Oilers Activate Tristan Jarry, Jake Walman
The Edmonton Oilers are nearly back to full force. According to a team announcement, the Oilers have activated goaltender Tristan Jarry and defenseman Jake Walman from their long-term injured reserve.
The moving parts don’t end there either. In the same announcement, Edmonton shared that they’ve moved veteran forward Adam Henrique to the long-term injured reserve, and have converted netminder Connor Ingram‘s emergency recall into standard one.
Despite being acquired a month ago, the Oilers have seen very little of Jarry. In only his third game with the team, Jarry left the contest with a lower-body injury and hasn’t played since.
Throughout his brief intro to the team, he played relatively well, being credited for three wins in his three starts. However, much of that had to do with the performance of the team in front of him, as Jarry only managed an .887 SV%, 3.08 GAA, and -0.7 Goals Saved Above Average (GSAA).
It is still too small a sample size to accurately predict his future performance in Edmonton. Before the trade, Jarry had managed a 9-3-1 record in 14 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins with a .909 SV%, 2.66 GAA, and 4.8 GSAA.
Meanwhile, the Oilers will get a major boost to their defensive core with the return of Walman. The 29-year-old blueliner hasn’t played since late November due to a lower-body injury, missing the team’s last 23 games.
Before the injury, Walman was his typically steady self, scoring three goals and 10 points in 17 games while averaging more than 20 minutes per game. Still, Edmonton will want more stability from him on the defensive side of the puck, as he’s only managed an 85.4% on-ice SV% at even strength this season.
On the other side of the transaction, the Oilers have expectedly moved Henrique to the LTIR. The 16-year veteran suffered an undisclosed injury on January 6th and isn’t expected to return until after the Olympics.
Lastly, Edmonton will surprisingly move forward with three netminders on the active roster. Despite having a disastrous performance with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, Ingram has provided some stability in net for the Oilers of late. In his first year with the organization, he has managed a 4-2-1 record in seven games with a .904 SV% and 2.70 GAA. If he continues his success, fellow netminder Calvin Pickard‘s days with the team could be numbered.
Oilers’ Adam Henrique Out Long-Term, Placed On IR
Edmonton Oilers forward Adam Henrique is set to miss nearly two months of action after sustaining an undisclosed injury in Tuesday’s game against the Nashville Predators. The Oilers placed Henrique on IR and announced that he is expected to return after the NHL’s break for the Winter Olympics, which ends on February 24th.
When Henrique sustained his injury isn’t entirely clear. Henrique did block a shot from Predators’ winger Filip Forsberg with his wrist in his final shift of the game but didn’t appear to be in pain for the rest of his time on the ice. Whether that caused his injury or not, the veteran forward will now be forced to miss the next 14 games, at least.
Henrique has had a quiet year on the scoresheet. He only has 10 points and 12 penalty minutes in 43 games this season – a career-low scoring pace. The 35 year old has made up for that lack of scoring away from the puck. He leads Edmonton’s forwards with 57 shot blocks, ranks second among the club’s usual centers with a 54.8 faceoff percentage, and ranks fifth on the offense with 24 hits. He’s continued to fill a core, bottom-six role in Edmonton that will be hard to fill.
The Oilers will bring Trent Frederic back into the lineup in Henrique’s spot. Frederic has had a year much quieter than his rich extension would suggest, with only three points and a minus-10 in 41 games. He has posted 103 hits, though, good for second on the team behind Vasily Podkolzin. Edmonton also has Andrew Mangiapane, who has 11 points in 40 games, in the press box. They oculd also recall Quinn Hutson, who leads the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors with 35 points in 27 games.
Edmonton could be afforded a chance to figure out Henrique’s replacement by Kasperi Kapanen‘s return from a three-month long injury absence. Kapanen scored two points in Edmonton’s 6-2 win over the Predators on Tuesday. That win ended a three-game losing skid and brought Edmonton up to a 6-4-0 record in their last 10 games. Comfortably in a playoff position, Kapanen’s return could help buoy the offense while they address a new hole on the fourth line.
West Notes: Henrique, Silovs, Holloway
While Adam Henrique ultimately decided to stay in Edmonton, he turned down at least one pricier offer to do so. Postmedia’s Kurt Leavins relays that the Jets offered the veteran a two-year, $7MM deal; he ultimately took two years and $6MM to stay with the Oilers. With Edmonton still trying to add to their roster on the trade front, it’s fair to say that extra half-million in flexibility that Henrique left on the table will come in handy. Winnipeg, meanwhile, didn’t fare well in trying to replace Sean Monahan and the fact they made a higher-money offer to Henrique suggests that they’re likely to be keeping an eye on the center market on the trade front in the coming weeks to see if someone becomes available.
