Few teams have experienced as much movement this summer as the Edmonton Oilers. After two consecutive Stanley Cup Finals losses, it was expected that management would make some adjustments, but most fans probably hoped those changes would focus on the goaltending. That didn’t happen, and most of the team’s overhaul has taken place with the forwards, where many veterans left in free agency. Edmonton did what it could to find suitable replacements, but it still feels like their forward group isn’t as strong as the one that skated off the ice after a game six loss to the Florida Panthers in June.
The Oilers started their offseason by trading forward Evander Kane to the Vancouver Canucks for a fourth-round pick this year. The Oilers needed to clear cap space urgently and managed to do so before the start of free agency on July 1st. Kane was expected to count $5.125MM against the Oilers’ cap on the final year of his four-year deal and was considered expendable by management. Kane isn’t the player he once was, but he could still skate, check, and shoot, and he was effective in the first three rounds of the playoffs. Edmonton probably didn’t want to move Kane, but given their situation this summer, they didn’t have many options.
Nearly a week after the Kane trade, Edmonton made another move, sending Viktor Arvidsson to the Boston Bruins for a 2027 fifth-round draft pick. The deal cleared $4MM in cap space for Edmonton and allowed them to re-sign top defenseman Evan Bouchard. Arvidsson never gained much traction with the Oilers, recording 15 goals and 12 assists in 67 games, but he was only a couple of years removed from posting 26 goals in a season with the Los Angeles Kings. Trading away Arvidsson and the final season of his two-year contract probably won’t make a big difference for the Oilers. Still, like Kane, it was a case of Edmonton selling low on a forward with a mid-tier deal and hoping to find a replacement with a lower salary.
Arvidsson wasn’t the only Oilers player to find a new home on July 1st; Connor Brown signed with the New Jersey Devils on a four-year, $12MM deal, Corey Perry signed a one-year contract with Los Angeles, and defenseman John Klingberg signed with San Jose. These moves certainly reduced the Oilers’ depth, but Edmonton did what it could to retain other potential UFAs on its roster while also finding buy-low options in free agency.
Edmonton secured Trent Frederic with an eight-year extension at $3.85MM annually and also re-signed Kasperi Kapanen on a one-year deal worth $1.3MM. Both Frederic and Kapanen are solid pros capable of playing in Edmonton’s bottom six, but their signings raise some concerns. The length of Frederic’s contract is excessive, especially for a player who scored eight goals and seven assists in 58 games last season. Meanwhile, Kapanen can go long stretches without producing, as he fluctuates offensively and offers limited defensive value. He’s not suited for the bottom six, but he’ll likely end up there because he’s not consistent enough for the top six.
On the same day as re-signing Kapanen, the Oilers also secured Bouchard with a four-year extension worth $42MM. The deal utilized most of the savings from trading Kane and Arvidsson, but it resolved one of the Oilers’ most pressing tasks this summer. Although the salary is eye-popping at $10.5MM per year, Bouchard has shown himself to be a top offensive defenseman in the NHL, even if he occasionally makes critical errors.
Once Edmonton had secured Bouchard, they had a clear idea of their available cap space for free agency. They proceeded to sign Andrew Mangiapane to a two-year deal and also added Curtis Lazar. Mangiapane’s contract was for two years at $7.2MM and could prove valuable for Edmonton if the 29-year-old can regain his scoring touch. The undersized forward played 81 games last season for the Washington Capitals and had a disappointing year, posting just 14 goals and 14 assists. The Toronto, Ontario native is three years removed from a 35-goal season and has been a reasonably consistent .5 PPG player throughout his career. He could be an option in the top six for the Oilers and possesses the skill set to fit that role.
Lazar, on the other hand, returns to Edmonton, a city where he played junior hockey in the WHL from 2011 to 2014. Lazar has moved around the NHL during his 11-year career, now playing for his seventh team, the Edmonton Oilers. Drafted 17th overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, he is primarily known as a solid penalty killer, capable of forechecking, but not producing much offense. He will effectively replace veteran Derek Ryan, who was not re-signed and remains a free agent. Lazar could see some time in the AHL this season, given that he is earning league minimum, and could very well be a 13th forward for the Oilers.
