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Free Agent Focus: Edmonton Oilers

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Free agency is now a little more than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  Edmonton’s core is under contract already but they have quite a few depth players in need of new deals for next season.  Here’s a closer look at their free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: F Jesse Puljujarvi – The Finnish winger isn’t on this list because he had a really strong season but for where he was drafted three years ago when he went fourth overall.  Puljujarvi underwhelmed considerably in Edmonton’s lineup but there is still optimism that he can become more of a consistent impact player.  While he has been bandied about in trade speculation going back to before the trade deadline, the likeliest scenario at this point is that he signs a one-year bridge contract and hopes that new head coach Dave Tippett can unlock some of his potential.

F Jujhar Khaira – Khaira’s never going to be a big point producer at the NHL level but he can play both center and the wing and brings a physical edge to the bottom six.  There’s still some value to that particular skill set and it’s notable that at least one team had interest in him as a sweetener to take on the final year of Brandon Manning’s contract.  Unlike Puljujarvi, Khaira is eligible for salary arbitration and should get a small raise on the $700K salary he received last season; his qualifying offer checks in at $735K.

Other RFAs: F Colin Larkin, D Robin Norell, F Ty Rattie, F Tobias Rieder, G Shane Starrett, F Tyler Vesel

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: F Alex Chiasson – Considering he needed training camp PTO deals the last two seasons, not many were expecting much from Chiasson in 2018-19.  However, he took advantage of the opportunity to spend some time in the top six and responded with a career year.  He had more goals (22) than he had points in the previous season (18) and logged just shy of 17 minutes a night.  He also was particularly strong with the man advantage, scoring eight times on the power play which is more than he had the previous four seasons combined.  That’s going to generate more interest in Chiasson than he has seen in recent years as a potential late-bloomer.  Edmonton would undoubtedly like to bring him back but it’s going to take more than the league minimum to get him to sign this time.

D Kevin Gravel – Of Edmonton’s other unrestricted free agents, Gravel was the only one to play more than a handful of games with them.  He cleared waivers at the beginning of the season but by the beginning of November, he was up on a full-time basis.  However, his playing time wasn’t as permanent.  Gravel was in and out of the lineup the rest of the way, winding up with 36 games played and an average of 14:43 per night.  That’s enough for him to get another contract but it will likely wind up being the two-way variety.

Other UFAs: F Mitch Callahan, F Brad Malone, G Al Montoya, D Alexander Petrovic, F Patrick Russell, D Ryan Stanton, G Anthony Stolarz

Projected Cap Space: Edmonton presently has a little over $72MM committed to 17 players for next season, per CapFriendly.  A good chunk of that roughly $10MM in cap room will be earmarked for a second goaltender to work with Mikko Koskinen, whose new contract worth $4.5MM per year kicks in for next season.  After that, they will once again be shopping around the bargain bin with an eye on trying to find a player or two that can do like Chiasson and produce with more of an opportunity.  Unless new GM Ken Holland can find a way to free up some cap space, the roster for 2019-20 will look a lot like the one that finished last year, just with a different cast of role players.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Holland Hints At Plans For Andrej Sekera Next Season

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  • Oilers defensemen Andrej Sekera has been a speculative trade candidate as Edmonton looks to free up some cap space for their desired offseason spending. However, in an appearance on 630 CHED (audio link), GM Ken Holland discussed how he sees Sekera as a possible mentor for some of the young defenders that will be looking to earn a full-time roster spot next season which suggests that the odds of him being dealt may not be quite as high.  The veteran has missed big chunks of the last two seasons with injuries and with two years left on his contract at a $5.5MM AAV, Sekera’s trade value isn’t the highest at the moment.

Edmonton Oilers Re-Sign Joseph Gambardella

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The Edmonton Oilers have locked up a huge part of their minor league team, signing Joseph Gambardella to a two-year contract extension. Gambardella was scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer, but will now be with the organization through the 2020-21 season. The contract is a two-way deal that carries a $700K salary in the NHL.