Elsewhere out West:
- With Thatcher Demko’s availability for the start of the season in some question, the news that backup Arturs Silovs wouldn’t play in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament due to injury drew some extra attention. However, in an interview with Delfi, Latvia’s goalie coach Arturs Irbe noted the injury was sustained from overtraining and while he took time off a couple of times to recover, it was decided that they’d opt to be cautious and hold him out. At this point, it appears that Silovs will be ready to go for training camp for the Canucks.
- In an appearance on the Hockey Sense Show (video link), Blues winger Dylan Holloway acknowledged that his camp knew about the offer sheet coming before any true negotiations with the Oilers were held. Even before it was signed, the 22-year-old hoped to use it as a pressure point to kickstart discussions with Edmonton but those talks never came about. Holloway indicated that his asking price wasn’t particularly high but evidently, the Oilers weren’t interested in working on a deal at the time. He signed a two-year deal with St. Louis that carries a cap hit just above $2.29MM with Edmonton receiving a compensatory third-round pick in return.
Snapshots: Henrique, Brandsegg-Nygard, Luoto, Eriksson
Before he ultimately re-signed with Edmonton, the Jets took a run at signing center Adam Henrique on the opening day of free agency, notes Postmedia’s Scott Billeck. Winnipeg was eyeing the 34-year-old as a replacement for Sean Monahan, who turned down an offer from them to ink a five-year deal with Columbus. Henrique had a solid showing last season, notching 51 points in 82 games between Anaheim and Edmonton and could have slotted in behind Mark Scheifele to anchor the second line but opted to return to play a lesser role with the Oilers.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- After inking his entry-level deal on Thursday, Red Wings prospect Michael Brandsegg-Nygard told Nitten’s Wegard Bakkehaug that no decision has been made regarding where he’ll play next season. The 18-year-old acknowledged that breaking camp with Detroit isn’t realistic but he is eligible to play with AHL Grand Rapids or play with SHL Skelleftea. Brandsegg-Nygard suggested his preference might be to play in Sweden and that Detroit will give him a chance to have a say in where he winds up.
- Former NHL winger Joona Luoto is expected to sign with HV71 of the SHL, reports Johan Svensson and Jacob Johannesson of Sport Expressen. The 26-year-old has 23 career NHL contests under his belt between Winnipeg and Columbus but became a Group Six free agent in 2023 and elected to sign a contract in Switzerland over another two-way deal in North America. Luoto had 18 goals and nine assists in 47 games with SC Bern last season.
- Generally speaking, NHL prospects typically prefer to play at the top level possible overseas. However, that’s not the case for Panthers youngster Linus Eriksson who told Hockey Sverige’s Uffe Bodin that he turned down interest from multiple SHL teams to remain with Djurgarden in the second-tier Allsvenskan. The 18-year-old was the 58th-overall pick by Florida after he put up 11 points in 29 games at that level last season. Eriksson was much more productive at the junior level, collecting 21 points in 25 games with them and added seven points in seven games for Sweden at the World Under-18s.
Atlantic Notes: Skinner, Henrique, Panthers, Burrows, Korpikoski
Adam Henrique and Jeff Skinner both ended up in Canada in free agency, joining the Oilers on cheap short-term deals. It was a not entirely unexpected reunion for the former, but the latter was a late addition to the UFA market after getting bought out by the Sabres.
But Edmonton wasn’t the only northern club looking to pounce on their services. The Maple Leafs had demonstrated significant interest in both, especially Skinner, TSN’s Chris Johnston said on SDPN’s “The Chris Johnston Show.” He didn’t say how competitive the offers were compared to the $3MM AAV the duo both landed in Edmonton on two-year and one-year deals, respectively.
In talks with the Leafs, Skinner was told he’d be given a chance at top-line minutes alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, per Johnston. That’s similar to the situation he’ll have in Edmonton, where he’s likely to suit up as their second-line left wing alongside Leon Draisaitl with another free-agent addition, Viktor Arvidsson, on his right flank. It projects to be the best group of secondary scorers the Oilers have iced in the Draisaitl/Connor McDavid era.
While Toronto was active on the back end, adding defensemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Jani Hakanpää and Chris Tanev, they’ve made no notable changes to a forward group that averaged a horrid 1.57 goals per game against the Bruins in their first-round loss, other than losing Tyler Bertuzzi to the Blackhawks.
