The Oilers season has basically concluded, and it is time to look at the contracts expiring for the team this season. The Oilers have a boatload of money coming off the books this next offseason, and they could allocate to use it for bigger moves. Here, I’ll go through each position and explain whether the Oilers will re-sign them or not. The Oilers have $25 million this upcoming offseason. (via Capfriendly). All charts are property of Evolving Hockey!! A great analytical chart that only requires you to pay 5 bucks a month!! I’d highly recommend you use it!
Forwards:
Ryan Nugent Hopkins (UFA): One of the most underrated players in the league potentially, the 2011 1st overall pick has had a couple of really good seasons in the past few years. In 2018/19, he notched up 69 points and the year after that, on the DRY line, the Nuge collected 61 points. This season was a bit underwhelming, as RNH had 35 points in 51 games. However, his shooting luck and average has not been on par with his career so far. It’s been reported contract negotiations have been slow but there is mutual interest on both sides that they want to get this done. As a fan favourite in the city, and as one of the better defensive players on the team, along with his capability to play both Left Wing/Centre, the Oilers should sign Ryan Nugent Hopkins to a 5 year deal around 6 million per season.
Alex Chiasson (UFA): Alex Chiasson joined the Oilers on a PTO after his cup run with the Capitals in 2018. Chiasson had a magnificent season where he put up a career high 22 goals. That offseason, he re-signed with the team on a 2 year term worth 2.15M AAV. Ever since, he’s been on a decline and hasn’t played in the top 6 since. His PP numbers are still good but one has to wonder when it’s time for Jesse Pulujarvi to get the net front presence role full time. The Oilers also have a lot of young kids from Bakersfield to come up like Tyler Benson, as well as Dylan Holloway from Wisconsin. As well, Kirill Maksimov and Raphel Lavoie who project to be NHL snipers with better speed and skill than Chiasson. With the amount of surging depth, the Oilers should part ways with Alex Chiasson.
Khaira (RFA): Khaira has been a tricky player to judge so far. He’s great on the PK but 5 on 5 he’s not great defensively. He can also go on heaters and then go stone cold. For the Oilers, they have a PK 4C in Gaetan Haas. They also called up Ryan McLeod from the AHL who has a better game overall than Khaira. His Qualifying Offer would be above 1.2M and that would be too rich for a 4th line forward. The Oilers most likely will let Khaira go and allow Ryan McLeod to come up.
Tyler Ennis (UFA): When healthy, Ennis can be a great middle 6 winger with speed and scoring capabilities. He seems to thrive wherever he is in the lineup and usually costs cheap. He’s done a great job so far for Edmonton when it comes to depth scoring. However, he’s been a victim due to Tippett’s line combinations. But, he is said to bring a great locker room presence and as a native as well, Ennis should re-sign in Edmonton for 800K.
Dominik Kahun (RFA): Kahun was a staple on the 2nd line with Draisaitl and Yamamoto until he was put with McDavid (which he should have since the start of the season), Kahun started off slow but has recently trended upwards with the Oilers. A friend of Leon’s in Germany, Kahun is a quick playmaking forward who is decent in his own zone. He won’t break the bank and has the potential to be a 40 point scorer in the league. He re-ups with the club for 2 years at 1.5M.
Kailer Yamamoto: Not the best season for Kailer, after he got 26 points in 27 games last season due to the DRY line. However, he’s been a crucial part of their PK and is still putting respectable numbers in 52 games. With his slower start, the Oilers could get him on a cheaper deal than expected for 2-3 years. Kailer should stay with them for 3 years for around 2.25 million.
Depth Guys: (Haas/Nygard/Russell UFA) (Shore RFA): I’ll be quick with this, it’s likely that only 2 of these guys return due to the logjam of forwards. It’s safe to say Devin Shore won’t be back. Nygard has gotten into 8 games. It’s likely he heads back to Sweden after this season is up. Gaetan Haas has been an amazing 4C for the club. His defensive metrics are the best on the team and he PKs. His offensive upside, although limited, is improving. Same can be said for Patrick Russell, who works his butt off. Both could stick for the club for a year at 900k.
Defence/Goalies:
Adam Larsson (UFA): Acquired in a trade for Taylor Hall back on June 29, 2016, Larsson has led the Oilers in hits and blocks over the past 4 years, as well in the NHL in the same timeframe. This season has been a resurgence for Larsson. He looks like his 2016/17 self. The thing is he has a history with back injuries. When healthy, he’s a solid Defensive Dman. Contract talks have heated up as of late as well. The talk is that Larsson will stick with the team for 3-4 years around 3.5M.
Tyson Barrie: Barrie is already confirmed to test the market as per Frank Seravalli on Insider Trading. However, we knew this would be a one year marriage, as previously stated, the Oilers have Ethan Bear and Evan Bouchard, both great offensive dman who are better in their own zone than Barrie, up full time next year. Barrie will get overpaid in Free Agency by another team.
Slater Koekkoek: He missed so many games this season with a collarbone injury and was placed on LTIR until today. He's a great third pair guy but the Oilers have this in Jones (who can play right side). He should be able to find a home somewhere else as a solid 3rd pair or #7 guy for a contender. Koekkoek leaves the team and the Oilers replace him with Dmitry Kulikov for a year around 1 million.
Mike Smith (depends): After the play ins, we expected the Oilers to go after a goalie. Markstrom was their target and it didn’t work out as he went down the highway to Calgary. The Oilers, questionable to some, including myself, re-signed Mike Smith. He ended up getting injured before the season started leaving Mikko Koskinen getting burnt to the ground. However, since returning, Smith has been fantastic. Going 21-6-2, including three shutouts and collecting a 0.923 SV% and a 2.31GAA. Those numbers have shocked Oiler and many fans alike and honestly it’s great to see Smith prove the doubters wrong so far to get Edmonton into the top 2 of the Canadian division. However, Smith is at the age of 39 at the end of March, and even if he keeps this up, the Oilers should stay far away from him considering his age, injury history and inconsistent play. Mike Smith leaves in FA and probably signs a one year deal to win a cup somewhere else.
Thank you all for reading my first article!! Hopefully, there’s many more to come!