Gambardella, 25, signed with the Oilers out of UMass-Lowell in 2017 as an undrafted free agent after an impressive senior season with 52 points in 41 games. Though it took him a season to really get his legs under him at the AHL level, this year he was one of the Bakersfield Condors best offensive players. Scoring 29 times in 50 games made him one of the most efficient goal scorers in the league, and he continued that production with six more tallies in the postseason. Gambardella also suited up 15 times for the Oilers throughout the season, registering three assists.

While his contributions so far have mostly been limited to the minor leagues, there is a chance that Gambardella could see extended time in Edmonton next season if he can make an impression on new head coach Dave Tippett. The Oilers are starved for offensive production outside of their big three up front, and need to find a way to lengthen out their lineup if they want to compete for the playoffs in 2019-20.

Snapshots: Marner, Coffey, Vilardi

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Mitch Marner’s next contract continues to be the talk of the town in Toronto—at least the hockey part of town—and Darren Dreger was on TSN radio today discussing what’s next in the negotiation. Dreger suggested that the Marner camp will be speaking to other teams when the free agent interview period begins in late June, to see what kind of opportunity would be out there if he were to pursue the infamous offer sheet.

The 22-year old forward is coming off an incredible season with the Maple Leafs where he immediately found chemistry with John Tavares and ended up with 94 points in 82 games, and now has a chance to be among the record-setting group of RFA wingers this summer. Names like Mikko Rantanen, Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine also all need new contracts and could very well change the landscape for top wingers coming off their entry-level contracts. The Maple Leafs and GM Kyle Dubas meanwhile have always seemed very confident they can get a deal done with Marner without an offer sheet coming into play, given the complete lack of them over the last several years.

  • It looks like another one of the “old boys club” in Edmonton is on his way out, as the team has parted ways with skills coach Paul Coffey according to Mark Spector of Sportsnet. The Oilers organization has been criticized heavily in the past for allowing their former players to have too much influence over the team, but have also recently seen Craig MacTavish leave by way of the KHL. This comes on a day when new GM Ken Holland announced the hiring of Dave Tippett as the next head coach of the team, another huge change of leadership as they try to get back to playoff contention.
  • According to Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider the Los Angeles Kings are still in a “holding pattern” in regards to top prospect Gabe Vilardi’s rehab, as they wait for clearance before getting him into a skating and rehab program. Vilardi has unfortunately dealt with a serious back injury since being drafted 11th overall in 2017 and suited up for just four minor league games last season on a conditioning loan. The 19-year old forward has incredible offensive upside given his big frame and puck protection skills, but will need to get back to health before ever really figuring into the Kings plans.

Edmonton Oilers Hire Dave Tippett As Head Coach

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Today at an afternoon press conference, the Edmonton Oilers  made official what has been rumored for the last several weeks. Dave Tippett will be the team’s next head coach, agreeing three-year deal. With new GM Ken Holland recently taking over the front office, the Oilers have completely changed their management group since the end of the season and will now try to navigate the sinking ship back to land.

Tippett, 57, had been working with the Seattle expansion franchise but will now take his talents to Edmonton and try to coax the best out of a Connor McDavid-led group. The Oilers have been one of the most disappointing organizations in the league the last several years, continually getting high draft picks only to keep floundering near the bottom of the league standings. McDavid has made the playoffs just once since entering the league in 2015, despite being a Ted Lindsay award winner twice already—and perhaps thrice after the 116-point season he just recorded.

Holland and the Oilers management will hope they can turn that around, though they have a big task on their hands. The team must find a way to shed some dead weight financially, and bring in more effective depth players to help McDavid and Leon Draisaitl up front. Tippett meanwhile will try to get the best out of the group that remains, including finding some defensive consistency from talented-but-frustrating players like Adam Larsson and Oscar Klefbom. While the veteran coach is well regarded around the league, he doesn’t necessarily have the greatest track record in the NHL.

Through 14 years as an NHL head coach, Tippett has amassed a record of 553-413-28-120, but hasn’t achieved much success in the playoffs. In his last stop in Arizona things fell apart during his last few years, with the team posting just a .415 winning percentage from 2014-17. In fact the last five seasons of Tippett’s career in Arizona the Coyotes failed to make the playoffs at all, something he’ll be asked to change immediately in Edmonton.

