Will Depth Players Get Paid Again This Summer?
Something funny was happening in the summer of 2019. Depth players began getting serious term on multi-year deals to a level we’d rarely seen before.
Take the contract for depth forward Brandon Tanev, who signed a six-year, $21MM deal with the Penguins. At the time, that contract raised a lot of eyebrows, as Tanev had topped out at just 14 goals and 15 assists in any single season, and a $3.5MM average annual value was especially steep on such a long-term deal.
The deal was an outlier on July 1, 2019, with no close comparison other than the Panthers signing Brett Connolly to a four-year, $14MM deal. Connolly was coming off a 46-point season, which far exceeded any of Tanev’s offensive contributions.
There was a sense at the time that the NHL might shift, with depth players able to secure longer-term, higher-dollar contracts. When Colton Sissons signed his seven-year extension with the Predators a few weeks later, it certainly looked that way.
Sissons was two years younger than Tanev and an RFA, whereas Tanev was a UFA, yet their eventual contracts were comparable. However, the global pandemic in 2020 stalled the league’s growth and led to a flat salary cap, effectively shutting teams out of paying for depth and fringe players’ big-money deals.
The stars still got their money, as evidenced by 2020 free agency, when Alex Pietrangelo was still paid handsomely (seven years, $61.6MM), while depth players had to take one-year deals at or around the league minimum.
The stars have continued to get their money, and top salaries have escalated over the last few years, while second-line players have also been rewarded handsomely as the salary cap has eventually climbed. But the depth players in the NHL have continued to feel the squeeze to this point, and it does feel like that might change this summer, with another big cap jump coming, multiple teams with loads of cap space, and a very weak free agency market.
In previous summers, solid defenders such as Calvin de Haan and Matt Grzelcyk, as well as forwards Jack Roslovic and Evgenii Dadonov, have been part of a large group of NHL-caliber players who have experienced a very tight free-agent market when they have been available to all NHL teams. Now, it’s not unheard of for players to fall short of salary expectations in free agency, but it has become a common occurrence over the last six years, and it feels like this could be a summer where teams overpay for depth.
There has been a surge in signings in recent weeks, with the most recent being the Penguins locking up fourth-line center Blake Lizotte to a three-year deal worth $6.75MM total, and the Canadiens inking Alexandre Texier to a two-year deal worth $2.5MM per season. These deals were not massive signings, but they show that teams are moving to lock up their depth as they look to the summer UFAs and realize there isn’t much out there.
Center Christian Dvorak is another excellent example, having recently signed a five-year deal with the Flyers after settling for a one-year deal last summer. Dvorak has long been injury-prone and inconsistent, but the Flyers felt they had to ink him to an extension amid a career year in Philadelphia.
So, what depth players will get shocking contracts this upcoming summer, or will they? If you go by the old cliché that a rising tide raises all boats, it sure looks like the players at the bottom of the lineup will finally start to get a bigger slice of the pie.
Could a player like Ryan Shea, Connor Dewar, or Philipp Kurashev get a big-money, multi-year deal this summer? Or will teams continue to show restraint in the lower rungs of the free agency market, even though they have more wiggle room?
It’s hard to believe there won’t be some silly deals on July 1, 2026. There are always head-scratching choices NHL GMs make. But this could be a free agency unlike any we’ve seen in a decade or so.
July 1, 2016, is hard to forget for some teams, as massive mistakes were made that were clearly bad choices at the time. Loui Eriksson signed with Vancouver, Milan Lucic signed with Edmonton, and David Backes signed with Boston. Several other players were given ridiculous contracts relative to their future projections, which wasn’t anything new, especially for players with a history of being top-six NHL players.
However, some general managers watched those errors and learned a valuable lesson that carried through the COVID years, when there was a massive salary-cap squeeze. While teams didn’t have the salary-cap space to make the egregious contract offers, some GMs still did, and they usually paid the price for it.
A good example was Penguins GM Ron Hextall, who made some odd choices in free agency, particularly when he signed a Tanev replacement in the summer of 2021. Hextall inked Brock McGinn to a four-year, $11MM contract that was a poor value for the Penguins and was eventually traded along with a sweetener to the Anaheim Ducks in 2023.
