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Oilers Unlikely To Qualify Dominik Kahun And Jujhar Khaira

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Oilers GM Ken Holland spoke with the media today to discuss the upcoming offseason; the full transcript is available on their team website.  Among the topics that he addressed were his upcoming free agents where he indicated that he is unlikely to be tendering qualifying offers to forwards Dominik Kahun and Jujhar Khaira.

Kahun came to Edmonton back in the fall after being somewhat of a surprising non-tender by Buffalo considering he had two seasons of more than 30 points under his belt.  Instead, they opted to avoid the risk of an arbitration award that was too high for their liking.  The Oilers added the 26-year-old for just under a million dollars with the hopes that he’d rediscover some chemistry with countryman Leon Draisaitl but that didn’t happen.  Instead, he wasn’t able to hold down a spot in the top six for an extended period of time and wound up notching just 15 points in 48 games.  His qualifying offer checks in at an even million dollars but his previous production could be used in arbitration which would push the award higher than what Edmonton wanted to pay.

As for Khaira, he has been a regular in their lineup for most of the last four seasons, giving them some physicality and penalty killing from the fourth line.  However, the 26-year-old hasn’t been able to do much offensively, scoring just 24 goals in 258 career games with the Oilers.  With spending on role players expected to drop again this summer in an effort to cut costs, his $1.3MM qualifying offer with arbitration rights was clearly too much for them to commit to.

Having said that, it’s quite possible that Edmonton looks into trying to bring them back at lower rates that better fit their salary structure for next season though at this point, both players will likely want to see what’s out there on the open market.  They won’t have to wait too long to get there with free agency opening up on Wednesday.

Mike Smith Re-Signs With Edmonton Oilers

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July 22: PuckPedia reports that the Oilers have signed Smith to a two-year, $4.4MM contract. The deal will pay the veteran netminder $1.9MM in 2021-22 and $2.5MM in 2022-23. GM Ken Holland confirmed the deal in his press availability, though it has not yet been officially announced by the team.

July 21: The Edmonton Oilers may have lost their 28-year-old shutdown defenseman today, but they won’t be losing their 39-year-old goaltender. Patrick Johnston of the Province tweets that Mike Smith will return to the Oilers on a multi-year deal. As Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic adds, teams can’t actually re-sign their own free agents until the transaction freeze lifts tomorrow, but there are “positive signs” between Smith and Edmonton. Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reports that the deal is expected to be for two years and carry an average annual value around $2MM.

Smith had one of the best seasons of his career in 2020-21, posting a .923 save percentage in 32 appearances for the Oilers and finishing seventh in Vezina Trophy voting. The veteran goaltender, who has now made 600 regular season starts over a 15-year career, hadn’t had that kind of performance since the 2011-12 season, when he led the Pheonix Coyotes to the Western Conference Finals. It’s hard to expect him to repeat that level of play on this new deal, but Smith at least represents a strong locker room presence and reliable option, even if he’s not at a Vezina-level in 2021-22.

Still, this will feel like a step backward for many Oilers fans, who are hoping for improvements this summer. The team re-signed Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to an eight-year deal, but are about to lose Adam Larsson to the Seattle Kraken. A buyout of Mikko Koskinen would clear some cap room, as will Oscar Klefbom staying on long-term injured reserve. But it’s not like GM Ken Holland has a ton of space to work with if he wants to take the next step forward.

In fact, if the team does buy out Koskinen, it seems unlikely that the team will be able to really afford a counterpart for Smith, at least not one that carries a high cap hit. The team does already have Alex Stalock under contract at $750K, who could serve as a fine backup, but that would be putting a lot of pressure on Smith to carry the load. With the defensive depth lacking and an upgrade needed to help Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl up front, things are getting tricky in Edmonton.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Zach Hyman Meeting With Edmonton Oilers

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The Toronto Maple Leafs gave pending free agent Zach Hyman permission to speak with other teams around the league, and today he is in Edmonton meeting with the Oilers, according to Jason Gregor of TSN. The Oilers have had rumored interest in the Maple Leafs forward for a while, and Chris Johnston of Sportsnet tweets that there is still a possibility of a sign-and-trade agreement between the two teams, which would open up the possibility of an eight-year contract for Hyman. Only the Seattle Kraken, who had a 48-hour window which is now closed, and the Maple Leafs were eligible to offer Hyman an eight-year deal this summer.

