Former Edmonton Oilers who are still on the free agent market

It’s always fun to keep tabs on former members of the Edmonton Oilers. Everyone is someone’s favourite player, right?

As we hit the latter stages of a very short but insanely eventful offseason for Oilers fans, there are a handful of former Oilers that are still unsigned and available on the free agent market.

Let’s take a look at who they are.

Justin Schultz

Once touted as a future stalwart offensive defender and power play quarterback, Justin Schultz did not quite work out as planned in Edmonton.

Unfortunately, he became a scapegoat for larger problems on some bad teams and had a concerning amount of vitriol directed at him by the end of his tenure with the Oilers.

Schultz was originally drafted in 2008 by the Anaheim Ducks, but chose the college route and eventually signed as a free agent with the Oilers in 2012.

He then spent four seasons with the team from 2012–13 until the trade deadline in the 2015–16 season.

Schultz started off strong, with 27 points in 48 games in his rookie season, averaging over 20 minutes of ice time per game while seeing time on the powerplay. But he quickly stagnated and ultimately regressed. By 2015–16 he had just 10 points in 45 games before being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Since then, Schultz has spent parts of five seasons with Pittsburgh, where he had a career high 51 points in his first full season with the Penguins. After Pittsburgh, he spent two seasons with the Washington Capitals and two seasons with the Seattle Kraken.

Kailer Yamamoto

Kailer Yamamoto was a favourite of many during his time with the Oilers. He brought a feisty energy to the team with his spark plug playstyle, aggressive forecheck, and surprisingly strong net front presence.

Yamamoto was drafted in the first round, 22nd overall, in the 2017 NHL Draft. He played his junior days with the Spokane Chiefs, where he had a junior career high 99 points in 65 games in his draft year.

Despite being a late first-round pick, Yamamoto made his NHL debut the following season where he had three assists in nine games before returning to the WHL.

After splitting time between the NHL and Bakersfield Condors of the AHL the next couple seasons Yamamoto became a full-time NHLer in 2019–20 when he had 26 points in 27 games.

Yamamoto had struggled with injuries the next few seasons at times but did have a career high 41 points in 81 games in 2021–22.

After being traded and bought out following the 2022–23 season, Yamamoto signed with the Seattle Kraken for one year and now remains unsigned.

Tyson Barrie

Tyson Barrie may now be best known for being a part of the trade that brought in Mattias Ekholm, but he was a dynamic and talented defender that helped propel the Oilers’ power play to the top of the league.

Barrie was originally drafted by the Colorado Avalanche back in the third round in 2009. This is where he made his NHL debut in 2011–12. He spent three seasons splitting time between the AHL and NHL before becoming a permanent fixture.

After five more seasons with Colorado, the last of which he had a career high 59 points, he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Barrie only spent one season in Toronto, marred in controversy over inconsistent play and defensive deficiencies, before signing with the Oilers for the 2020–21 season.

He had what would have been his best season yet in 2020–21, with 48 points in 56 games to lead all NHL defenders. This earned him a three year extension to remain in Edmonton.

Barrie would provide much of the same the next two seasons, putting up 40+ points despite some major concerns over his defensive play. Ultimately, he was played out of the lineup and became expendable, leading to his trade to Nashville in the package for Ekholm.

Barrie never found his place with the Predators, ending up stuck behind Roman Josi in power play time but not quite good enough for much more than a third pairing role. He found himself scratched regularly and ultimately left unsigned this offseason.

Sam Gagner

One of the most beloved Oilers of the past couple decades is Sam Gagner. No matter what, he always seems to find his way back to Edmonton.

Gagner was originally the sixth overall pick in the 2007 NHL Draft, and was expected to be a leader of a new era of Oilers success being ushered in around 2010.

Unfortunately, that did not quite happen as planned.

Gagner made the NHL immediately following his draft year and had an impact as a rookie. His 49 points in 79 games was third on the team and got him some Calder Trophy votes, where he finished seventh in voting for rookie of the year.

He spent the first seven seasons of his career in Edmonton, though his most productive offensive season was his rookie season.

After the 2012–13 season, Gagner was traded (briefly) to the Tampa Bay Lightning and then to the Arizona Coyotes, where he spent the next year.

Gagner bounced around for a few seasons as he spent one as a member of the Coyotes, one for the Philadelphia Flyers, one with the Columbus Blue Jackets (where he set a career high with 50 points), followed by parts of two seasons in the Vancouver Canucks organization.

During the 2018–19 season, Gagner was re-acquired by the Oilers in exchange for Ryan Spooner.

Gagner would spend just over one calendar year on his second stint with the Oilers before being traded to the Detroit Red Wings, where he would spend the next two years.

After leaving Detroit as an unrestricted free agent, he signed for one season with the Winnipeg Jets. During the 2022–23 campaign, Gagner played his 1000th NHL game.

Once again a free agent, the hype over the summer slowly built up for a Gagner return to the Oilers. Although he was recovering from surgery, Gagner was spotted in Edmonton and had implied interest in a return in social media posts.

Sure enough, by the end of summer, Gagner was brought back on a PTO and soon after, he received a contract. Gagner had 10 points in 28 games, this time taking on more of a locker room role than an on ice role.

As of yet, Gagner is a free agent and could still be brought back to Edmonton once again.

Tyler Pitlick

Although Tyler Pitlick did not spend a long time with the Oilers organization, he has carved out a decent, albeit well-travelled, career for himself.

Pitlick was originally drafted 31st overall by the Oilers in 2010, signing with the team a year later.

He spent his first post-draft season in the WHL before joining the Oklahoma City Barons, the then-AHL affiliate of the Oilers, for the 2011–12 season.

Pitlick played most of the next five seasons in the AHL, eventually going to Bakersfield when the affiliate moved, but he did play 27 games with the Oilers over those years.

His only “full” season with the Oilers was 2016–17, though he only played 31 games. That was the end of his time in Edmonton as he became an unrestricted free agent after that season.

Since then Pitlick has jumped around and played with plenty of teams. He signed with the Dallas Stars after leaving Edmonton, where he played two seasons and had a career high 27 points in 2017–18.

After Dallas, Pitlick has spent (at most) one season with the Philadelphia Flyers, Arizona Coyotes, Calgary Flames, Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers, and the Hartford Wold Pack (Rangers AHL affiliate).

Adam Erne

Adam Erne‘s time with the Oilers was less than memorable, to say the least.

The left winger was originally a second-round draft pick of the Lightning back in 2013. Although he would not make his NHL debut for a few years after that, he did notably get suspended for three preseason games in September 2013.

Between that and his NHL debut, Erne bounced back and forth between the QMJHL and AHL. He finally debuted with the Lightning in 2017, where he then spent the next two and a half seasons. His season high in points was 20, which he hit in his final season in Tampa Bay.

Erne was then traded to the Detroit Red Wings. In his four seasons there, he set a career high with 11 goals in a single season and matched his previous high of 20 points in 2020–21.

Left unsigned by the Red Wings after the 2022–23 season, Erne signed a PTO with the Oilers prior to 2023–24, and a one-year contract shortly after. He played just 24 games with the Oilers, scoring one goal and a total of two points.

Erne is, as of yet, still unsigned.

Would you bring any of these players back for the upcoming season? Drop a comment down below!