That deal, along with contracts like Pierre Engvall’s, highlighted why many teams stayed away from giving terms to their depth players. But this summer, the stars are aligning for some wild contracts to be handed out to players who likely won’t last the length of the deal in the NHL. For fans of contending teams, or teams on the upswing who think they are just a player away from contention, you just have to hope your favorite team isn’t among the unlucky ones handing out the money.
Oilers Activate Jack Roslovic, Reassign Quinn Hutson
The Edmonton Oilers will have a bit more oomph in the lineup in Sunday’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights. Edmonton has activated winger Jack Roslovic off of long-term injured reserve after he missed just under a month of action due to an undisclosed injury. In corresponding moves, the Oilers have also moved Connor Clattenburg from injured reserve to LTIR, and reassigned rookie winger Quinn Hutson to the AHL.
Roslovic was a big piece of the Oilers’ lineup before going down with injury. He was filling a goal-scorer’s role next to Leon Draisaitl on Edmonton’s best line by goal-differential. Roslovic has three goals in his last five games and 10 goals and 18 points in 23 games on the full season. He has also recorded an 18.9 shooting percentage, far above his career average of 12.8. That likely spells some scoring struggles as he returns from injury – but the well-rounded Roslovic should still be able to provide a strong utility-knife role.
His return will bump the rookie Hutson out of the NHL for the time being. Hutson scored his first NHL goal in Friday’s win over the Boston Bruins. It is the only point he has managed in five career NHL games – but he’s proven to be a reliable source of offense in the minors. The first-year pro leads the Bakersfield Condors with 16 goals and 28 points in 24 games this season. He also has a plus-four, third-highest on the team behind Isaac Howard and James Hamblin. Hutson’s hot scoring and continued adjustments to pro hockey should make him a top call-up option for Edmonton through the rest of the season.
Roslovic’s addition to the lineup comes at a great time for the Oilers. They have posted a 4-1 record in their last five games and a 6-2-1 record through nine games in December. They’ve managede a 38-to-24 goal differential in that span, largely on the back of surging play from superstars Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. Roslovic will help Edmonton elevate those stars even further as they head into important games against Western Conference opponents. Edmonton has six games remaining in December.
Oilers Recall Connor Ingram, Place Tristan Jarry On IR
12:30 p.m.: The Oilers made all three roster moves official, recalling Ingram and placing Jarry on IR while shifting Roslovic to LTIR.
12:10 p.m.: The Oilers are expected to recall goaltender Connor Ingram from AHL Bakersfield before tomorrow’s game against the Wild, Mark Spector of Sportsnet reports. Starter Tristan Jarry is leaving the road trip and returning to Edmonton to undergo evaluation on the lower-body injury that knocked him out of last night’s win over the Bruins.
Jarry will likely be placed on injured reserve to open the roster spot for Ingram’s recall, but that’s not the only roster move Edmonton will need to make. Adding Ingram to the roster will incur a $1.15MM cap charge, but the Oilers have already dipped significantly into their LTIR pool and have just $59K in cap space, per PuckPedia.
Edmonton can add $1.44MM to its LTIR pool by transferring forward Jack Roslovic from standard IR to LTIR. He’s already missed 10 games and 24 days with an undisclosed injury, satisfying LTIR minimums. He was initially set to return around Christmas but has yet to resume skating. Doing so would create enough flexibility to add Ingram to the roster.
Ingram, 28, is two years removed from posting a league-leading six shutouts and a 23-21-8 record in 48 starts for the Coyotes in their final season. After moving to Utah, Ingram only managed a .882 SV% and 3.27 GAA in 22 games, limited by an upper-body injury, until his season ended in March as a result of entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.
The 2016 third-round pick by the Lightning entered training camp as the Mammoth’s No. 3 option behind Karel Vejmelka and free agent pickup Vítek Vaněček, but he didn’t report as he and Utah mutually agreed to part ways with a year remaining on his contract. After clearing waivers in September, he was traded to the Oilers with salary retained to serve as a high-ceiling third-stringer behind their questionable NHL tandem of the since-traded Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard.
