid-20s players have more success. Example: David Vyborny, an Oilers draft pick in 1993, came over at 25 and played on a skill line for several seasons. The biggest difference between Vyborny’s situation and that of Tomasek is the quality of the team. Vyborny’s team, the Columbus Blue Jackets, were an expansion team in the days before the salary cap and the days before the NHL created rules to make expansion teams instantly relevant.

Tomasek gave it a shot, and it didn’t work out. It was a reasonable bet for the Oilers that ended early due to a better bet (signing Roslovic=) that paid out. Now, the roster spot and cap room are more important than auditioning Tomasek. For a team that once sent two draft picks to the Philadelphia Flyers for 21 games of Jiri Dopita (when he was 33), this was a better bet at a lower cost. That’s progress.