Oilers Rumors

With the regular season now upon us, the bulk of the heavy lifting has been done from a roster perspective.  Most unrestricted free agents have found new homes, the arbitration period has come and gone, and the trade market has cooled.  Accordingly, it’s a good time to take a look at what each team accomplished over the offseason.  Next up is a look at the Oilers.

The Oilers have experienced heartbreak in each of the past two seasons and are optimistic that this year they can finally secure the last few wins needed to reach 16. Goaltending has been the team’s Achilles’ heel in recent years, and whether it’s popular or not, general manager Stan Bowman and his team are committed to that approach in hopes of a different result this time. On paper, the Oilers lost significant depth this summer by trading away high-paid underperforming players to redirect funds towards their star players. It’s not ideal, but that’s how the NHL salary cap functions, and Edmonton has managed it well enough to keep its stars under contract for the foreseeable future.

Draft

3-83 – RW Tommy Lafrenière, Kamloops (WHL)
4-117 – F David Lewandowski, Saskatoon (WHL)
5-131 – D Asher Barnett, U.S. NTDP (USHL)
6-191 – G Daniel Salonen, Lukko U20 (Liiga)
7-223 – C Aidan Park, Green Bay (USHL)

The Oilers didn’t have much in the way of draft capital for the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, but they did come away with five players. Lafrenière projects as a potential middle-six forward with versatility across various roles. He could provide the Oilers with some depth scoring at the bottom of their lineup and fill a penalty-killing role if he develops into the player Edmonton is hoping he will become. Lafrenière can play either center or wing, but given his size, he might be better suited to the wing. He sees the ice well and has a good ability to anticipate how a play will develop, which allows him to beat the puck to various areas of the ice. He’ll be a competitor for the Oilers, but he can get pushed around and will need to fill out more if he hopes to stay in the NHL.

Lewandowski projects as a potential middle-six forward, but that would likely be his ceiling given that his skating is a limiting factor. His stride is a bit awkward, and he lacks the explosiveness you’d expect from a forward playing at or near the top of the lineup. Despite that, there is plenty to like in Lewandowski’s game: he protects the puck well and doesn’t hesitate to take a hit to make a play. He possesses good hockey sense, versatility, and is responsible defensively, which could be his ticket to becoming an everyday NHL player.

Trade Acquisitions

LW Isaac Howard (from Tampa Bay)
G Connor Ingram (from Utah)

The expectations for Howard are high in Edmonton after he won the Hobey Baker Award last year as the top NCAA men’s hockey player. The 21-year-old isn’t a finished product at all, which means the Oilers will have their work cut out for them if they decide to use him in the NHL. Howard is an excellent skater and puck handler who can play in tight spaces, making plays to set up teammates. He can also put the puck in the net, having scored 26 goals in 37 games last season.

There is no guarantee that Howard will make the NHL, and his game does have some shortcomings. The first is his size. Howard tends to shy away from board play, and this flaw could very well be exposed this season. His puck handling is good; however, he sometimes struggles under pressure and may need to improve his ice vision or wait that extra second to absorb a hit and make a play.

The Oilers’ goaltending struggles have been well-documented, and they have been unable to address them in any meaningful way. It was reasonable to assume Edmonton would look for a third-string goaltender, and they made that move when Ingram became available. The 28-year-old has had a couple of decent seasons in Arizona and could serve as a good backup for the Oilers if their top two netminders falter. Ingram probably isn’t going to dominate, but he’s a capable NHL goalie who could get hot, and that’s about the best the Oilers can hope for, given their salary cap constraints.

UFA Signings

F Curtis Lazar (one year, $775K)
F Andrew Mangiapane (two years, $7.2MM)
F Jack Roslovic (one year, $1.5MM)
D Riley Stillman (two years, $1.55MM)*
G Matt Tomkins (two years, $1.55MM)*

*-denotes two-way contract
^-denotes re-signing

There is a lot to like about the Mangiapane signing in Edmonton. The 29-year-old forward can play on either side of the ice, which should give the Oilers some flexibility in their winger deployment. Mangiapane can also provide top-six minutes or slot into the bottom two lines, depending on what the team requires. He should give the Oilers speed, a strong forecheck, and tenacity, making things challenging for opponents and offering Edmonton an offensive forward who can also kill penalties and play some defense. The contract for Mangiapane is relatively modest at $3.6MM per year, and if he can return to his offensive numbers from a few seasons ago, it will be a real bargain.

Beyond Mangiapane, the Roslovic signing could also work out well for Edmonton. The 28-year-old can skate and score, which should fit in well with the rest of Edmonton’s forwards. Off the puck, Roslovic won’t do much as his defensive play is often a concern. But if he can produce offense the way he’s capable of, it will help offset some of his game’s weaknesses.

Many folks will criticize signing players like Roslovic and Mangiapane instead of focusing on goaltending. Still, the truth is that impact goalies weren’t available in free agency, and many trade market options had as many, if not more, flaws than Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard.

RFA Re-Signings

F Vasily Podkolzin (three years, $8.85MM)
D Evan Bouchard (four years, $42MM)
F Noah Philp (one year, $775K)*
LW Roby Jarventie (one year, $775K)*

*-denotes two-way contract

The Oilers prioritized signing Bouchard before free agency opened, and it was clear they feared an offer sheet, even though one was unlikely to happen given the high compensation needed to secure a deal with the talented defenseman. Simply put, Edmonton couldn’t afford to have Bouchard’s contract fall outside their comfort zone, nor could they afford to lose him. The 25-year-old has been a key player for the Oilers, tilting the ice in their favor and posting excellent offensive numbers. His defensive play isn’t perfect, and he does have the occasional blunder, but he more than compensates with his overall performance, which remains unmatched mainly in today’s NHL.