Ingram likely hoped the Oilers’ questions between the pipes and a starting role in AHL Bakersfield would help provide him with a long-term path back to the NHL. So far, that hasn’t been the case. His .856 SV% in 11 games is the worst in the league by 15 percentage points among netminders with at least 10 games, and he’s the only one of the group with a GAA above four (4.04).
He’s actually recorded fewer starts than fellow veteran Matt Tomkins in Bakersfield as a result. While Tomkins has a far superior .893 SV% and 3.30 GAA in 15 showings, it’ll be the theoretically higher-ceiling and more experienced Ingram getting the call to serve as Pickard’s backup for the time being while Jarry works toward a return.
Image courtesy of Brad Penner-Imagn Images.
Oilers Recall Max Jones, Place Clattenburg, Roslovic On IR, Walman To LTIR
Earlier today the Edmonton Oilers announced that Max Jones has been recalled from AHL Bakersfield, while fellow forwards Connor Clattenburg and Jack Roslovic have been placed on injured reserve. Finally, as was speculated yesterday, defenseman Jake Walman has landed on long-term injured reserve. The moves come in advance of tonight’s game versus Detroit.
Jones, a familiar face to Anaheim fans, was a first round pick by the Ducks in 2016. Now 27, he was once a potential top-six power forward, but was never able to pan out. Now an AHLer, Jones has a career high of 19 points at the NHL level, in 284 games so far. Injuries were a huge factor in his stunted development, especially as the Michigan native suffered a torn pectoral in 2021, which was a crucial year to prove himself in Anaheim.
After a stop in Boston, Jones made his way to Edmonton as an add-in from the Trent Frederic trade. He skated in 19 games as an Oiler last season, but has spent all of 2025-26 in the AHL so far. Jones has just seven points in 17 games with the Condors, but with 49 penalty minutes, he is trying to lean more into a grinder role at this point.
Edmonton has brought in other former first rounders who have been solid role players, such as Kasperi Kapanen and Vasily Podkolzin, and Jones may have an opportunity with the team’s numerous injuries, although he is not expected to play tonight.
Roslovic got off to a dynamite start to his Oilers tenure with 18 points in 23 games, prior to going down in late November. He is listed as week-to-week with an undisclosed injury, and may have his sights on a return by the New Year.
Clattenburg, just 20, brought needed energy in his first five NHL games. He has missed the team’s last two contests after an apparent eye injury. With just two points in the AHL this season, the winger brings limited skill, but at 6’2” he could be an eventual fixture on the Oilers’ fourth line, proving to be a nice find in the fifth round of the 2024 draft.
The headline of long-term injured reserve for Walman may cause concern, but the main motivation for such a designation is likely salary cap motivated. With his $3.4MM off the books for now, Edmonton can finally carry a full roster as they soon head off for a five-game road trip. The defenseman has dealt with multiple injuries after inking a seven-year extension at the start of the season. As he has already missed the last seven, Walman only has to miss three more games to meet the LTIR requirements. Similar to Roslovic, his ailment is also unknown, but a return before January would be a surprise.
Currently holding the second Wild Card spot, Edmonton is thankful to have most of their marquee talent healthy, however, their depth will be put to the test, a common theme throughout much of the McDavid/Draisaitl era in which the team has had a top-heavy construction. Their road trip ahead could be a turning point if the team can return to their true potential, and push for another deep run in the spring.
Injury Notes: Roslovic, Hartman, Foegele
Oilers Head Coach Kris Knoblauch shared several updates, as reported by Jason Gregor of Sports 1440; most notably, Jack Roslovic is set to miss multiple weeks. Kasperi Kapanen will be out at least one week, possibly longer, and Jake Walman is making progress, in time for a possible return next week.
Just yesterday it was thought that Roslovic could be just questionable for Saturday’s game, so the week-to-week diagnosis is a surprise. The forward has been a tremendous fit in Edmonton, with 10 goals and 18 points in 23 games, and will be sorely missed as the team faces mounting pressure to get on track. 21-year-old Matthew Savoie will have an opportunity to step up offensively, as the Oilers will desperately fight for a strong December. Roslovic left last Tuesday against Dallas after blocking a shot.