Other updates from the Atlantic:
- Add the Panthers to the list of teams departing the Bally Sports family of regional sports networks. Much like the Coyotes and Golden Knights last season, they’ll be partnering with Scripps Sports to facilitate the local broadcast of their games next season and beyond, per a team announcement yesterday.
- The Canadiens won’t have Alexandre Burrows back behind the bench as an assistant coach next season, but he’s not departing the organization. He’s instead been assigned to a player development role at his request, VP of hockey operations Jeff Gorton said yesterday. They’ve also added longtime NHLer Lauri Korpikoski as their player development coach in a Europe-based role. Korpikoski last suited up in the NHL for the Blue Jackets in 2017 but was active overseas up until 2022-23.
Oilers Expected To Sign Adam Henrique
The Oilers have made a couple of additions up front today with the signings of Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner while bringing back veteran wingers Connor Brown and Corey Perry as well. It appears they have one more move to make at forward as TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reports that center Adam Henrique is expected to return to Edmonton. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta adds that the veteran will get a two-year deal, with Rishaug confirming a $3MM cap hit ($6MM total value).
A new deal for Henrique certainly makes the first-round pick Edmonton gave up for him at the trade deadline all the more worth it. After being acquired from the Ducks, the 34-year-old put up decent secondary scoring numbers but was a tad underwhelming, producing nine points in 22 games. That’s a 34-point pace over an 82-game season, less than he scored in only 60 games with Anaheim prior to the trade.
Henrique struggled with injuries in the playoffs, missing a few contests in Edmonton’s run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, but elevated his game when it mattered. He averaged important third-line minutes, logging 14:06 per game, and contributed four goals and three assists in 17 games with a +3 rating. Two of his goals were game-winners.
Now, despite having limited cap space, Edmonton’s already improved their forward group from the one that just got them within one goal of a championship. It’s fair to assume one player may be moved out, though. A $3MM cap hit for Henrique puts Edmonton roughly $2.5MM over the $88MM salary cap next season. Whether a cap-clearing trade comes via a forward or defenseman remains to be seen.
If Henrique produces closer to the 50-point pace he’d logged the past few years with the Ducks, even for just the first half of this new deal, it’s a bargain contract for Oilers acting GM Jeff Jackson. It’s clear the Oilers have no intention of doing anything but running it back next season with Leon Draisaitl entering the final year of his contract and Connor McDavid having only two years left on his deal.
With Arvidsson’s and Skinner’s additions (and Jackson saying publicly he expects them in the top six), Henrique will slot into a third-line role for the Oil next season, likely on Ryan McLeod‘s wing.
Oilers Won’t Renew Ken Holland’s Contract
10:32 a.m.: The Oilers won’t be renewing Holland’s contract, CEO of hockey operations Jeff Jackson confirmed. The organization didn’t say when the search for his successor would begin, nor did they name an interim GM ahead of tomorrow’s draft.
8:17 a.m.: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Edmonton Oilers will likely allow general manager Ken Holland’s contract to expire on June 30th. Holland would become a free agent at that point, and the expectation is that multiple teams will pursue him to gauge his interest in hockey operations positions. Holland and the Oilers came within one win of the Stanley Cup, which would have been Holland’s fifth had they been successful.
If the Oilers let Holland walk, they will be without a general manager at the most critical time of the year, and as Friedman points out in his article, they could choose to go without a GM in the interim.
Holland has his detractors and had a very uneven run in Edmonton, signing several questionable contracts with Jack Campbell, Darnell Nurse, and Cody Ceci. However, Edmonton never missed the playoffs during Holland’s five-year run and made two Western Conference Finals appearances and one Stanley Cup Final. Holland also made some very savvy moves, notably the signing of 50-goal scorer Zach Hyman, trading for defenseman Mattias Ekholm, and the trade deadline move for Adam Henrique.
TSN’s Darren Dreger reported earlier this week that Holland would have a role in Edmonton if he wanted it, but it remains to be seen if he will look for new challenges or simply retire. If this is the End for Holland in Edmonton, he will finish his time there with a 220-121-32 record.
Snapshots: Conditional Picks, Tocchet, Thunderbirds
The final series of the playoffs gets underway tonight with Edmonton taking on Florida. The events and outcome of the Stanley Cup Final will also affect the draft order in the next three years. As CapFriendly notes (Twitter link), the following four late-season trades will be finalized based on whoever wins this series:
Ducks/Oilers: The 2025 fifth-round pick that went to Anaheim in the Adam Henrique trade will upgrade to a 2025 4th round pick if Edmonton wins.
