We have now had a few days to decompress, unwind, and come back to our collective selves after a second consecutive disappointing Stanley Cup Final loss to the Florida Panthers. And now, it is time to start looking forward to what comes next.
The Edmonton Oilers have a lot of work to do this offseason, beginning with a collection of pending UFA and RFA players that may be receiving new contract offers. We’ve heard rumblings about some, like a jaw-dropping deal in the works for Trent Frederic, but by and large, things are still being kept quite quiet.
Cap space will be an issue as the team proceeds into this offseason with Evan Bouchard needing a new contract. His will likely take up well over $10M in AAV, eating up most of the available space as of right now.
In the postseason media availabilities, a general consensus is that the team will be looking to make changes at forward and in net, with a focus on getting younger and faster. The Oilers were regularly icing the oldest roster in the league last season. With four key veteran forwards needing new contracts, General Manager Stan Bowman may not be inclined to re-sign all of them. Nor should he.
This week, we took to X to ask Oil Country which veteran forward should be prioritized for a new contract with the team.
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Is it really wise to keep the Stanley Cup Final curse?
Corey Perry has now lost in the Stanley Cup Final in five of the last six seasons, with four different teams. Is it really a wise choice to keep him around? Oilers fans think so. Perry was the most popular choice in this week’s poll with 47.9% of fans wanting the team to prioritize his next contract above the others.
All things considered, Perry had a successful season and only got better in the playoffs. He was one of a select two or three players who did not regress during a difficult regular season. His 19 goals tied his singleseason high over the past nine seasons, a total he hit three times. And he only got better in the playoffs with 10 goals and 14 points in 22 games, tying him for fourth in goals scored in these playoffs.
Despite his past baggage, Perry has endeared himself to Oilers fans as a versatile and reliable forward who may not be the player he once was, but is still smart and skilled enough to make an impact. He can slide up and down the lineup as needed, and fills an important role as a net front presence and leader in the locker room. The latter trait was relied on in numerous situations during these recent playoffs.
Perry seems like a solid depth piece that should be retained, and hopefully the Stanley Cup Final curse ends this time.
Brownie points for a better second season in Edmonton
Connor Brown was one of the other select Oilers who did not regress this past season. His 13 goals and 30 points were a significant step up from the difficulties he faced in year one with Edmonton. And with another five goals and nine points in the playoffs, despite playing with a broken toe later in the run, he has become an important part of the team’s depth.
So much so, that 31.3% of fans feel he should be the one whose next contract is prioritized by the team, good enough for second in this week’s poll.
Brown’s role in the lineup is often found on the third line. But in his hot stretches, he usually finds himself alongside Connor McDavid. He is also one of the most utilized penalty killers, with the third most shorthanded ice time amongst Oilers forwards in the regular season. However, the importance of that could be debatable with how the team’s penalty kill struggled for most of the season.
Regardless, the team likes Brown, the fans like Brown, and it seems likely he will return for another season.
Kap’N Clutch
What seemed like a throwaway waiver wire pickup paid immediate dividends as Kasperi Kapanen had a strong introduction to the Oilers’ lineup. A productive start offensively and a showcase of his grit and speed had the winger even playing on the top line at times. Although he found himself in and out of the lineup at times later in the season and in the playoffs, he was already ready to be dropped into the lineup whenever required. And he usually made an impact, like scoring the series winning overtime goal against the Vegas Golden Knights.
This versatility and work ethic are a couple of the reasons why 18.1% of Oilers fans think Kapanen should be the forward on the list prioritized for a new contract. Although he finished third, he still garnered a respectable amount of votes in this week’s poll.
If the team is looking to get younger and faster, Kapanen is an option to help with that as the 28-year-old winger was immediately one of the fastest players on the team. But from a roster construction standpoint, he may not be a long-term fit as his skillset overlaps with other players in the lineup.
Not quite a fit for Jeff Skinner
There was some hope that Jeff Skinner would be able to find his game with the Edmonton Oilers after being bought out by the Buffalo Sabres. A chance to play with some of the best offensive players in the league might spark his game and let him truly shine. And although he finally got his first career playoff games out of the way, the season was a failure for both player and team.
For that reason, Skinner was the least chosen option in this week’s poll with just 2.8% of the vote sent his way.
Skinner underperformed, was regularly benched, given minimal ice time, was not a great fit in the lineup, and found himself a healthy scratch at times. Although he still ended up with 16 goals and 29 points, and his underlying performance numbers indicate he may have been underutilized or misutilized in the lineup, there was rarely anything more suggesting he should have a regular place alongside Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl.
Which of these four veteran forwards would you prioritize? Drop a comment down below!
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