Meanwhile, Kapanen was back in practice yesterday after a five-week absence, but appeared to re-aggravate the injury, and was visibly frustrated leaving the ice. Walman has been out since November 20th, avoiding the IR, and will be eager to return to the lineup to prove his worth after inking a major long-term extension in October.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Ahead of their hosting of Colorado this afternoon, the Minnesota Wild announced that Ryan Hartman has been activated from injured reserve, and Nicolas Aubé-Kubel has been reassigned to AHL Iowa in a corresponding move. Hartman, thought to be week-to-week with a lower-body injury earlier in the month, is a welcome addition especially with Marcus Foligno set to miss time. Hartman, 31, has seven points in 20 games, a far cry from his 34-goal output four years ago, but the South Carolina native remains a solid third line center for the club. Meanwhile, Aubé-Kubel was called up just yesterday, but is headed back to Iowa without yet appearing for Minnesota this season.
- Zach Dooley, Manager of Editorial Content for the Los Angeles Kings, shared that forward Warren Foegele will not play this afternoon in Anaheim. Foegele, a fixture of the Kings’ bottom six, left practice yesterday with an apparent injury. The 29-year-old has four goals in 18 games this year, after setting a career high 24 in his first season with the black and silver in 2024-25. In his absence, fellow 29-year-old Jeff Malott enters the lineup, bringing major size and physicality in a fourth line role.
Injury Updates: Kapanen, Roslovic, Pageau, Granlund
Recent reporting suggested that the Oilers could get winger Kasperi Kapanen back in their lineup in the near future after missing the last five-plus weeks with a lower-body injury. However, that may no longer be the case. TSN’s Ryan Rishaug noted (Twitter link) that the veteran appeared to injure himself at practice today; he left the ice and did not return. Kapanen has been limited to just six games this season where he has a pair of assists in a little more than 12 minutes a night of playing time. Kapanen is currently on LTIR so his activation was going to require some cap and roster movement but if this injury at practice stops him from being ready to play Saturday, they won’t have to do anything to accommodate his return just yet.
Other injury news from around the NHL:
- Still with the Oilers, winger Jack Roslovic didn’t take part in practice today after blocking a shot in their last game against Dallas, mentions Daily Faceoff’s Jason Gregor (Twitter link). Roslovic has been one of the best free agent signings in the early going this season as he has 10 goals and eight assists through 23 games, good for fourth on Edmonton in scoring. That’s certainly strong value for a $1.5MM price tag and a potential absence would certainly be a big blow to their offense. He’s listed as questionable for Saturday’s game against Seattle.
- Islanders center Jean-Gabriel Pageau is listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury but it appears that it should be too extended of an absence for him. The team announced Wednesday (Twitter link) that the veteran should return before the holiday break next month. Pageau has a dozen points in 22 games so far while winning nearly 60% of his faceoffs; if the Isles wind up selling by the deadline, Pageau and his expiring contract should be one of their better trade chips.
- Ducks center Mikael Granlund is making some progress as he works his way back from a lower-body injury, relays Derek Lee of The Hockey News (Twitter link). However, head coach Joel Quenneville suggested he’s still probably a week away from returning. Granlund, who was moved retroactively to injured reserve on Wednesday, has missed the last two weeks due to the injury. In his first season with Anaheim, the 33-year-old has done well when he has played, averaging a point per game but injuries have limited him to just nine appearances so far.
Breaking Down The Early Free-Agent Victories
At the quarter mark of the NHL regular season, there are some early wins for teams that took a chance on the free agency market. While some of the higher-priced free agent signings, like Mitch Marner of the Golden Knights and Mikael Granlund of the Ducks, might be obvious choices for this piece, we will focus on some of the more under-the-radar signings that have delivered fantastic results so far.
