Everything to Know About Oilers’ Mathieu Joseph – The Hockey Writers – Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers decided to bring in a depth forward on day one of free agency this offseason, adding to their busy day, bringing in Mathieu Joseph on a one-year deal.

MATTY ‼️

The #Oilers have signed forward Mathieu Joseph to a one-year contract with an AAV of $1.0 million. pic.twitter.com/2KeK6EM3WU

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) July 2, 2026

Joseph, who is also 29 years old, scored two goals and added nine assists for 11 points through 51 games split between the St. Louis Blues and Los Angeles Kings last season. Throughout his career, he has scored 61 goals and added 99 assists for 160 points through 471 games.

In this article, we are going to take a quick look at everything there is to know about Joseph, and what he could bring to the Oilers.

Joseph Plays Strong Defensive Hockey

The one thing that stands out as a huge positive for Joseph is his strong defensive game. He has been called a strong penalty killing forward, but also has a strong mind for the defensive side of the game at even strength.

$1Mx1 for Mathieu Joseph with the Edmonton Oilers. pic.twitter.com/RD59qjW0mg

— Rono (@RonoAnalyst) July 1, 2026

After the Oilers struggled to find a consistent game in the defensive end last season, and were often criticized for their inability to find a way to shutdown games and win close ones, bringing in someone like Joseph can help them do that.

Joseph’s offensive production doesn’t jump off the page as one of his strengths, but he does have a knack for giving teams a little bit of depth scoring. His play style doesn’t include putting up a lot of points, but he has no issue dropping the gloves and playing physical if he has too, and some playoff experience, albeit minimal, is valuable to any team.

While Joseph may not be an every day player for the Oilers, he will likely be given every opportunity to become a fourth-line staple heading into the new season, especially if Trent Frederic continues to struggle.

Mathieu’s Brother is Pierre-Olivier Joseph

This one is more of a little fun fact, but defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph is Mathieu’s little brother. He is currently an unrestricted free agent, after the Vancouver Canucks didn’t give him a qualifying offer, and he remains unsigned at this point.

Pierre-Olivier has 225 games of NHL experience under his belt, having scored nine goals and adding 37 assists for 46 points.

Joseph’s Career Before the Oilers

Before joining the Oilers, Joseph had spent time with the Blues, Kings, Ottawa Senators, and Tampa Bay Lightning. He was drafted by the Lightning in the fourth-round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft at 120th overall after a solid showing in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) where he had 42 points through 59 games with the Saint John Sea Dogs.

Joseph returned to the Sea Dogs for both the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. In the 2015-16 campaign, he scored 33 goals and added 40 assists for 73 points through 58 games. In the 2016-17 season, he scored 36 goals and added 44 assists for 80 points through 56 games, and won the QMJHL championship.

The Sea Dogs advanced to the Canadian Hockey League’s (CHL) Memorial Cup, but they lost in the semifinal.

Joseph joins the Oilers as forward depth looking to crack the opening-night roster. He should have a chance at becoming a full-time player for them if he has a solid preseason and training camp, but nonetheless, he seems to be someone the team is excited to be bringing in.

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