Connor McDavid Wins Ted Lindsay Award
Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid has won the 2025-26 Ted Lindsay Award, an honor given annually to the most outstanding player in the NHL as voted by his fellow members of the NHL Players’ Association.
This is the fifth time McDavid has won the award. McDavid is also a three-time Hart Trophy winner, the award given to the league’s most valuable player as voted on by the media.
McDavid, 29, had another strong season in 2025-26. It says so much about the kind of player McDavid is that after he scored 138 points in the regular season, his family still believed winning the award would come as a “surprise” to him.
It is true that McDavid’s offensive production was not quite at his career-high – he scored 64 goals and 153 points in a legendary 2022-23 campaign – but it was still good enough to win the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s top scorer for a sixth time in his career.
McDavid’s closest competitor for the scoring title, Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov, finished the season eight points behind McDavid.
Today’s news also confirms a bit of history for McDavid – his fifth Ted Lindsay Award ties him with fellow Oilers great Wayne Gretzky for the most wins of the trophy in NHL history. (When Gretzky was playing, the trophy was named the Lester B. Pearson Award.) Since he won’t turn 30 until early in 2027, it’s entirely likely McDavid’s peers will vote him for this trophy another time, or more, meaning today’s news sets him up to break Gretzky’s record at some point down the line.
Of course, that is not the only Gretzky record McDavid is chasing. If he ends up staying with the Oilers beyond the expiration of his two-year contract extension, he is almost certain to reach 1,670 points, which would make McDavid the Oilers’ all-time leading scorer.
In any case, while the individual accolades are certainly a great honor, there is one trophy McDavid is singularly focused on chasing: the Stanley Cup. A championship has thus far eluded McDavid, even though he has already won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
But before he can win a Stanley Cup, more individual accolades are likely on the way. He’s a finalist for the Hart Trophy as league MVP, and that is an award that has very frequently gone to the winner of the Ted Lindsay, though not always.
McDavid has already built a formidable case as one of hockey’s all-time greatest talents. He’s a singular offensive creator who remains unmatched at the top of the NHL in terms of pure playing ability. Today’s win is hardly a surprise, and it could mean he is in line to win a fourth Hart Trophy as well.
Photos courtesy of Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
Assessing The Oilers Options For Tristan Jarry
Heading into the summer of 2025, many hockey pundits and commentators were discussing the Pittsburgh Penguins’ options for goaltender Tristan Jarry. For his part, Jarry had just cleared waivers in early 2025, and it appeared the Penguins would be boxed into the remaining three years of his contract, which carried a $5.375MM cap hit. He seemed unmovable, and the Penguins were more than willing to move him, offering him to the entire league for nothing on multiple occasions. This wasn’t the first season in which the chatter around Jarry was negative, as the sentiment to move him was the same at the start of the 2024-25 season. Now, the Jarry problem has become an Edmonton Oilers problem after the team paid a premium in December for a trade that was disastrous, to put it generously. The Oilers need better goaltending, but they have a massive black cloud in Jarry’s contract, which remains nearly unmovable. The team needs to find a path forward for Jarry, but their options are limited.
The first option is a buyout, which, according to PuckPedia, would save Edmonton $666,667 this season and $1,166,667 next season, followed by a $458K cap penalty over the next two seasons. Effectively, the Oilers would still carry a $4.7MM cap hit this year and a $4.2MM cap hit next season, making a buyout a silly proposition and one Edmonton is unlikely to use.
The team would be better served by simply burying Jarry in the AHL for the season, which would provide more relief. The formula next season would be the NHL league minimum ($850K) plus $375K, resulting in $1.225MM in cap relief for the Oilers, a better number than a buyout, which would carry an additional two years of cap penalty. Pittsburgh used this tactic on multiple occasions, with Jarry playing 12 AHL games during the 2024-25 season.