Avalanche forward Victor Olofsson was a late addition to the team’s roster, signing a one-year deal on Aug. 20 for $1.575MM. For most of his career, Olofsson was a fairly one-dimensional perimeter scorer who primarily shot the puck well. That all changed last season, when he made a solid defensive impact with the Golden Knights and contributed decent depth scoring with 15 goals and 14 assists in 56 games. He still dealt with injuries, which have been an issue in his career, but his performance was enough for AFP Analytics to project that the 30-year-old would sign for three years at a cap hit of $3.41MM.
However, Olofsson’s injury history and inconsistent play likely kept his market soft. This was great news for Colorado, which signed him up. He’s been excellent to start the year with six goals and nine assists in 22 games. As good as Olofsson has been at five-on-five, he has done a lot of damage with the man advantage, registering six points thus far, which is quite a number given that he had just eight points on the power play last year.
Olofsson was effectively signed to replace a departing Jonathan Drouin, whose salary could no longer fit within the Avalanche’s cap structure, as Drouin was able to secure a two-year, $8MM contract with the Islanders. Colorado had Drouin on a discount for the previous two seasons, and the Ste-Agathe, Quebec native impressed for the Avalanche, recording 30 goals and 63 assists in 122 games over those two seasons. Drouin kept his game simple with Colorado and used his skill set to be as effective as possible.
His free-agent market was limited because fit was an essential part of the equation, but he seems to have found a good fit with the Islanders, recording 14 points in 22 games. What makes Drouin’s start really promising is that he hasn’t scored much on the power play, with just three assists in 80 minutes of time on the man advantage. Last season, he had 12 points in 132 power-play minutes for the whole season, and if he can get back to that level of production at five-on-four, his numbers will look great at the end of the year.
It’s now been six years since the Ducks bought out Corey Perry, and many wondered what his career prospects were as he approached his mid-30s. Perry reinvented himself, shifting from a scoring power forward to more of a net-front presence and pest. Since the buyout, Perry has played for six different teams and reached the Stanley Cup Finals—and lost—five times. The 40-year-old signed this summer with the Kings, agreeing to a one-year deal for $2MM plus an additional $2MM in potential performance bonuses. To start the season, Perry has been on a hot streak, scoring seven goals and adding five assists in 14 games while playing nearly 15 minutes a night. His ice time is the highest it’s been since 2018-19, though it’s likely unsustainable for the entire season, as is his current production. However, even if he slows down in the later stages of the year, he should still net at least 30 points, which is excellent value for the contract he signed. Ultimately, the Kings signed Perry for his playoff impact; however, his start to the regular season has been a bonus so far.
Jack Roslovic has faced challenges navigating unrestricted free agency, settling for one-year deals below market value in consecutive summers. This year, he waited until Oct. 8 to secure a new contract, agreeing to a one-year deal worth $1.5MM with the Edmonton Oilers. Roslovic has responded by starting the season strongly, with seven goals and eight assists in his first 21 games. His fit in Edmonton seems natural so far, which makes sense given his speed and skill. Roslovic was an unusual fit with Carolina last season but made the most of it, recording 22 goals and 17 assists in 81 games. Suppose he can maintain his current pace until season’s end. In that case, it’s unlikely he’ll need to sign another one-year deal, especially since he has worked on and improved other parts of his game, notably his faceoff ability, which was questionable early in his career. Roslovic is making the league sit up and take notice of him, and he’s likely hopeful they will consider him in free agency next summer.
Shifting back to the Metropolitan Division, the Penguins made a couple of under-the-radar signings on July 1 that have paid off big time early in this season. Justin Brazeau signed a two-year, $3MM deal in free agency this past summer. Very little attention was paid to the move, which isn’t surprising given that Brazeau didn’t break into the NHL until he was 25 and had just 95 career NHL games across two seasons. However, the New Liskeard, Ontario native showed enough in his short career for the Penguins to take a chance on him, and so far, the returns have been excellent—he has six goals and six assists in 12 games. Now, an unfortunate upper-body injury has slowed Brazeau’s season, just as he was gaining traction on a line with Evgeni Malkin and Anthony Mantha. Brazeau will likely miss a couple more weeks, but if he continues to trend in the right direction, the Penguins will have a bargain forward on their hands for another season and a half.