Now 29, Hyman has been a heart-and-soul player for the Maple Leafs the past six seasons. He reached a career-high of 21 goals and 41 points in the 2018-19 season, but easily would have eclipsed those totals in either of the past two years had the schedule had not been shortened or had he not suffered injuries. In 2019-20 he scored 21 goals and 37 points in 51 games, while this year he tallied 15 goals and 33 points in 43 games. He has received Selke Trophy votes in three of his five full seasons, including one fourth-place vote this year. A contributor at both ends, Hyman has experience on the powerplay and is one of the top penalty-killers in the NHL.

Still, there is plenty of risk to the pending free agent. Not only would a lengthy contract take him well into his thirties, but Hyman has dealt with knee injuries over the last few years, even undergoing major surgery in 2019. There is no one who doubts Hyman’s effort—the fifth-round pick has worked extremely hard for every opportunity he’s been given at the NHL level—but it’s hard to see how he’ll continue to produce at a high level several years from now. His playstyle relies heavily on his speed and forechecking ability, as well as his willingness to absorb contact to win back or protect a puck. If any of those attributes decline, his effectiveness could be drastically reduced.

Even with that apparent risk, there seems to be a clear market for Hyman’s services. The Oilers are not the only team that has been linked to the free agent forward; the St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, and Seattle Kraken have been attributed interest at least, though it’s not clear how many of these or other clubs Hyman has actually met with. Any deal will have to wait until tomorrow when the NHL transaction freeze opens up, and even then it would only occur if a trade with the Maple Leafs was worked out. Otherwise, Hyman will have to wait until July 28 like the rest of this year’s free agent crop.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Carolina Hurricanes Acquire Dylan Wells

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The Carolina Hurricanes have acquired goaltender Dylan Wells from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for future considerations. This move is designed to help the Hurricanes expansion situation, as Wells can fill the exposure requirement if tendered a qualifying offer this week. Wells is a pending RFA coming off a season as a taxi squad netminder.

Wells, 23, didn’t play a single game at any level during the 2020-21 season, and suited up only seven times for the Oilers AHL affiliate in 2019-20. Most of his professional career to this point has been in the ECHL, but perhaps he will get a bigger chance in the Carolina organization. The 6’2″ netminder was selected 123rd overall in 2016 but has struggled in his AHL chances, posting an 0-4-1 record in 2019-20 with a .878 save percentage.

Future considerations, in this case, are likely either nothing or a minor league trade that will be completed in tandem. Players on AHL contracts cannot be included in NHL deals, and the Oilers just recently did something similar in the Duncan Keith deal. A second AHL trade was completed the same night, sending a minor league forward to the IceHogs to replace Tim Soderlund.

The Hurricanes are set to protect Alex Nedeljkovic in the upcoming expansion draft and could have used Jeremy Helvig for the exposure requirements if they intend on extending him a qualifying offer. If not, Wells can now slide into that role as expansion draft fodder, without any real risk of being selected by the Kraken.

Oscar Klefbom Unlikely To Play In 2021-22

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During his media availability after today’s Duncan Keith trade, Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland mentioned that the chances of Oscar Klefbom playing hockey during the 2021-22 season are ’very slim.’ The news comes after Klefbom missed the entire 2020-21 season with a shoulder injury, meaning that Klefbom could very well miss two full seasons of NHL hockey.

It’s been a rough road in recent years for the Swedish defenseman. After electing to have surgery during the 2020-21 campaign to repair an injured shoulder that hadn’t healed properly, Klefbom’s last NHL game was August 7th, 2020 against the Chicago Blackhawks. It was a huge blow to the Oilers, as Klefbom had averaged over 25 minutes a night in 2019-20 and was blossoming into his prime.

It’s even more unfortunate news for Klefbom, who’s been a long but rewarding project over the course of his career. He’s been fairly productive offensively with 156 points in 378 career games, but he’s also been one of the most reliable Oilers defenders in his own end. Knowing this news may have fairly well pushed the Oilers into the Keith acquisition, knowing that they needed a body that could reliably serve on their second pairing with Klefbom out.