Then there is the trade option, which at this point doesn’t look like an option at all. Stranger things have happened, and no one expected Jarry to be moved this past year. Jarry started last season fairly well in Pittsburgh, giving the Penguins 14 games of above-average goaltending before GM Kyle Dubas leveraged that to send Jarry to the Oilers in a trade. Edmonton sent Stuart Skinner, Brett Kulak and a 2029 second-round draft pick back to Pittsburgh in return for the 31-year-old Jarry in what was a heavility criticized transaction from the Oilers perspective. There isn’t a trade like that out there for the Oilers, and even if Jarry were to start hot again this season, too many teams have seen this movie before, as it’s been common for Jarry to start seasons well and end them poorly. After all, Jarry is a two-time all-star and has even garnered Vezina Trophy talk in some seasons prior to the Christmas break, but it’s almost an annual occurrence for him to fall apart in the second half, which is alarming to put it mildly.
If Edmonton wants to trade for Jarry, it will need to pursue one of two strategies. It will either need to move Jarry for an equally undesirable contract, of which there are a lot, or attach assets to Jarry and move him in a trade package, similar to the way the Dallas Stars traded defenseman Matt Dumba to Pittsburgh last summer. The Penguins received a second-round pick for their troubles, a steep price for Dallas to pay to rid itself of one season of Dumba’s $3.75MM cap hit. In another transaction the year prior, the Blues paid Pittsburgh a second-round pick to take on the final two years of forward Kevin Hayes’s contract, which carried a cap hit of $3.571MM.
Now, the salary cap environment has changed dramatically in recent seasons, meaning that teams have more cap space and more teams might be willing to take on a contract like Jarry’s, which could bring the price down. However, one of the teams with ample cap space is Pittsburgh, and they probably aren’t keen to bring him back into the fold, even if they are compensated to do so. Jarry also has a 12-team no-trade list, which will further complicate things, but it does leave 18 teams available to work with if Edmonton is willing to part with some assets to move him. Jarry makes quite a chunk of money for a player who might not be NHL caliber anymore, meaning that if Edmonton wants to dump his contract, they might have to pay a second-round pick or more. There is also the issue of Edmonton’s desperation, which could drive the price even higher if they paint themselves into a corner and have no choice but to get him off their books.
The other strategy mentioned earlier might be the best for the Oilers: trading Jarry for another bad NHL contract. Would Pittsburgh consider taking back Jarry if it meant they could send Ryan Graves to Edmonton? Unlikely, but there are plenty of Graves-type contracts around the league, and plenty of teams motivated to get out from under them.
An option could be to move Columbus netminder Elvis Merzlikins, who has one year left on his deal and a cap hit near Jarry’s ($5.4MM). Merzlikins hasn’t been an average goaltender for nearly five years and was below average again this year, posting a -7.3 goals saved above expected (as per MoneyPuck). Acquiring him would shorten the window during which Edmonton is on the hook for a high-priced, below-average goaltender, although Columbus might ask for a small asset to take on the extra year on Jarry’s contract.
There is also a possibility that Jarry is packaged with another bad contract on the Oilers, such as Trent Frederic or Darnell Nurse, to facilitate a swap for a higher-priced bad contract from another team. At some point, one of those swaps is going to take place, given the sheer volume of NHL teams carrying high-priced, bonus-laden, unmovable contracts.
Oilers Looking To Trade Darnell Nurse
Veteran defenseman Darnell Nurse is “headed for a breakup” with the Edmonton Oilers, Mark Spector of Sportsnet reported today. Spector cited conversations with “several current and former [Oilers] employees” that have indicated the Oilers “are ready and willing to trade Nurse as soon as they are able.” 
Spector also reported that Oilers GM Stan Bowman will meet with Nurse in the coming days to discuss his future plans. Nurse holds full control over whether or not he’ll be traded this summer.
The $9.25MM AAV contract Nurse signed on August 2021 contains a full no-movement clause for its first five seasons, meaning Nurse can block any transaction that would send him to another team through the end of next season.
As a result, Spector noted that if Nurse indicates to Bowman in their upcoming conversation that he would like to remain an Oiler for another year, “trade talk will be shelved and the team will welcome him back for one more year.”
But the Oilers’ preference is to trade Nurse before the start of next season. According to Spector, this is not a sudden development, but rather something the Oilers have been quietly laying the groundwork to do for more than a year.