Parker Wotherspoon was another shrewd signing on July 1 by Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas. The 28-year-old played well last season in a bottom-pairing role and signed with Pittsburgh, likely sensing that there was an opportunity for a bigger role on the left side of the team’s defense. The Penguins entered the summer with arguably the worst left side in the NHL and made some depth moves to create competition and improve the position. So far, it has worked, as Wotherspoon has secured a spot alongside Erik Karlsson and has become the team’s top pairing. Wotherspoon is signed for another season after this one as part of his two-year $2MM deal, and like Brazeau, could provide Pittsburgh with a major contributor at a bargain basement price for one more season. He’s approaching a career high in points and has been part of rejuvenating Karlsson’s game, providing him with a reliable defensive partner for the first time since his days in Ottawa.
There is always an inherent risk when signing players in free agency. Olofsson, Drouin, and Perry have all proven to be reliable veterans earlier in their careers and weren’t considered high-risk signings. Still, it’s not surprising to see them contributing as they are, given their past performance and their strong showings last season with their previous teams. For Brazeau and Wotherspoon, signing them was essentially a no-risk decision for Pittsburgh, and they have worked out exceptionally well. Dubas did well to sign them for an additional season, a low-risk gamble that could pay off significantly if the rest of the season unfolds well. Neither man has contributed at this level before, and it will be interesting to see if they can maintain this pace throughout the entire season.
Oilers’ Jack Roslovic Proving A Worthwhile Signing
Among the most discussed free agents this summer was forward Jack Roslovic, who didn’t sign a contract – not even a training camp try-out – until October 8th. The Edmonton Oilers finally stepped up to add the forward on their Opening Day, signing Roslovic to a one-year, $1.5MM contract.
Roslovic’s free agency stretching into the Fall was shocking. He scored 22 goals, a career-high, and 39 points with the Carolina Hurricanes last season – in an impactful, middle-six role. That is the exact presence he has brought to Edmonton so far. He has carved out a spot on the second-line and second power-play unit en route to nine goals and 17 points in his first 22 games with the Oilers.
His knack for making the gritty play has proven to be exactly what the high-skill Oilers were lacking. It has also helped Edmonton separate Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl onto two lines. Of the two, it’s Draisaitl’s – and, Roslovic’s – line that has dominated the competiton. Their trio, along with Vasily Podkolzin, has outscored opponents eight-to-three in 120 minutes of even-strength action. They’re also winning the battle for possession, generating eight shots for and seven shots against per game on average.
That line is vastly outperforming their expected-goals (2.50), and Roslovic himself is outperforming his career average shooting percentage (18.0% this year, 12.5% average), suggesting their red-hot scoring will slow down soon. On the same coin, it seems Edmonton isn’t getting quite all they could out of their flashy new addition. Roslovic has continued to dominate the faceoff dot despite operating on Draisaitl’s wing. He has won 58.7 percent of his 46 faceoffs this season, technically the highest on the team, just above Draisaitl’s 56.9 percent on a much more commendable 385 draws. Still, Roslovic is showing that he could stick at the center position if called upon, after posting a career-high 54.1 FO% on 355 faceoffs last year.
That could offer Edmonton a sneaky bit of flexibility as the season drags on. Previously, bumping Draisaitl up to McDavid’s flank would leave Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – and his career 44.7 FO% – as the team’s second-line center. With Roslovic, Edmonton could keep Nugent-Hopkins on the wing when he moves to the second-line.
Roslovic’s lineup impact is likely to look quite a bit different in March than it does now. His hot scoring is bound to slow, but his spot in the lineup should only become more concrete. He won’t provide McDavid with another star winger, but the security he provides Edmonton’s middle-six is invaluable. It’s a nifty bit of support for the cheap cost of $1.5MM, or only 1.5 percent of the salary cap. He is due for a new contract next summer – but it should be no issue to re-sign him with a slight pay boost if he continues to provide this kind of impact.
Edmonton is pushed up against a Stanley Cup championship. They have lost back-to-back Finals, and re-signed superstar McDavid to a three-year extension that upped the pressure to win before 2028. Any positive addition is one more body pushing towards that goal – and the Oilers have landed a discount in their October signing of Roslovic. His impact in the second-half could tilt the needle, and prove 31 other teams wrong for leaving him on the open market.