The future now looks rocky at best for Klefbom’s career as a whole. Missing two full seasons without game action in any league is extremely hard to recover from, especially without knowing whether Klefbom’s shoulder will ever actually reach 100%. At this point, Edmonton and Klefbom both can only hope for the best.

Edmonton Oilers Acquire Duncan Keith From Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers have been working on a Duncan Keith trade for the past few weeks, and after a lengthy day of reports, the trade is final. Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the deal is complete, with the Blackhawks receiving Caleb Jones and a third-round pick. No salary was retained by Chicago. Mark Spector of Sportsnet reports that at one point in the talks, the Oilers tried to include Mikko Koskinen in order to clear some cap space, but he is not involved in the final deal. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun finally reported that Blackhawks prospect Tim Soderlund is headed to Edmonton as well. He also notes that the third-round pick is in 2022 and that it could turn into a second-round pick if Edmonton wins three rounds in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and Keith is top-four among Edmonton defensemen in terms of ice time.

The veteran defenseman told Chicago last month that he wanted to go to the Pacific Northwest or Western Canada in any deal to be closer to his home in British Columbia. Moving Keith before the expansion deadline would allow the Blackhawks to protect an extra defenseman, something that seems absolutely necessary given their situation at this point.

Keith, 37, has two years remaining on his contract and carries a $5.54MM cap hit. The legendary defenseman will go down as one of the best to ever play for the Blackhawks, helping them to three Stanley Cup championships and suiting up more than 1,300 times. Keith has played more regular-season games than any other defenseman in Blackhawks history and trails only Stan Mikita for the overall lead. His 625 points during that time trail only Doug Wilson among Blackhawks defensemen.

Of course, his play has deteriorated some over the past few seasons, meaning the Oilers won’t be getting the same player that enjoyed so much success in Chicago. Keith will turn 38 on Friday and recorded a career-low 15 points in 2020-21. There’s little doubt that he can still play at the NHL level, but it’s hard to know exactly what Edmonton will be getting from the veteran. With that uncertainty, it seems likely that they would have been asking for the Blackhawks to retain at least a portion of his salary, though it did not occur.

The Oilers actually do have a little bit of cap room to play with this offseason, but that’s mostly thanks to so many players hitting unrestricted free agency. Tyson Barrie and Adam Larsson are pending UFAs, while Darnell Nurse, Ethan Bear, and Kris Russell are only signed through the 2021-22 season. That would mean Keith is coming aboard with the longest term left on the back end, matching the injured Oscar Klefbom’s remaining two years. If it goes badly, the team is at least in a position to restructure their finances moving forward, though extensions for Larsson and Nurse could complicate those matters.

For Chicago, adding Jones is certainly an interesting factor, given their apparent interest in his brother Seth Jones who is also on the trade market. Even without a trade of that magnitude, moving Keith out will allow more opportunity for their other young defensemen and start the transition to the next wave of talent in the organization. Even at his age, Keith was still given more than 23 minutes a night, ice time that can be spread out among the team’s other options moving forward. Receiving some cap relief and a draft pick will also benefit the Blackhawks moving forward as they try to bridge the gap from their aging championship core to a new contending group.

Edmonton has struggled to find any playoff success during the Connor McDavid years, so bringing in Keith will certainly provide an experienced voice for the Oilers captain to lean on in the postseason. Whether that previous playoff success actually helps Edmonton find some in the future is certainly still to be seen, given Keith’s Blackhawks haven’t made it past the first round since 2015.

Remember, as with any trade in the coming days, there are expansion draft complications. While the Blackhawks will get an extra spot, Keith will now require protection by the Oilers thanks to a no-movement clause that will be carried over. Even with Jones going the other way and Larsson not yet signed, the team will likely now have to leave Klefbom exposed and hope the Kraken are scared off by his injury situation. Nurse and Ethan Bear would be the other two protection spots, unless a Larsson extension comes before the draft.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Oilers Have Made A Contract Offer To Mike Smith

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  • The Oilers have made an offer to pending unrestricted free agent goaltender Mike Smith, reports Kurt Leavins of the Edmonton Journal. The 39-year-old had quite the bounce-back season in 2020-21, posting a .923 SV% and a 2.31 GAA in 32 games (30 starts) which has certainly boosted his stock heading into free agency.  Last fall, he was basically the fallback option but with Edmonton tendering an offer now, it’s clear they value him more this time around.  That should be enough to get him more than the $1.5MM base salary he had this season (plus $500K in bonuses).  Leavins notes that if a deal does get done, it’s likely that it will come after the expansion draft which means that Stuart Skinner would likely be protected in expansion.

