Oilers Extend Mattias Ekholm
The Oilers announced that they have agreed to a three-year contract extension with defenseman Mattias Ekholm. It runs from 2026-27 through 2028-29 with a cap hit of $4MM and a total value of $12MM. According to Ryan Rishaug of TSN, he’ll have a $2MM signing bonus with a $2MM salary in 2026-27, followed by a flat $4MM salary in the final two years. He will have a no-movement clause for the life of the contract. Ekholm was previously slated for unrestricted free agency after this season.
Ekholm, 35, has long been a quality top-four piece and one of the league’s better two-way defenders. The 6’5″ lefty was drafted in the fourth round in 2009 by the Predators, with whom he’s spent the vast majority of his career. He first cracked the NHL lineup two years later and was a full-timer by 2013, one of many high-end young defenders Nashville was churning out in that era alongside Ryan Ellis, Seth Jones, and Roman Josi. He was a top-four staple by the time Nashville’s championship contention window opened, culminating in a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2017, and peaked with a 10th-place finish in Norris Trophy voting in the 2018-19 season.
While Ekholm signed a four-year, $25MM extension with Nashville in 2021, he wouldn’t play very much for the Preds under that deal. With the club falling out of the playoff race in 2022-23 and the Oilers in desperate need of a needle-mover on defense, Edmonton surrendered a haul that included Tyson Barrie, recent first-round pick Reid Schaefer, plus their 2023 first-round pick to acquire Ekholm with three full seasons still left on his deal at a $6.25MM cap hit, which Nashville brought down to $6MM for the Oilers with a small amount of retention.
Since the deal, Ekholm has more than held up his end of the bargain. He’s been a staple on Edmonton’s top pair alongside offensive dynamo Evan Bouchard, highlighted by a dominant 2023-24 campaign that saw him record a career-high 11-34–45 scoring line in 79 games along with a dominant +44 rating. He finished 12th in Norris voting that year, controlling a remarkable 62.8% of expected goals on his pairing with Bouchard, according to MoneyPuck.
Last year was more of the same. He had 33 points in 65 games with a +11 rating, averaging north of 22 minutes per game, until a torn adductor effectively ended his regular season in March. He missed the vast majority of Edmonton’s second straight run to the Cup Final as a result, although he did return for the clinching Game 5 of the Western Conference Final and played through the entirety of the Cup Final. He wasn’t fully healthy and had his minutes capped at a slightly more conservative 21:35 per game as a result, but he still managed an even rating and remained involved offensively with a goal and five assists.
He remained stapled to Bouchard, and while they weren’t quite as dominant at controlling play as they were in 2023-24, they still controlled a sparkling 59.5% of expected goals together, finishing second in the league among pairings who logged at least 500 minutes. With his point production yet to see a sharp decline and his under-the-hood numbers remaining some of the best in the league in a system that serves him well, it’s easy to see why the Oilers don’t have a ton of concern about signing him through his age-38 season – particularly at a price as attractive as $4MM per season for a top-pair blue liner, far below his present market value.
Last week, it looked like Edmonton would enter the season with four big-name pending UFAs: Ekholm, Stuart Skinner, Jake Walman, and, in a category of his own, Connor McDavid. Three of those names have signed in the last three days. Walman’s seven-year, $49MM extension means Edmonton’s top four blue-liners, Bouchard and Darnell Nurse included, are now all signed through 2029, when Bouchard and Ekholm will be UFAs. There’s McDavid’s “win-now-or-lose-me” two-year, $25MM extension as well that keeps all of Edmonton’s true core in place through at least 2028, giving them three more legitimate chances at a championship before their window might begin to close.
With Ekholm and McDavid taking significant discounts, things are looking quite comfortable for Edmonton next summer. The club projects to have at least $18.71MM in cap space to fill eight roster spots, a number that could rise by a few million if the cap increases past its projected $104MM limit. While the big names are taken care of, there’s still serviceable depth like Adam Henrique, Kasperi Kapanen, and Brett Kulak on expiring deals, plus their top two goalies in Skinner and Calvin Pickard.
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images.