Sabres/Panthers: The 2024 seventh-rounder acquired by Buffalo for Kyle Okposo will upgrade to a 2024 fifth-round pick if Florida wins. (Florida would also incur a $500K cap penalty next season in this scenario as that is payable to Okposo if they win.)
Senators/Panthers: The 2024 fourth-round pick that Ottawa received for Vladimir Tarasenko will become a 2026 third-rounder if Florida wins the series.
Penguins/Panthers: The 2025 seventh-round pick Pittsburgh acquired for Magnus Hellberg will convey if Hellberg plays in two games this round. Hellberg is on Florida’s active roster as a Black Ace recall but has yet to play this postseason.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet is heading into the final guaranteed season of his contract next season though there is a team option for 2025-26 as well. The bench boss told reporters including Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province that there have yet to be any discussions about a contract extension, nor is he concerned about that. Tocchet led Vancouver to a surprising first-place finish in the Pacific Division with 109 points, helping him earn the Jack Adams Award last month.
- The AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds (affiliate of the Blues) announced that they’ve hired long-time NHL blueliner Jaroslav Modry and AHL veteran Chad Wiseman as their new assistant coaches. Modry spent the last three seasons coaching in his native Czechia while Wiseman had been coaching with OHL Guelph since 2018-19. They join NHL veteran Steve Konowalchuk on a new-look coaching staff.
Adam Henrique Expected To Return For Game 3
Jason Gregor of Daily Faceoff is reporting that Edmonton Oilers forward Adam Henrique will return for Game 3 tonight from a suspected ankle injury when the Oilers take on the Dallas Stars. The 34-year-old has missed eight straight games and hasn’t played since Game 1 against the Vancouver Canucks back on May 10th.
Henrique was acquired from the Anaheim Ducks (with 50% retained salary) at the trade deadline along with Sam Carrick in exchange for a first-round pick in 2024 and a conditional fifth-round pick in 2025. The Tampa Bay Lightning were also involved in the trade retaining 25% of Henrique’s cap hit and sending a seventh-round draft pick in 2024 as well as netminder Ty Taylor back to the Oilers in exchange for a conditional fourth-round pick in 2026.
If the Oilers get Henrique back into the lineup it will allow the team to shift some of their depth forwards into more suitable roles as Ryan McLeod could shift over to the wing and Derek Ryan could fall back to the fourth line.
Henrique hasn’t matched his offensive numbers from earlier in the season with Anaheim but isn’t playing in the same offensive capacity and has seen his average ice-time drop by almost three minutes per game. It’s fair to wonder if his injury was a nagging issue since he hasn’t been nearly as effective in the playoffs as he has just a goal and an assist in six games, both of which came in the first game of the playoffs. Henrique has also seen his CF% drop five percent lower than it was in the regular season.
Oilers Notes: Henrique, Lineup Changes, Perry
The Edmonton Oilers may be without center Adam Henrique for an eighth straight game which means they could be limited in their ability to change up their third-line on offense. Earlier today, Mark Lazerus of The Athletic reported that Henrique is “very close” and could return in either Game 3 or Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.
It is becoming more dire by the day for Edmonton to get Henrique back into the lineup even though the Oilers find themselves in a tied series against the Dallas Stars. Throughout the playoffs, Edmonton’s third line of Warren Foegele, Derek Ryan, and Ryan McLeod has combined for four points while producing a rating of -17 between the trio. The line has not aided the Oilers’ ability to win games up to this point even though it boasts one of the best combinations of foot speed.
Getting Henrique back into the lineup would allow Edmonton to bump McLeod to the wing and move Ryan down the fourth line which should balance the offense. Before succumbing to an undisclosed injury, Henrique scored six goals and nine points in 22 games for the Oilers after being acquired at the trade deadline and put up another two points in six postseason contests.
Other Oilers notes:
- Outside of getting Henrique back into the lineup, Caleb Kerney of The Hockey News wrote this morning that Edmonton should consider making a few other tweaks. Kerney argues that if Henrique cannot return in time for Game 3, the Oilers should move depth forward Sam Gagner into the fourth-line center position instead of Sam Carrick. Despite Carrick sporting better defensive awareness than Gagner, the former’s speed and creativity may give Edmonton’s offense a much-needed jolt.
- Off the ice, PuckPedia confirmed this morning that if the Oilers win the Conference Finals against the Stars, they will need to pay Corey Perry a $50K performance bonus. Since Perry has already played at least 50% of Edmonton’s potential games through the first three rounds of the playoffs, Perry has already hit the first qualifier for the bonus. If the Oilers end up having to pay the bonus to Perry, they will add on to an already league-leading overage penalty for next season at $3.55MM.