No Buyout Notification Yet For James Neal, Oilers Haven't Ruled Out Alex Chiasson Returning

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  • After Edmonton was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, Oilers GM Ken Holland strongly suggested a buyout or two was in the cards for his roster. However, his agent Kent Morris told Postmedia’s Jim Matheson that he hasn’t received a notification from the team yet about veteran winger James Neal heading down that path.  A buyout of the final two years remaining on the contract for the 33-year-old is likely with Neal notching just five goals and five assists in 29 games this season but such a move may not come until after expansion.
  • Morris also spoke about another Oilers client, telling Matheson in that same column that pending UFA winger Alex Chiasson would like to stay and that the team hasn’t yet shut a door on his return. Having said that, it seems likely that they’ll look at their options in free agency before potentially circling back to the 30-year-old who has managed just 20 goals over the last two seasons combined after scoring 22 times in his first season with the team.

Free Agent Focus: Edmonton Oilers

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Free agency is now just under a month away and many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up.  There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in late July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well.  Edmonton has already taken care of their most notable potential unrestricted free agent but they still have some important veterans on expiring contracts.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Kailer Yamamoto – There was some disappointment in the first half of his contract as the 21-year-old couldn’t get established as a regular.  Then same the second half of 2019-20 where he was nearly a point per game player on their second line.  That led to high expectations for this season which weren’t met.  However, he still managed a respectable 21 points in 52 games, playing as a full-time regular for the first time.  Given Yamamoto’s limited NHL experience, a short-term contract is likely and it will be interesting to see what he winds up with.  His half-season showing last season is enough to give him a bit of leverage but his numbers this year will limit his earnings upside.

F Jujhar Khaira – The 26-year-old hasn’t been able to produce much over his career and only managed three goals and eight assists in 40 games this season.  However, he is one of Edmonton’s more effective penalty killers and is a good fit on their fourth line.  A $1.3MM qualifying offer is on the high side, especially since Khaira has arbitration rights.  If they can’t work a deal out by the July 26th deadline, there’s a decent chance that he will be non-tendered.

F Dominik Kahun – A surprising non-tender last summer after Buffalo opted to avoid the risk of an arbitration award that was too high for their liking, Kahun wound up settling for a one-year, $975K contract, a deal that looked like a bargain given the fact he had two straight seasons over 30 points.  However, he didn’t play well for long stretches in Edmonton and could be heading for a similar fate later this month unless they can agree to terms on a similarly-priced deal over the next few weeks.

Other RFAs: F Tyler Benson, D Theodor Lennstrom, F Cooper Marody, G Stuart Skinner, G Dylan Wells

Key Unrestricted Free Agents:

D Tyson Barrie – After a disappointing season in Toronto leading into unrestricted free agency a year ago, Barrie opted for the best fit in the fall over the best contract.  The move turned out to be a wise one as he led all NHL blueliners in points with 48 in 56 games.  In doing so, he should have a stronger market now than he did in the fall and should be able to get a bigger contract.  However, he turns 30 just before reaching the open market and as someone that isn’t known for his play in his own end, Barrie isn’t going to command top dollar like Dougie Hamilton will if he reaches free agency.  Barrie should have a good chance to reach the $5.5MM AAV he had on his previous contract with Colorado and Toronto which would still represent a nice raise on the $3.75MM he made this season and, perhaps more importantly, land a multi-year deal in the process.

D Adam Larsson – At this point, he seems to be the priority to re-sign for Edmonton with recent progress being made on that front.  The 28-year-old is a steady defensive presence and since he doesn’t put up many points, he isn’t going to be able to command a big raise, if he gets one at all.  Something in the high $3MM to low $4MM range seems like a reasonable fit for Larsson which would allow him to get a deal similar to the one he just finished up while still giving the Oilers some cap flexibility to try to add to their roster.

