The Edmonton Oilers trading Evander Kane just feels like the first move in a bunch of them. There’s a vibe that a lot will happen this week, both to make the Oilers cap-compliant with Evan Bouchard and Leon Draisaitl raises kicking in next season, and to give the team a potentially Cup-winning boost. No matter what happens, the Oilers almost certainly won’t stay quiet this offseason.
Kane may already be gone, but there’s still several question marks to cover on the Oilers, mostly at forward. Let’s get into them all.
The forwards who could be following Kane out the door
More than likely, Kane is just simply the first domino to fall in a bevy of offseason moves to round out the Oilers’ forward depth. For starters, there’s multiple forwards who are an unrestricted free agent. Here’s the full list:
- Corey Perry
- Connor Brown
- Jeff Skinner
- Kasperi Kapanen
Fortunately nothing major, although with the amazing season Perry just had, the Oilers need to do everything they can to re-sign him. Kapanen has looked really solid playing alongside Leon Draisaitl and Vasily Podkolzin, which could warrant a one-year deal to see if he can keep up the chemistry. Jeff Skinner and Connor Brown are the more uncertain pieces, as they’ve gone from the highs of being excellent McDavid linemates, to the lows of being relegated to the bottom-six (or in Skinner’s case, the press box).
The trade wire could also still be active, on top of losing some of those players. Viktor Arvidsson and the Oilers sound destined for a split, not just due to cap reasons but due to the player’s unhappiness with being scratched in the playoffs. There might be another forward who winds up being traded as well, but Arvidsson is easily the most likely to exit stage right.
What the forward group will look like in October
As things currently stand, PuckPedia does list the Oilers as having 12 forwards, six defencemen (excluding Bouchard) and two goaltenders under contract for 2025–26. Matthew Savoie is included in this, as he’s very likely getting an extended NHL look next season. Focusing solely on the signed forwards, the group would look something like this:
| LEFT WING | CENTRE | RIGHT WING |
| RNH | McDavid | Hyman |
| Podkolzin | Draisaitl | Savoie |
| Frederic | Henrique | Arvidsson |
| Tomasek | Janmark | Jones |
In theory, the Oilers can bring back all four UFA forwards, especially if Arvidsson is shipped off to another franchise. However, it’s more likely Edmonton targets a big name in free agency if that happens, so let’s say three get signed. Perry, Kapanen, and then Brown, who holds tiebreaker over Skinner with his ability to kill penalties, and be moved throughout the lineup easier. Without including the potential FA signing, the forward corps now looks like this:
| LEFT WING | CENTRE | RIGHT WING |
| RNH | McDavid | Hyman |
| Podkolzin | Draisaitl | Kapanen |
| Perry | Henrique | Savoie |
| Frederic | Janmark | Brown |
Defence and goaltending with likely very few changes
The one notable name on defence without a contract for next year is Bouchard. As an RFA, however, he will almost certainly be re-signed by the Oilers front office. The question will be how quickly it can be done, and if the Oilers can avoid another team offer-sheeting them.
John Klingberg is an unrestricted free agent who isn’t a guarantee to return. He looked very capable and had stretches of strong play in the playoffs, but struggled mightily in the Stanley Cup Final. Some people would have him above Troy Stecher on the depth chart. However, given Stecher is signed for next season and has been seen as sort of a “Darnell Nurse Whisperer,” he may win out over Klingberg in this scenario. Stecher and Nurse, along with Mattias Ekholm, Jake Walman, Brett Kulak, and Ty Emberson are all signed for next season, so it’s unlikely we see any other changes this offseason.
| Mattias Ekholm | Evan Bouchard |
| Darnell Nurse | Troy Stecher |
| Jake Walman | Brett Kulak |
| Josh Brown | Ty Emberson |
Goaltending is currently a bit of a quandary. For the amount of cap space they take up, Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard have done very solid work in getting the Oilers to consecutive Stanley Cup Finals. The problem, though has been finishing the job and winning it all. With John Gibson off the trade board now thanks to the Detroit Red Wings, the Oilers don’t have as clear of a path to upgrading the position as they did before. Additionally, GM Stan Bowman has been clear that there will only be moves made if they improve the goaltending, nothing lateral.
A more likely avenue is starting to emerge, separate from Skinner and Pickard themselves, which is a potential change of goalie coach. Dustin Schwartz currently holds the title, but there’s rumours he may either be let go, or moved into a front-office role to “oversee” goaltending instead of working directly with the goaltenders.
Minor-league talents who are free agents
There are six non-NHL forwards for the Oilers organization who are free agents, three UFA and three RFA:
- Derek Ryan (UFA)
- Lane Pederson (UFA)
- Drake Caggiula (UFA)
- Noah Philp (RFA)
- Jacob Perreault (RFA)
- Cameron Wright (RFA)
Every indication is that Derek Ryan will be retiring, and as such, not on the roster next season. Caggiula saw a handful of NHL games in his second stint with the team, and could well be extended for another year. Not much has been heard from Pederson this past season. As for RFA’s, Philp and Perreault are good bets to return, while Cameron Wright is a little more uncertain.
On defence:
- Travis Dermott (UFA)
- Connor Carrick (UFA)
- Phil Kemp (Group six UFA)
- Ronald Attard (Group six UFA)
Dermott may well be brought back, especially if Josh Brown continues to struggle like we most recently saw with him. Dermott does have playoff experience, and would be a better option in case of injury as the seventh defenceman for the NHL club. Retaining the other three UFA’s is far from guaranteed.
In goal, Collin Delia is a UFA, and despite dressing as the backup for some playoff games, isn’t a sure bet to be brought back. Olivier Rodrigue, currently an arbitration-eligible RFA, will likely be the Bakersfield Condors starting goalie again once he gets a new contract.
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
