The Edmonton Oilers have reached a two-year contract extension with Markus Niemelainen, one which will keep him signed and on an average annual value of just $762K. The first year of the extension, 2022-23, is a two-way contract, while 2023-24 will be a one-way deal.
Niemelainen, 23, has split this season between the Oilers and the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL, providing some valuable size and depth whenever Edmonton is dealing with injuries. The 6’6″ defenseman is averaging just over 13 minutes in those NHL appearances–and even less in his most recent few–but has flashed a defensive ability that isn’t all that common among the rest of the team’s young options. He’s actually fourth on the team in hits despite playing in just a third of the games, and his length suggests he could have a substantial role on the penalty kill down the road.
This deal represents a bet from the Oilers that he can provide some more NHL minutes over the next couple of seasons and comes with basically no risk. The cap hit means he’s earning league-minimum in both years (and should actually be $762.5K for this reason) so even if he’s just an extra defenseman on the roster, it’s worth it. Notably though, Niemelainen still won’t be eligible for waivers next season, meaning he can continue to bounce up and down without worry of claim. That is of course unless he establishes himself as a regular at some point before 2023-24 and manages to get into 43 more games.
Either way, this is a little bit of work done for general manager Ken Holland and his staff ahead of the trade deadline, when things will get really interesting in Edmonton.
Probably one of the better deals hes made for a defenseman since hes been the Oilers GM. Keiths full contract via trade, and the Barrie and Nurse extensions are all suspect. Ceci has actually not been that bad though.