Spector reported that the Oilers have been “open to moving Nurse since the conclusion of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final” and that Nurse’s form had become such a concern during the 2024 Stanley Cup Final that there were even discussions of healthy scratching him during the series. The Oilers fell into a 3-0 hole against the Florida Panthers that year, but rattled off three straight wins to tie the series before falling in a close seventh game.
Edmonton is entering an extremely important offseason after a disappointing first-round playoff exit. Comments to the media made by franchise center Connor McDavid after the team’s loss to the Anaheim Ducks shed some light on the task Bowman faces: he simply has to make substantial upgrades to the team’s roster, or they risk losing the confidence of the face of their franchise. McDavid signed a two-year contract extension in October, meaning he is only committed to the Oilers through the end of the 2027-28 campaign.
Unfortunately for Bowman, he doesn’t have a huge amount of financial flexibility to work with this summer. The team is projected to have just over $14.5MM in space according to PuckPedia, but that number is likely to decline quickly if the Oilers re-sign some of their pending free agents, such as Jason Dickinson or Connor Murphy.
Moving Nurse alone would clear $9.25MM off the Oilers’ books, creating a substantial amount of cap space for Bowman to work with. But the fact that Nurse has full control over his playing future for one more season will make finding a deal difficult – if not impossible.
The issue for Nurse and the Oilers isn’t that Nurse is in any way a bad player. He was Edmonton’s No. 2 defenseman in terms of ice time last season, averaging just under 21:00 per game. The 31-year-old is a big, athletic defenseman (6’4″, 215 pounds) who pairs mobility with physicality and the ability to provide secondary offense – around 35 points per season but as many as 43. Nurse’s offensive numbers declined this past season, as his 24 points were his lowest in a season since 2017-18. But he still played significant minutes for the team, minutes that would need to be replaced if the Oilers trade Nurse.
The bet Bowman would be making in any Nurse deal would be that he could replace the tough minutes Nurse soaks up for the Oilers with another defenseman, at a cheaper rate. There’s no guarantee he can do that, of course, but with limited options to create cap space, it seems the Oilers have identified trading Nurse as a path they want to try to go down.
If Nurse does block a deal this summer, it seems overwhelmingly likely that the Oilers would pursue trading him next summer, when his NMC becomes a 10-team no-trade list. So, while Nurse does have the leverage of being able to block a trade, he may only end up postponing his exit from Edmonton.
The Oilers could therefore argue that he is better-served working with the team to facilitate a trade this summer, where he would be able to exercise control over the process and select a preferred landing spot.
Next summer, a little over two-thirds of the league would open up as possible destinations to receive Nurse. But he may also be willing to accept the risk of being traded next summer to a sub-optimal destination in exchange for the chance to stay in Edmonton. With one more year in Edmonton, Nurse could push for a Stanley Cup with McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and the other teammates he has shared the ice with for more than a decade.
It’s not clear what Nurse will choose, or what route he’ll elect to take with his playing future. What is clear is what the Oilers want, which according to Spector’s report is a divorce from one of the long-term staples of their blueline.
Photos courtesy of Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
Free Agent Focus: Edmonton Oilers
Free agency is just over a month away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. Even with the UFA crop being thinned out in recent months, there will be some quality veterans set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Oilers.
Key Restricted Free Agents
D Spencer Stastney – On the same day the Oilers acquired Tristan Jarry from the Pittsburgh Penguins, they acquired Stastney from the Nashville Predators for a 2027 third-round pick. At the time, Edmonton believed that Stastney would become a younger version of Brett Kulak, who was sent to the Penguins in the Jarry trade. Unfortunately, that’s not how things worked out. Stastney registered one goal in 36 games for Edmonton down the stretch, while his CorsiFor% and on-ice SV% took a nosedive. Still, given that they don’t have much defensive depth in the system, the Oilers will likely tender Stastney a contract for next season and keep him around on a short-term deal with the hope that his game can improve as he grows more comfortable in Alberta.