Evan Bouchard Was Reportedly Targeted As Offer-Sheet Candidate During Summer
The Edmonton Oilers signed Evan Bouchard just before the start of the new league year this past summer, locking their star defenseman up for the next four years on a $10.5MM AAV contract. It was a relatively expected outcome for the then-pending RFA, but Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that things were very close to getting a lot more interesting with Bouchard. Friedman wrote in his 32 Thoughts column today that “it’s believed the Hurricanes put together a one-year” offer sheet for Bouchard that would have come in “at a number higher than McDavid just signed for,” with the intent of the Hurricanes was to use that inflated one-year AAV to secure the player, and then “figure out an extension” afterwards.
Had the Oilers failed to re-sign Bouchard and that offer sheet proceeded, it would have been a repeat of sorts for both the Oilers and the Hurricanes. Carolina famously acquired center Jesperi Kotkaniemi using a similar tactic, signing the Finnish center from the Montreal Canadiens via an inflated-value one-year offer sheet. On the Oilers’ side, they have already lost players due to offer sheets in recent years, with Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway poached by the St. Louis Blues in the summer of 2024. But Bouchard, who is one of the league’s top offensive defensemen, would have been without a doubt the most notable offer sheet attempt since the Canadiens’ signing of Sebastian Aho in the summer of 2019, an offer Aho signed but was promptly matched by Carolina.
Oilers To Recall Isaac Howard, Will Make NHL Debut
The Edmonton Oilers are expected to recall winger Isaac ‘Ike’ Howard and award him with his NHL debut in Wednesday’s season opener, per Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic. Howard is the reigning Hobey Baker Award-winner as college hockey’s most valuable player. Howard was traded to the Oilers in exchange for center prospect Sam O’Reilly in July after not agreeing to terms on an end-of-year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning last season.
Howard earned his MVP-recognition while standing as the star on the Big Ten championship-winning Michigan State Spartans. He was a true workhorse in East Lansing, filling the presence of a heavy play-driver, hard-hitter, and leading scorer. Wherever there was play going on, Howard seemed to be involved, and he worked to an impressive 26 goals and 52 points in 37 games as a result. Those marks ranked Howard third in the country in goals, and fifth in points.
Diligent two-way play has been a core part of Howard’s game since his junior career with the U.S. National Team Development Program. He was the reliable backing behind high-offense teammates Logan Cooley, Frank Nazar, and Lane Hutson. That responsible role helped Howard lead the NTDP’s 2004-class in scoring during their U18 season with 82 points in 60 games. He ended up the sixth player from th3 team to be selected in the 2023 draft, though, landing 31st-overall.
With this move, Edmonton will give Howard a chance to show he can stay an impactful part of the lineup through another jump in competition. He scored one goal and three assists in six preseason games. That tied him with Noah Philp (five games played), Darnell Nurse (four games), and Connor McDavid (three games) for second on the team in preseason scoring. He will battle with Andrew Mangiapane and Vasily Podkolzin for ice time on the left-wing. Past NHL experience will make that duo easier to trust than the rookie Howard, though the true shape of Edmonton’s lineup will likely come down to performance through the first few games of the season.
Oilers Recall David Tomasek, Move Zach Hyman To LTIR
Oct. 7: While Howard remains down for now, Tomasek has been recalled today after the club set their LTIR capture with Zach Hyman, the club announced. Hyman will remain out until early November while rehabbing the wrist injury that ended his 2025 postseason run prematurely.
Oct. 6: After doling out extensions to Connor McDavid and Jake Walman earlier today, the Edmonton Oilers are hustling to become cap-compliant when opening night rosters are due. In that effort, the team announced they have placed forward Mattias Janmark on the injured reserve, reassigned forwards Isaac Howard and David Tomasek, and recalled forward James Hamblin from their AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors.
Most of today’s cap crunch is because of Janmark. The nine-year veteran is reportedly dealing with an undisclosed injury, which will keep him sidelined for a week or so. Since he’s not expected to miss much time, the Oilers won’t get any cap relief from his $1.45MM salary. He scored two goals and 18 points in 80 games for Edmonton last season, with another three goals and four points in 22 postseason contests.