Photo courtesy of Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports.
Oilers Place Jake Walman On Injured Reserve
The Oilers announced that defenseman Jake Walman is headed to injured reserve after sitting out last night’s season opener with an undisclosed injury. They’ll use his vacant spot to officially register forward Jack Roslovic‘s contract and add him to the active roster after announcing his signing last night.
Walman suffered a setback in his recovery from the injury on Monday, according to the team’s Tony Brar. That was hours after the club announced a seven-year, $49MM extension for the pending unrestricted free agent, in addition to locking up captain Connor McDavid for another two years after this one. He hasn’t played since logging over 21 minutes of ice time in Edmonton’s preseason opener against the Flames on Sep. 21, so his IR placement will be backdated to then, and he’ll be eligible for activation at any time.
A 2014 third-rounder, Walman is entering his first full season with the Oilers and his seventh NHL campaign overall. He’s coming off a breakout campaign that earned him that extension and saw him average almost 23 minutes per game across 65 appearances with the Sharks and Oilers, posting a 7-33–40 scoring line and +4 rating. If he’d not been banged up for nearly 20 games last year, he was on pace for a 50-point campaign in 82 games, ranking 22nd in the league in points per game.
It’s still not clear when Edmonton expects Walman to make his season debut. The lefty was widely expected to play mostly on his off side this season and round out Edmonton’s second pairing with Darnell Nurse. Alec Regula filled that spot last night in the Oilers’ shootout loss to the Flames, and it didn’t go very well. While the pairing controlled 63.8% of expected goals at 5-on-5, he ended up being a -2 on the night.
Oilers Sign Jack Roslovic
The Oilers announced they’ve signed forward Jack Roslovic to a one-year deal worth $1.5MM. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was first to report the deal. Edmonton won’t be able to officially register the contract until they make a corresponding roster move, as they’ve got a full 23-man contingent.
Roslovic, 28, finally lands a contract after going all summer on the free agent market, not even opting to ink a PTO for training camp. He was PHR’s 20th-ranked UFA and had been the highest-profile skater available from Day 4 of free agency onward after Nikolaj Ehlers signed his deal with the Hurricanes, Roslovic’s now-former team.
It’s not often a 22-goal man stays unsigned into August, let alone October, but for whatever reason, that was the case. It’s not Edmonton’s first attempt to bring Roslovic in – they made a pitch early in the summer, which he declined, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported at the beginning of camp. After tying his career-high in goals and totaling 39 points in 81 games with the Canes last year, he may well have asked for too much for too long in negotiations and ended up pricing himself out of a multi-year deal when the game of musical chairs stopped.
He now takes a nearly 50% pay cut from the one-year, $2.8MM deal he signed with Carolina last summer. There’s immense value potential for the Oilers here. The 2015 first-rounder brings over 500 games of NHL experience, can play all three forward positions, and has consistently hovered around a 40-point pace over the past few years. He’s a career 12.4% shooter and has posted a 16-25–41 scoring line per 82 games since debuting with the Jets back in 2017.
Roslovic will provide early-season top-nine reinforcements to a club missing Zach Hyman and Mattias Janmark to begin the season due to injuries. Early on, the Oilers haven’t opted to elevate their young players in the lineup as most expected. Only Matthew Savoie has managed to latch onto a top-six role, skating with Andrew Mangiapane and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on opening night, while fellow rookie Isaac Howard has been relegated to fourth-line duties. That’s led to names like Kasperi Kapanen and Noah Philp potentially being overtaxed in third-line duties out of the gate, something adding Roslovic into the mix will help avoid.
Roslovic’s up-and-down versatility means he could conceivably slot in as high as first-line right wing with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl or usurp the inexperienced Philp for third-line center duties. It’s not clear who he’ll force out of the roster in the coming days when Edmonton registers his contract. Waiver-exempt forwards on Edmonton’s active roster include Howard, Savoie, and international free agent signing David Tomasek.