F Colton Dach – It’s tough to make an accurate judgment on Dach’s time with the Oilers. He was good when he played, scoring two goals and four points in eight games, but suffered a long-term injury almost immediately after being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks at the deadline. In a similar rationalization to retaining Stastney, Edmonton will likely keep Dach around for cost-controlled depth. Assuming they keep Dach, the Oilers will already have 12 forwards signed through next season, allowing them to allocate dollars elsewhere.
Other RFAs: F Roby Jarventie, F Josh Bloom, F Matvei Petrov, F Owen Michaels, G Connor Ungar
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Jack Roslovic – After scoring 22 goals for the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2024-25 campaign, Roslovic was hoping to parlay that performance into a multi-year deal. Unfortunately for him, no teams took the bait, and he waited until early October to sign a one-year, $1.5MM contract with the Oilers. Edmonton gave him a full no-movement clause, with a four-team trade list beginning on November 1st. The thought was that the Oilers would give Roslovic a month with the team and trade him to his preferred destination once Zach Hyman returned from injury. Instead, Roslovic spent the entire season with Edmonton, scoring 21 goals and 36 points in 69 games. Assuming he’s looking for another multi-year deal this summer, Roslovic’s time with the Oilers will likely end with a one-year stint.
D Connor Murphy – Acquired from the Blackhawks at the deadline, Murphy played relatively well throughout his short duration with the Oilers. The aging veteran registered one goal and four points in 20 games, while throwing 51 hits in over 20 minutes of action a night. In the postseason, Murphy added another two goals and three points in six games. Still, it’s clear that Murphy’s foot speed has taken multiple steps back, and even though Edmonton could use additional defensive depth, their cap space would be better spent bringing in additional speed on the blue line.
G Connor Ingram – After taking the starter’s crease from Jarry after the Olympic break, Ingram was the saving grace of the Oilers’ season for some time. He wasn’t great, but he provided just enough with an 11-6-2 record in 19 games with a .901 SV% and 2.55 GAA. Assuming the Oilers let Pickard walk this summer, Ingram would be a good bet to be Edmonton’s third-string option next season, or backup if they’re able to move off Jarry’s contract, if he’s open to staying.
Other UFAs: F Adam Henrique, F Curtis Lazar, F Jason Dickinson, F Kasperi Kapanen, F Max Jones, F Samuel Poulin, F James Hamblin, D Cam Dineen, G Calvin Pickard
Projected Cap Space
All things considered, the Oilers’ salary cap outlook isn’t horrible. Entering the offseason, Edmonton will have approximately $14.5MM in salary cap space. Including Dach, the team already has 12 forwards signed through next season, and six defensemen, including Stastney. That’ll allow Edmonton to nibble around the edges of the free agent market to bolster their depth, but they won’t have much wiggle room to make any mistakes. Given that space, Edmonton should take every opportunity to pursue free agent Sergei Bobrovsky or trade for Juuse Saros or Jordan Binnington, with the benefit of not having to match salary.
Photos courtesy of Perry Nelson (Stastney) and Walter Tychnowicz (Roslovic) of Imagn Images. Contract information courtesy of PuckPedia.
Multiple Players Have NHL Draft Rights Expire
According to PuckPedia, multiple prospects had their draft rights expire at the deadline today, meaning they’ll re-enter the 2026 NHL Draft or become unrestricted free agents.
Two distinct groups are impacted by this deadline. Prospects playing in the Canadian Major Junior leagues (OHL, QMJHL, or WHL) or those playing in Europe.
Of those players from the CHL who have played through their age-20 seasons, they’ll re-enter the 2026 NHL Draft, or become unrestricted free agents if they go undrafted. For the European players, they’ll become unrestricted free agents, though many typically stay in Europe to continue their professional careers.
The only other prospect whose draft rights expired, and didn’t meet either of the above requirements, was Toronto Maple Leafs 2025 draftee Matthew Hlacar. Hlacar was taken with the 217th overall pick of last year’s draft, and scored six goals and 12 points in 51 games for the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers this season. Toronto didn’t issue him a bona fide offer, which is simply tendering the player a league-minimum, entry-level deal to extend their signing rights.