The Oilers can’t afford to waste any more of McDavid’s prime years outside of the playoffs, given the immense advantage he gives the team at the moment. McDavid is signed for another seven years in Edmonton, but the expectation from owner Daryl Katz is that the team should be competitive in 2019-20 and not need to contemplate a rebuild. Holland understands that too, meaning Tippett isn’t coming in just to build a long-term program but a contender in year one.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Oilers Have Interest In Frederik Tiffels

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The Oilers have interest in German winger Frederik Tiffels, reports Postmedia’s Kurt Leavins.  Edmonton is looking to shore up their winger depth with cost-effective options and as a particularly quick skater, he’d fit in well with the style that they’re trying to play.

The 24-year-old has a fair amount of experience in North America already.  A fifth-round pick of Pittsburgh back in 2015, Tiffels spent two seasons in the USHL before playing three years with Western Michigan before turning pro.  However, things didn’t go well once he signed.  He spent the bulk of his first season at the ECHL level and wanted to return to Germany after that, resulting in Pittsburgh terminating the final year of his contract last August.

Tiffels played quite well in an injury-shortened season with Kolner Haie of the DEL in 2018-19, recording 22 points in just 27 games while adding nine more in 11 postseason contests.  He also made a positive impression at the recently-concluded World Championships, chipping in with two goals and two assists in eight contests for Germany, who was eliminated by the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals.

It’s worth noting that Tiffels has two more seasons left on his contract overseas which could complicate things.  It’s unknown if his deal has an NHL out clause or whether or not his team would willingly let him out of his contract early.  Either way, Edmonton has already made one international signing on the wing in Joakim Nygard last week and it appears they’re not done trying to add via that route just yet.

Western Notes: Tippett, Josi, Beaulieu, Simek

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The Edmonton Oilers and new general manager Ken Holland haven’t announced a new coach and while rumors have suggested that the team has settled on Dave Tippett as the team’s new head coach, nothing has been announced.

Postmedia’s Kurt Leavins reiterates that Tippett to Edmonton is a “done deal,” but the timing of the announcement has been the issue. The deal still has to get onto paper and with both the NHL Draft Combine and the Stanley Cup Finals, there is little time to get the announcement out there that the team has a new head coach. Regardless, the scribe writes that Tippett’s appointment will come in the next few days.

  • For a second year in a row, the Nashville Predators top priority will be to sign one of their star defensemen to a extension. The team locked up Ryan Ellis to an eight-year, $50MM deal last summer and must do something similar with Roman Josi, who is eligible to sign an extension on July 1. Josi, however, has made it clear he wants to stay in Nashville. However, the Predators will have to pay up as The Athletic’s Adam Vingan (subscription required) writes that they will likely have to give him the biggest contract in team history, which could overtake Ryan Johansen’s $8MM AAV.
  • The Winnipeg Jets have a number of big contracts and potential trades to deal with this offseason, but there are also smaller issues along their roster as well. The team needs to keep their defensive depth, one of the strengths of their roster in recent years, yet they only have five defensemen under contract. The Winnipeg Sun’s Ken Wiebe writes that the Jets have indicated that they would like to bring back restricted free agent Nathan Beaulieu, who the team acquired at the trade deadline for a sixth-round pick, as insurance in case they lose Jacob Trouba to a trade. However, in order to offer Beaulieu a qualifying offer, they would have to add 10 percent to his $2.4MM he made last year, which the team is unlikely to do for a bottom-pairing defenseman. The more logical approach, which Winnipeg did last year with Joseph Morrow, would be to not qualify him and then try to sign him for less as an unrestricted free agent.
  • The San Jose Sharks got some good news as The Athletic’s David Lombardi (subscription required) writes that defenseman Radim Simek, who has been out since March 12th after having his leg crushed in a collision with Winnipeg’s Andrew Copp and having surgery to repair a torn ACL, MCL and meniscus, has already returned to the ice and is skating again. “The guys who are taking care of me say that my rehab is going really fast, that it’s really unusual to only be two months removed from surgery but back on the ice, skating however I want,” Simek said.  Simek, who signed out of the Czech Republic in 2017, played one year in the AHL and made the NHL roster this season, playing in 41 games and making a significant difference before getting injured and hopes to be back for next season.