Finally, the Oilers’ last move of the summer was acquiring forward Isaac Howard from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for forward Sam O’Reilly. Howard was a first-round pick of the Lightning in 2022 (31st overall). He was dominant last season in the NCAA, posting 26 goals and 26 assists in 37 games for Michigan State University. There is a lot of hope in Edmonton that Howard can jump into the top six and contribute, but there are no guarantees he will, and those expectations might be unrealistic, even though he is a talented prospect.
Considering the overall body of work so far this summer, the Oilers’ changes have been underwhelming. Losing Perry will no doubt hurt, as his net-front presence was crucial, especially in the playoffs, while Kane was a solid contributor in the first three rounds and helped Edmonton reach the finals. Overall, they’ve filled some of the gaps created by player departures, but it does seem like Edmonton lost some toughness and key veterans this summer, which could put them in a tough spot if they face the Florida Panthers for the third straight year.
The biggest miss so far is probably that Edmonton hasn’t addressed its goaltending issues, and it likely won’t be able to do much about it. Stuart Skinner seems to be the main guy between the pipes again, with Calvin Pickard backing him up. If the Oilers want to make a big boost this season, that’s where they’d get the most value, but because of their limited cap space, any move will likely need to be a lateral one financially, which could be tricky to pull off during the season.
Photo by Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Clearly the Oilers are a lesser team than last season, I believe Lost Wages will return to the top of the Western Conference.
No.
Last paragraph is the key. They did fine-ish with the other bits but if the goal is lifting the Cup I still think it’s in net they need to get better. Stu’s not a bad netminder and he has shown flashes but I just don’t see him as a guy that gets you all the way through the playoffs. But maybe he proves me wrong next year.
Very true, Also, Don’t underestimate Stan Bowman’s unique ability to screw things up.
Wish I could say that Jarry or Karlsson (or somehow Graves) was the solution, but, no. Jarry is too up and down and hasn’t been good in his few playoff chances.
I don’t think Carter Hart is particularly good either, but he’d be free and assuming he’s cheap, I can’t see any reason not to roll those dice.
I’d actually sign Hart and Samsonov. Just start stockpiling as much spaghetti as you can and start tossing.
They’d have to move more cap to sign either of those two or both, Puckpedia has them around $225,000ish under the cap. That’s also assuming Bettman and Co gives the go ahead to let Hart play.
Didn’t the league say Hart is ineligible?
I don’t expect that to last much longer. They have no basis for it. PA can’t allow it.
You are correct about Hart, And the other four players, I think that will change before the season starts, And In fact, The 5 acquitted players are going to sue hockey Canada, As well they should, It was all a politically motivated circus!
Holy crap when I thought I couldn’t like you any less you say this
Are you an AI bot programmed to sound like an idiot?
They’ve kept other players out of the league so the NHL can if they wish, the young player (Miller) comes to mind that Bettman has not allowed him to play at all.
So they’ve shown president with players doing something they deem to excessive.
Moving out players like Kane to pay guys like Bouchard and then trying to replace their production with players like Howard on an ELC means you’re definitely taking a step back in the short term.
Nope
Unless Howard becomes a Calder trophy finalist, it’s hard to imagine that they haven’t gone backwards.
Let’s not forget about Matthew Savoie.
Ok, what’s he proved in pro hockey so far?
nope… if they did McDavid wouldn’t be a FA next summer
Their defense hasn’t gotten any better & they haven’t addressed their goalie situation. They are no better than last season. Book another loss to the Panthers in June.
Only if they get that far. LV, Dal, Col, LA, all say they won’t.
They’ve done so little I don’t even think they would beat the Kings in round 5. A big part of why they won those series was the goons Kane and Perry
Apologies for bursting your bubble, but since the Oil have taken out the Kings in round 1 many times, your imaginary round 5 does not seen necessary. And if Corey Perry scares you, quite possibly hockey is not the place for your thin skin.
It’s easy to say they should have improved the goaltending. But how? Is Vladar better than Skinner? Or Gibson? What about Allen? The Husso/Lyon/Vanecek group?
The available goalies were massively underwhelming this off-season, and given the options, I could make the case that the best bet was just hope Skinner gets better. That definitely isn’t likely, but it seems just as likely as one of the guys they could have signed or traded for were what they needed.