G Mike Smith – After Edmonton wasn’t able to land a longer-term fit between the pipes in the fall, they opted to re-sign Smith in a move that worked out quite well for them in the end.  The 39-year-old posted his highest save percentage (.923) and lowest goals against average (2.31) in a decade and lost only six of his 30 starts in regulation time.  That would seemingly have him in line for a raise on the $1.5MM base salary he made this season but his age will likely limit his suitors, holding his market back accordingly.  The Oilers would be wise to look for a longer-term fit once again but if they can’t find one, circling back to Smith makes sense.  Assuming he signs another one-year deal, he’ll be eligible for performance bonuses again, giving them some extra short-term wiggle room on the cap.

Other UFAs: F Alex Chiasson, F Tyler Ennis, F Joseph Gambardella, D Slater Koekkoek, D Dmitry Kulikov, F Alan Quine, F Patrick Russell

Projected Cap Space

The Oilers have a little over $16MM in cap space at the moment and those amounts could increase if they opt to buy out goalie Mikko Koskinen or winger James Neal.  A new deal for Larsson will cut about a quarter of that room out and a starting goalie will eat into that as well with Smith costing about half of what a longer-term option should.  Yamamoto is the only RFA of significance so there should be some room for GM Ken Holland to work with regardless of what happens between the pipes.  The question becomes whether they should spend it on one impact piece or spread it out to give themselves better depth throughout the roster.  They have a few more weeks to determine which way they want to go.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.  Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.

Oilers Making Progress On A Contract For Adam Larsson

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Earlier this week, Edmonton ticked one big item off their to-do list with the re-signing of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to an eight-year, $42MM contract.  Now, their focus is set on re-upping pending UFA defenseman Adam Larsson and it appears that progress is being made on those discussions.  Larsson’s agent J.P. Barry told Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic (subscription link) that there is an emphasis on the length of the deal but that talks are going well:

We’re making progress on a contract. Sometimes teams like to move quicker than players. He’s just thinking about everything. We’re getting there. There are a few things we can still discuss.

We’d like to get some term. He’s a pretty young free agent defenseman.

Barry is certainly correct in noting that Larsson is fairly young for a blueliner with the type of experience he has.  He is only 28 but already has 10 years under his belt after making the jump to the NHL as an 18-year-old after New Jersey made him the fourth-overall pick back in 2011.

While Larsson has carved out a solid NHL career with over 600 NHL games under his belt, he’s also not the top-pairing defender the Devils hoped he’d be.  However, he has turned into a capable stay-at-home player on the second pairing but this isn’t a great situation to be entering free agency with limited point totals and a flat salary cap.  While Larsson improved on his numbers from a year ago, he still only managed 10 points in 56 regular season games this season.  That will certainly restrict how expensive his next deal will be.

As it turns out, Larsson may actually be facing a small dip in pay after coming off a six-year, $25MM contract.  Deals given to Joel Edmundson and Brenden Dillon last summer both checked in under the $4MM mark and serve as reasonable comparables to Larsson.  Both landed four-year deals as well which makes Barry’s comment about term more notable as it seems unlikely Larsson would settle for something with fewer years than that.

Assuming they’re able to get something done – Nugent-Bowman suggests something could be done as soon as next week – that should all but close the door on Tyson Barrie returning.  A new deal for Larsson would put him, Ethan Bear, and Evan Bouchard on the right side of the depth chart for Edmonton.  At some point, they need to get Bouchard – the tenth-overall pick in 2018 – into the lineup and bringing both Larsson and Barrie back would make that difficult.

While many teams will want to wait to re-sign their pending unrestricted free agents for expansion purposes, Edmonton’s situation is cleaner than most teams.  A re-signed Larsson would likely push Caleb Jones away from being protected but both he and William Lagesson (another projected exposed player) have had limited roles so far in their NHL careers.  Losing one of them to Seattle would still put them in a better situation than a lot of teams.  Accordingly, there’s no reason to delay finalizing a contract and ensuring that Larsson sticks around for the foreseeable future.

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