Edmonton's Assistant Coaches Aren't Likely To Return

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  • While the Oilers have still yet to officially name their new bench boss, it appears changes are coming to their group of assistants. Postmedia’s Kurt Leavins reports that assistant coach Trent Yawney is expected to join the Kings where Edmonton’s former head coach Todd McLellan has taken over.  He adds that assistants Glen Gulutzan and Manny Viveiros aren’t likely to be back in their current roles while Jim Playfair and Mark Lamb could be candidates to take over for those two.  Dave Tippett is widely expected to be named head coach but the move has not been made official just yet.

Edmonton Oilers Sign Joakim Nygard

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Back in March, a report surfaced from Darren Dreger of TSN that several teams around the NHL were pursuing SHL forward Joakim Nygard. At the time, the Calgary Flames and Ottawa Senators were listed as two of the potential destinations for the speedy winger. Now that the SHL season is over, Nygard is free to sign with whoever he chooses and both of those teams are out of the running. The free agent has signed a one-year entry-level deal with the Edmonton Oilers instead.

Nygard, 26, put up another excellent season with Farjestads in the SHL, posting 21 goals and 35 points. In fact, those 21 goals were good enough for second in the entire league behind only Columbus Blue Jackets top prospect Emil Bemstrom’s 23. That kind of offensive production is nothing new for Nygard, who has posted at least 29 points—a solid total in the 52-game SHL season—in three consecutive years.

If there is one thing that stands out in Nygard’s game, it is his incredible skating ability. Easily one of, if not the, best skaters in the SHL, he has drawn countless comparisons to Washington Capitals forward Carl Hagelin. While Hagelin is also scheduled to become a UFA this summer and is available to the whole league, he’s also going to turn 31 this summer and will likely come at a relatively higher price tag. Nygard however may be able to jump right into an NHL lineup on a cheap contract and provide some forward depth next season.

While Calgary was involved the whole way with Nygard, there is an obvious fit with the Oilers. Edmonton has been trying desperately to increase their team speed in order to keep up with Connor McDavid, and have a distinct lack of scoring options on the wing. Perhaps a chance to play with a back-to-back (and potential three-peat) Ted Lindsay Award winner was enough to turn the scales in Edmonton’s favor.

Overseas Notes: Olympics, Jokerit, Nygard

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The qualification rules for the 2022 Olympic hockey tournament have been set, with the top eight ranked countries in the world from 2019 will automatically qualify. Those countries are Canada, Russia, Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, USA, Germany and Switzerland, meaning others like Slovakia, Denmark and Latvia will have to battle to earn a spot.

Interestingly though, host China will also be given a spot in the tournament without further qualification. The Chinese team is currently ranked 33rd (right between Iceland and Israel) in the world will be the lowest ranked team to ever compete in an Olympic hockey tournament. Still, the NHL is trying desperately to expand their footprint in China and if they end up sending players to the tournament it can only help to have them share the ice with the country’s best players.

  • Jokerit Helsinki will now be fully owned and operated by Finnish nationals, as legendary forward Jari Kurri has taken over as majority owner and Chairman of the Board. Jokerit joined the KHL in 2014 after decades in Finland’s Liiga, and have found great success even in the higher league. The team finished second to CSKA in the Bobrov division this season with a record of 32-19-6. Kurri, a Hall of Fame player from his days skating beside Wayne Gretzky in Edmonton, has served as general manager of Jokerit in the past and is still extremely involved with hockey in Finland.
  • Swedish reports had surfaced that free agent forward Joakim Nygard had picked the Edmonton Oilers as his NHL destination, and Ryan Rishaug of TSN has heard the same. While the team has still not announced a contract, Rishaug notes that the deal will be a one-year entry-level contract and Nygard will be a UFA again after the 2019-20 season. The speedy winger can hopefully step straight into the Oilers lineup and provide some much needed scoring depth on the wing.

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