The biggest casualty of today’s cap crunch is undoubtedly Howard. The reigning Hobey Baker Award winner was acquired by the Oilers this offseason after failing to reach a contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and was expected to fill an important need for Edmonton in their top six — inexpensive talent.
He made a strong case to make the roster this preseason, scoring one goal and four points in six games, which makes today’s move a much more difficult pill to swallow. Still, he’s likely to debut with the Oilers at some point this season. In his final season in the NCAA with the Michigan State University Spartans, Howard recorded 26 goals and 52 points in 34 games.
Meanwhile, Tomasek, 29, becomes another casualty of Edmonton’s cost-clearing moves. Although he is no longer considered a prospect, he joined the Oilers this summer by signing a one-year, $1.2 million contract as an international free agent.
Like Howard, he was another inexpensive addition by Edmonton this summer that the team could conceivably put in their top-six. As the reigning Guldhjälmen Award (MVP) winner in the SHL from a season ago, Tomasek recorded 24 goals and 57 points in 47 games for the Färjestad BK.
Of all the forwards the Oilers could have recalled, Hamblin gives them the most flexibility since he cleared waivers a few days ago. The former WHL standout will begin his sixth season with Edmonton. He spent all of last year in Bakersfield, scoring 19 goals and 45 points in 51 games as one of the team’s assistant captains.
According to PuckPedia, after today’s moves, the Oilers now sit a tight $834, yes, you read that correctly, under the upper limit of the salary cap to start the season.
Setback For Walman, Questionable For Opening Night
While it was a good day off the ice today for Jake Walman with a seven-year extension in-hand, the on-ice news isn’t as good. Team reporter Tony Brar relays (Twitter link) that the blueliner has suffered a setback in recovering from an undisclosed injury that has kept him out for most of the preseason. Instead of being expected to suit up on Wednesday against Calgary, he is now listed as questionable. The 29-year-old logged over 20 minutes a game both down and in the playoffs for the Oilers and is likely to play a similar top-four role this season; it just might take a little longer before his 2025-26 campaign actually gets underway.
Oilers Extend Connor McDavid, Jake Walman
Edmonton’s biggest piece of offseason business is done on the eve of opening night. They’ve announced a two-year, $25MM extension to keep captain Connor McDavid off next year’s unrestricted free agent market. That’s a $12.5MM cap hit, the same as his current eight-year deal signed back in 2017 carries. It’s not just the Oilers’ generational talent inking a new deal, either. Defenseman Jake Walman has agreed to terms on a long-term extension, according to Sportsnet’s Mark Spector. That deal will be a seven-year, $49MM contract with a $7MM cap hit, per Friedman.
According to PuckPedia, McDavid’s new deal will be largely paid out in signing bonuses as expected. In 2026-27, he’ll earn an $850K salary with a $13.4MM signing bonus, and in 2027-28, he’ll make a $900K salary with a $9.85MM signing bonus. He’ll have full no-movement protection in each year of the deal.
Meanwhile, a few hours later, PuckPedia shared that Walman’s contract breaks down as follows:
- Year 1: $1.24MM salary, $6MM signing bonus, full no-movement clause
- Year 2: $2.5MM salary, $5MM signing bonus, full no-movement clause
- Year 3: $4MM salary, $4MM signing bonus, full no-movement clause
- Year 4: $2.565MM salary, $4MM signing bonus, full no-movement clause
- Year 5: $5.565MM salary, $1MM signing bonus, 15-team no trade clause
- Year 6: $5.565MM salary, $1MM signing bonus, 15-team no trade clause
- Year 7: $5.565MM salary, $1MM signing bonus, 15-team no trade clause
In his first two years on the job, Edmonton general manager Stan Bowman has now been successful in renewing his two franchise cornerstones well before unrestricted free agency became a real threat. He went through a similar song and dance with Leon Draisaitl last year. However, unlike McDavid, Draisaitl’s commitment was long-term – an eight-year, $112MM extension in September 2024 that, at the time, carried the league’s highest cap hit at $14MM.