The Oilers chose to extend Podkolzin a year early, which was a decisive vote of confidence for the 24-year-old. Podkolzin scored eight goals and 16 assists in 82 games last season but demonstrated considerable versatility and provided Edmonton with glimpses of the upside that made him their tenth overall pick in 2019. He led the team with 211 hits and was very effective in plays, registering 10 points in 22 games. If Podkolzin has a breakout season this year, the Oilers could have saved a lot of money in the future, but even if his numbers stay similar to last season, his value remains high given all the intangibles he offers.

Departures

F Viktor Arvidsson (traded to Boston)
D Ronnie Attard (signed with Colorado, one year $775K)*
F Connor Brown (signed with New Jersey, four years $12MM)
F Drake Caggiula (signed in Switzerland)
D Connor Carrick (signed in Switzerland)
G Collin Delia (signed in Sweden)
LW Evander Kane (traded to Vancouver)
D Philip Kemp (signed with Pittsburgh, two years $1.55MM)*
D John Klingberg (signed with San Jose, one year $4MM)
C Lane Pederson (signed with Philadelphia, one year $775K)*
F Jacob Perreault (signed in AHL)
F Corey Perry (signed with Los Angeles, one year $2MM)
C Sam O’Reilly (traded to Tampa Bay)
G Olivier Rodrigue (signed in KHL, contract terminated)
F Derek Ryan (retired)
F Jeff Skinner (signed with San Jose, one year $3MM)
RW Cameron Wright (signed in Finland)

*-denotes two-way contract

The Oilers saw a parade of veterans leave this summer due to salary cap constraints and individual success, which priced many of their forwards out of the lineup. Perry moved to Los Angeles, and while he is now a depth forward in his career, he has been very effective. Perry doesn’t score many goals, but he is a disruptive agitator who has unsettled opposing teams in the past two playoff runs. The Oilers will miss his tenacity come playoff time, as the Perry the Oilers brought to the lineup is not easily replaceable.

Brown is another depth forward the Oilers might miss. He also didn’t score much, but he was a good skater for a bottom-six role, providing the Oilers with a defensively responsible forward who could also kill penalties. Brown was also a good transition player, which is something the Oilers might miss given their style of play.

Skinner signed with the Oilers in San Jose after an uneven season. The 33-year-old scored 16 goals and 13 assists in 72 games and didn’t seem like a good fit. Skinner’s skill set, while valuable, didn’t align well with the speedy Oilers, and while he can still shoot and pass effectively, he looked lost at times and wasn’t a significant factor in the playoffs, appearing in just five games and posting 2 points. Losing Skinner probably won’t have too much impact on the Oilers, given the poor fit, but there was a chance for him to be an effective player in Edmonton, and for some reason, it just didn’t work out.

Kane was traded to Vancouver in exchange for a fourth-round pick. Salary cap concerns clearly drove the move, as Kane remains a productive, albeit imperfect, forward. Kane performed decently in the playoffs last year after missing the entire regular season, but had an abysmal showing in the Stanley Cup Final, as did most of his teammates. Kane had one year left on his contract and will be a motivated player in Vancouver as he searches for what could be his final NHL contract. For the Oilers, they lose a top-six player who probably wasn’t part of the team’s future after this year and likely believed they could replace his production with Mangiapane, for two-thirds of the price.

Salary Cap Outlook

The Oilers have very little cap space entering this season, as PuckPedia projects they will have only $325K available, making injury call-ups challenging and complicating management’s ability to address Edmonton’s apparent goaltending issues. The Oilers have Zach Hyman on LTIR, but even with that, their cap room remains nearly exhausted.

For next summer, the Oilers have approximately $17.67MM in cap space with 16 players already signed. Given the challenges they’ve faced in net, that would be a good opportunity for Edmonton to address the goaltending issue that has long plagued them.

Key Questions

Can the Oilers finally go all the way?

The Oilers have lost in two straight finals and are likely a weaker team than they were in previous seasons. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t make it back to the Stanley Cup Finals, but it does mean they’ll have their work cut out for them. Despite losing a chunk of their depth this summer, the Oilers remain a skilled, battle-tested team eager to claim a championship that has eluded them over the past two years. The window hasn’t slammed shut for the Oilers, but they only have so many runs left and will be hungry to secure a title.

Will the goaltending hold up?

It’s no secret that the Oilers’ goaltending has been mediocre to below average for several seasons now. While they’ve largely been able to outscore their issues in the crease, goaltending has still been their weakness, and it might well be the same case this season. It’s not fair to assume that Skinner and Pickard will falter this year, but considering their recent performances, it would be irresponsible to expect anything better than average. That raises the question: if the Oilers make a deep playoff run, can their goaltending hold up, or will it let them down once again?

How will they replace the depth scoring they lost?

The Oilers had many veterans in their lineup last season who left this past summer for more money than they could get in Edmonton. While it didn’t create significant gaps, it definitely weakened a strong forward group and reduced the Oilers’ overall depth. With limited cap space, few promising prospects, and little draft capital, the question is: How will they replace the depth they lost this summer?

Photo by Walter Tychnowicz-USA TODAY Sports