The remaining prospects who will re-enter the 2026 NHL Draft or become UFAs are as follows:
D Ales Cech (Mammoth, 5-153, 2024)
D Simon Forsmark (Hurricanes, 4-101, 2022)
F Max Graham (Penguins, 5-139*, 2024)
F Petr Hauser (Oilers, 5-141**, 2022)
F Nils Juntorp (Hurricanes, 6-188***, 2022)
F Gustav Karlsson (Sabres, 6-187, 2022)
F Maximilian Kilpinen (Red Wings, 4-129, 2022)
D Kasper Kulonummi (Predators, 3-84, 2022)
F Hunter Laing (Flames, 6-170, 2024)
G Ryerson Leenders (Sabres, 7-219, 2024)
D Nathan Mayes (Maple Leafs, 7-225, 2024)
G Landon Miller (Red Wings, 4-126, 2024)
F Kaden Pitre (Lightning, 6-181, 2024)
F Joel Ratkovic Berndtsson (Sabres, 7-202, 2022)
F Santeri Sulku (Flyers, 7-197, 2022)
D Albin Sundin (Oilers, 6-183, 2024)
F Riku Tohila (Blackhawks, 7-199, 2022)
G Jakub Vondras (Hurricanes, 6-171, 2022)
* Originally drafted by the New Jersey Devils; traded to the Penguins in March 2025.
** Originally drafted by the New Jersey Devils; traded to the Oilers in March 2025.
*** Originally drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks; traded to the Hurricanes in January 2025.
Berezkin Signs Two-Year KHL Extension
It turns out that Oilers prospect Maxim Berezkin won’t be coming to North America for next season after all. Instead, the KHL announced that the 24-year-old has signed a two-year extension with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. A fifth-round pick back in 2020, Berezkin had a breakout year in 2024-25 when he posted 15 goals and 27 assists in 66 games, leading to the belief that he could come over and potentially contribute in a bottom-six role in Edmonton. Things didn’t go as well this season, however, as his output dropped to seven goals and 25 helpers in 64 contests. Edmonton will continue to hold Berezkin’s rights but at this point, it’s fair to wonder if he’ll make the jump to North America down the road.
Evan Bouchard Out For Remainder Of World Championship
While Canada will continue on at the World Championship following a quarterfinal victory over the United States today, they’ll be doing so without a key blueliner. In an appearance on Oilers Now (audio link), Oilers GM Stan Bowman confirmed that defenseman Evan Bouchard is out for the rest of the tournament due to injury.
That injury was sustained in today’s contest. In the first period, he received a hit to the head from blueliner Ryan Lindgren and appeared to briefly lose consciousness. He was eventually helped off the ice and did not return while Lindgren received a match penalty for the infraction.
Bouchard was believed to be playing through concussion-like symptoms during their opening-round series against Anaheim and if that’s the case, it’s safe to say that Edmonton’s preference, regardless of the severity of the hit, would be to shut him down. Bowman indicated that while Bouchard is injured, it’s not as bad as it initially looked and he should be fine for the start of training camp.
Bouchard found a new gear offensively this season in Edmonton, blasting past his previously career highs by tallying 21 goals and 74 assists in 82 games. Despite playing at less than full strength in the postseason, he still chipped in with a goal and six helpers in their six-game loss. Meanwhile, points were a little harder to come by in this tournament although Bouchard is tied for the team lead in points (with Oilers teammate Darnell Nurse) with six points in eight outings although he won’t be adding to that number now.
If Canada can find a replacement player, they are eligible to remove Bouchard from their active roster and put the new player on it. Given that they kept an open spot until just today (when Sam Dickinson was added to the roster), it seems unlikely that they’ll be able to do so. Instead, Dickinson will likely make his tournament debut in the semifinal on Saturday against Finland.
Oilers Make Multiple Front Office Promotions
The Edmonton Oilers have gotten a head start on sorting out the food chain of their front office next season. According to a team announcement, the Oilers have promoted Michael Parkatti to Vice President of Analytics and Technology, Kirt Hill to assistant General Manager of Player Procurement, Kalle Larsson to assistant General Manager of Player Development and Innovation, Toby Salmelainen to assistant General Manager of European Operations, Andreas Karlsson to Director of Player Development, Justin Mahe to Director of Hockey Operations and Player Experience, Michael Chan to President, General Manager, and WHL Alternate Governor of the Edmonton Oil Kings, and Jamie Jackson to Director of Scouting for the Edmonton Oil Kings.