Draisaitl’s decision to extend came before the Oilers dropped a second straight Stanley Cup Final to the Panthers. Now 28 and entering his 11th NHL season, the context surrounding McDavid’s negotiations was markedly different as a result. The team has been knocking on the door for quite some time, but is now years deep into a contention window without a championship to show for it. With a bottom-five prospect pool and spending flexibility limited in recent seasons, there was an expectation that McDavid wanted the option to reach free agency in a few years, while still in his prime, if he hadn’t yet won a Cup with the Oilers.
But at least for the next few years, Edmonton’s contention window remains wide open with today’s news. McDavid is coming off an underwhelming regular season by his standards, one that saw him miss significant time with an injury for the first time since a fractured collarbone stole nearly half of his rookie season. He still managed to hit the 100-point mark in 67 appearances, but only 26 of them were goals, also his lowest output since his rookie year and one of the worst per-game efforts of his career.
That was all put to bed by another dominant postseason run that would have earned him MVP honors had Edmonton emerged victorious this time around – an honor he managed to win anyway in 2024 despite being on the losing end as well. In the Oilers’ back-to-back Final runs, McDavid has led the league in playoff scoring both times for a cumulative 15-60–75 line in 47 games. He’s established himself as one of the top playoff performers of all time in the process. He’s got 150 points in 96 games across seven trips to the postseason, making his 1.56 points per game third in league history behind Wayne Gretzky‘s 1.84 and Mario Lemieux‘s 1.61.
The regular-season numbers are similarly fantastic. Only twice in McDavid’s career has he managed not to hit the century mark – his rookie season and the 2019-20 campaign that COVID cut off with weeks left in the season. He enters Year 11 with 361 goals, 721 assists, and 1,082 points in 712 career games. That’s good for 1.52 points per game, also third all-time behind Gretzky (1.92) and Lemieux (1.88).
He and Draisaitl remain the co-headliners of a forward group that’s lost a bit of depth punch due to cap constraints, but still has Zach Hyman signed through 2028 and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins through 2029. McDavid’s deal coincides with the expiry of Hyman’s contract. It also marks an immense discount on his market value, which was close to – if not the max salary ($20MM-ish per season) – in order to help facilitate a long-awaited championship. If that doesn’t happen, it’s hard to envision a world in which McDavid doesn’t head elsewhere in the offseason of 2028.
As for Walman, it’s hard to find a player whose fortunes have changed as dramatically since last offseason as his. The 29-year-old is entering the final season of a three-year, $10.2MM contract extension he signed with the Red Wings back in 2023. Despite Walman averaging nearly 20 minutes per game in the first year of that deal and managing a 12-9–21 scoring line in 63 appearances – fine value for the money – Detroit opted to clear his contract. They even paid a second-round pick to the Sharks to take him on.
On a thin San Jose blue line, Walman quickly emerged as their No. 1 option. He averaged north of 23 games for the Sharks and responded with an offensive breakout, notching a 6-26–32 line in 50 appearances with a highly respectable -1 rating on a club that ended up finishing the season with a -102 goal differential. San Jose parlayed the lefty’s breakout by trading him to the Oilers at the deadline, netting a 2026 first-round pick in return in addition to the second-rounder they received from the Wings for taking on his contract in what remains one of the more puzzling trades in recent memory.
Walman’s production barely even took a hit despite slotting in as Edmonton’s No. 4 behind Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm, and Darnell Nurse. He spent most of his time last year anchoring a third pairing with John Klingberg, but is now getting a look in the top four to start 2025-26, moving to his offside to play with a fellow lefty in Nurse. In 37 combined regular-season and playoff games with the Oilers after the move, Walman had a 3-15–18 scoring line with a +14 rating while still averaging north of 20 minutes per game.
A seven-year extension keeps the pending UFA under contract through the 2032-33 season, so Walman now carries the longest remaining term of any Oiler alongside Draisaitl and Trent Frederic. He’s also due to be their fifth-highest-paid skater next season behind Draisaitl, McDavid, Bouchard ($10.5MM), and Nurse ($9.25MM). With McDavid and Walman in tow, the Oilers now have $81.3MM committed to 14 players for 2026-27, per PuckPedia. That still leaves at least $22.7MM in flexibility to fill nine roster spots, a number that could grow if the salary cap exceeds its $104MM projection. They do still have a few notable UFAs left unsigned past this season, a class headlined by Ekholm and starting netminder Stuart Skinner.
