Connor Clattenburg
Connor Clattenburg is a physical, energy-line winger fighting for a bottom-six roster spot in Edmonton, not a projected everyday NHL regular to open the season.
Role
In the Oilers' September 24, 2026 preseason game against Vancouver (Daily Hive's projected lines, reporting from that date), Clattenburg skated on a fourth line with Rudolfs Berzkalns and David Lewandowski, a group of mostly prospects and depth players rather than established NHL regulars. Last season he logged five NHL games with Edmonton (one goal, 17 hits, 13 PIM, about 7:12 average ice time per CBS Sports' RotoWire notes) before an eye injury sent him to injured reserve and eventually back to AHL Bakersfield, where he is currently rostered per his Wikipedia profile. The Hockey News (Sept. 12, 2026) reported that injuries to Matt Savoie and Mattias Janmark have opened bottom-six opportunities, and that Clattenburg is considered among the 'first call-up' options if Edmonton needs a fourth-line body; he is not attached to any power-play unit in any reporting found.
He already has NHL game experience from last season, coaches know exactly what he brings (hitting and forechecking), and injuries to Savoie and Janmark plus a competitive, high-turnover bottom six give him a real path to a recall or even a camp roster spot, as The Hockey News noted on Sept. 12, 2026.
He was assigned to Bakersfield for the start of last season and only got NHL looks via call-up; The Hockey Writers' December 2025 piece and other prospect coverage describe him as a project whose puck skills and hockey sense still need AHL seasoning, and the September 24 preseason line placement had him with other fringe/AHL-track players rather than a locked NHL group.
Where analysts split
The specific disagreement in current coverage is not about talent but about timing: whether Clattenburg opens the season on Edmonton's NHL roster as a fourth-line hitter given the Savoie/Janmark absences (The Hockey News framing, Sept. 12, 2026), or starts in Bakersfield and returns only as a recall once healthy bodies are needed, which is how CBS Sports' fantasy notes described his usage pattern last season.
Research confidence: thin. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
Others at LW
Fantasy Memo reads your league and answers that every Monday, and checks your lineup on the days you play.
Connect your league: 14 days free