Edmonton is placing greater emphasis on the analytical aspect of the front office through these promotions. Parkatti has been in a similar role with the Oilers since 2023. Parkatti has been relied upon to give date-driven recommendations to the team’s decision-makers. Edmonton shared that Parkatti developed the xGoals metric, which has become a widely used tool for measuring a player’s effectiveness.
Meanwhile, Hill comes to the Oilers from WHL Edmonton. He had been serving as the Oil Kings’ General Manager for the last several years. He will now work closely with Edmonton’s professional and amateur scouts, as well as recruiting undrafted free agents. Before his work with the Oilers organization, Hill served as an amateur scout with the Chicago Blackhawks beginning in the 2017-18 campaign.
In the announcement, the team stated that Larsson will mainly focus on creating development plans for prospects and current players, while Salmelainen will lead the team responsible for scouting and recruiting talent from Europe. Furthermore, similar to Larsson, Karlsson will oversee the development plans for all Oilers’ prospects in the NCAA, AHL, and Europe. Mahe will be in charge of the hockey operations budget and Edmonton’s immigration and regulation compliance.
The final two promotions of Chan and Jackson directly affect the Oil Kings, also owned by OEG Inc. Chan and Jackson have both been with the Oil Kings for the past two years; Chan serving as the team’s Director of Scouting and Jackson as an area scout.
Edmonton Oilers Sign Aku Raty
The Edmonton Oilers have already gotten involved in the overseas market. According to a team announcement, the Oilers have signed Aku Raty to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2026-27 season worth $850K.
Raty, 24, began his professional career in 2019 when he was selected with the 151st overall pick of that summer’s draft by the Arizona Coyotes. He spent his post-draft season playing for the Finnish Liiga’s Kärpät, scoring two goals and seven points in 32 games with a +2 rating.
After posting a nearly identical scoring line for the 2020-21 campaign, Raty’s offensive presence began to grow in Finland’s professional circuit. Combining the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, Raty registered 29 goals and 64 points in 109 games for Kärpät with a +30 rating. That output rightfully gave the Coyotes the confidence to bring him to North America to test his mettle in the AHL.
At first, he didn’t look out of place. Playing for the Tucson Roadrunners, Raty finished his first season with 15 goals and 44 points in 55 games with a +9 rating. It wasn’t enough to win any awards, but he didn’t finish second on the team in scoring behind Josh Doan.
Unfortunately, Raty took a significant step back during the 2024-25 campaign. He got off to a tough start with the Roadrunners, scoring four goals and 19 points in 50 games, leading to a mid-season trade to the Chicago Blackhawks organization, causing him to finish the year with the Rockford IceHogs.
After that difficult season, Raty took the opportunity to rejoin Kärpät last year, and it turned out to be a worthwhile endeavor. He enjoyed the best season of his professional career, scoring 20 goals and 57 points in 51 games with a +8 rating. Again, his strong offensive output wasn’t enough to lead the league in scoring, but he finished first on the team and seventh overall.
The Oilers frequently adjust their bottom six due to injuries or poor performance, which should create opportunities for Raty at the NHL level, assuming that trend continues. Should Raty get off to a hot start with AHL Bakersfield, if he doesn’t start the season on the NHL roster, the signing could give Edmonton more offensive firepower and energy at the bottom of their forward corps.
With KHL Playoffs Over, Could Deal For Berezkin Be Coming Soon?
- With the KHL playoffs now over, Oilers broadcaster Bob Stauffer suggests (Twitter link) that it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team sign Maxim Berezkin. The 24-year-old was a fifth-round pick back in 2020 and has been a full-time KHL player for basically the last four seasons. It was thought that Edmonton wanted to sign him last summer but Berezkin ultimately decided to stay home for one more year. That might not have been the best move development-wise, as he scored just seven goals in 62 games this season with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, although he managed 25 assists as well.