Frank Seravalli of Bleacher Report and Victory+ was first to report notable progress on McDavid talks today. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was first to report the deal had gotten signed. TSN’s Ryan Rishaug was first on the two-year term.
Image courtesy of Perry Nelson-Imagn Images.
Tomkins Sent Back To Bakersfield
- A day after recalling him, the Oilers announced (Twitter link) that they’ve sent goaltender Matt Tomkins back to AHL Bakersfield. Tomkins is in his first season with Edmonton and cleared waivers earlier this week.
Janmark Out For A Week
- Oilers winger Mattias Janmark will miss around a week due to an undisclosed injury, relays Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic (Twitter link). Janmark had 18 points in 80 games last season while playing a regular role for them in the playoffs as well. Notably, Edmonton’s cap situation is relatively tight and they’ll already be without Zach Hyman to start the season. Now, while Janmark won’t miss much time, he’ll be out for the opener which could create a bit of an early cap crunch for them to navigate through.
Oilers Sign Kris Knoblauch To Three-Year Extension
The Oilers and head coach Kris Knoblauch have agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension, per a team announcement. Darren Dreger of TSN was the first to report it.
Dreger confirmed last month that Knoblauch was entering the final season of his current deal. There was no firm extension offer on the table at that time, but things evidently moved quickly and smoothly over the last two weeks. General manager Stan Bowman said Wednesday that talks were productive, with no speed bumps.
So continues a dominant run for Knoblauch, who was brought in early in the 2023-24 season to replace Jay Woodcroft after a slow start. Edmonton has a 94-47-10 record in the 151 games since Knoblauch took over, making his .656 points percentage the best in franchise history – including the club’s WHA days. He’s the first coach since Hall-of-Famer Scotty Bowman to reach the Stanley Cup Final in each of his first two seasons behind the bench, something Bowman achieved in the early days of the expansion era with the Blues in three straight years from 1968-70.
He, of course, benefits from the Western Conference’s most star-studded skater core led by Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard. The group had extensive regular-season success under previous bench bosses Woodcroft and Dave Tippett, but they didn’t manage to win a game past the second round until Knoblauch took the helm. Edmonton’s only previous Conference Final appearance of the McDavid/Draisaitl era, 2022 under Woodcroft, resulted in a sweep at the hands of the Avalanche.
With playoff success and long-term organizational stability being key to an extension for McDavid, a pending UFA, it’s no surprise the Oilers are moving quickly to secure Knoblauch’s future beyond this season, in the hopes that McDavid will follow suit soon. It was widely believed that McDavid influenced Knoblauch’s hiring two years ago, having played for him in his junior days with the OHL’s Erie Otters.
While Knoblauch has yet to add any NHL honors to his trophy case aside from Edmonton’s two conference championships, he’s been recognized individually during his time at the minor-league and junior levels. He was named the OHL’s Coach of the Year with Erie in 2015-16, despite not having McDavid’s help, and he was also invited to coach at the AHL All-Star Game while with the Hartford Wolf Pack in 2019-20.
Image courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports.
Training Camp Cuts: 10/2/25
There are five days to go until opening night. Only a few teams have sweeping cuts left to make, with the majority of clubs within five or so cuts (or even at) their final rosters already. We’re keeping track of today’s cuts with this article, which will be updated throughout the day.
Anaheim Ducks (per team announcement)
G Calle Clang (to AHL San Diego)
F Nathan Gaucher (to AHL San Diego)
D Tyson Hinds (to AHL San Diego)
D Tristan Luneau (to AHL San Diego)
F Yegor Sidorov (to AHL San Diego)
D Stian Solberg (to AHL San Diego)
Boston Bruins (per team announcement)
F Dalton Bancroft (to AHL Providence)
F John Farinacci (to AHL Providence)
F Dans Locmelis (to AHL Providence)
D Billy Sweezey (to AHL Providence, cleared waivers)
Calgary Flames (per team announcement)
F Rory Kerins (to AHL Calgary, pending waivers)
G Ivan Prosvetov (to AHL Calgary, pending waivers)
D Ilya Solovyov (to AHL Calgary, pending waivers)
Dallas Stars (per team announcement)
G Rémi Poirier (to AHL Texas)
Detroit Red Wings (per team announcement)
F Ondřej Becher (to AHL Grand Rapids)
G Sebastian Cossa (to AHL Grand Rapids)
F Sheldon Dries (to AHL Grand Rapids, cleared waivers)
D William Lagesson (to AHL Grand Rapids, cleared waivers)
F John Leonard (to AHL Grand Rapids, cleared waivers)
F Amadeus Lombardi (to AHL Grand Rapids)
D Ian Mitchell (to AHL Grand Rapids, cleared waivers)
F Dominik Shine (to AHL Grand Rapids, cleared waivers)
D Antti Tuomisto (to AHL Grand Rapids, cleared waivers)
F Austin Watson (to AHL Grand Rapids, cleared waivers)
Edmonton Oilers (per team announcement)
F Connor Clattenburg (to AHL Bakersfield)
D Cam Dineen (to AHL Bakersfield, pending waivers)
F James Hamblin (to AHL Bakersfield, cleared waivers)
F Quinn Hutson (to AHL Bakersfield)
D Atro Leppanen (to AHL Bakersfield)
F Viljami Marjala (to AHL Bakersfield)
F Josh Samanski (to AHL Bakersfield)
D Riley Stillman (to AHL Bakersfield, pending waivers)
Florida Panthers (per team announcement)
D Marek Alscher (to AHL Charlotte)
D Michael Benning (to AHL Charlotte)
G Cooper Black (to AHL Charlotte)
D Trevor Carrick (released from PTO to AHL Charlotte)
F Brett Chorske (released from ATO to AHL Charlotte)
F Josh Davies (to AHL Charlotte)
F Jack Devine (to AHL Charlotte)
D Ben Harpur (released from PTO)
D Mikulas Hovorka (to AHL Charlotte)
D Colton Huard (released from ATO to AHL Charlotte)
F Hunter Johannes (released from PTO to AHL Charlotte)
D Jake Livingstone (released from PTO to AHL Charlotte)
F Anton Lundmark (to AHL Charlotte)
F Ryan McAllister (to AHL Charlotte)
F Liam McLinskey (released from ATO to AHL Charlotte)
F Gracyn Sawchyn (to AHL Charlotte)
F Kai Schwindt (to AHL Charlotte)
F Hunter St. Martin (to AHL Charlotte)
F Ben Steeves (to AHL Charlotte)
F Sandis Vilmanis (to AHL Charlotte)
Nashville Predators (per team announcement)
D Andreas Englund (to AHL Milwaukee, cleared waivers)
New York Rangers (per team announcement)
D Casey Fitzgerald (to AHL Hartford, cleared waivers)
Philadelphia Flyers (per team announcement)
F Karsen Dorwart (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Lane Pederson (to AHL Lehigh Valley, cleared waivers)
Pittsburgh Penguins (per team announcement)
D Scooter Brickey (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Mathieu De St. Phalle (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
G Taylor Gauthier (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Aidan McDonough (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
D Chase Pietila (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
San Jose Sharks (per team announcement)
F Patrick Giles (to AHL San Jose, cleared waivers)
Seattle Kraken (per team announcement)
F Ben Meyers (to AHL Coachella Valley, pending waivers)
F Mitchell Stephens (to AHL Coachella Valley, pending waivers)
Utah Mammoth (per team announcement)
F Ben McCartney (to AHL Tucson, pending waivers)
D Scott Perunovich (to AHL Tucson, pending waivers)
G Jaxson Stauber (to AHL Tucson, cleared waivers)
Washington Capitals (per team announcement)
F Louis Belpedio (to AHL Hershey, cleared waivers)
F Graeme Clarke (to AHL Hershey, cleared waivers)
D David Gucciardi (to AHL Hershey)
F Henrik Rybinski (to AHL Hershey, cleared waivers)
F Bogdan Trineyev (to AHL Hershey, cleared waivers)