Edmonton Oilers Re-Sign Jujhar Khaira Prior to Expansion

Just a day before final protection lists are due, the Edmonton Oilers re-signed forward Jujhar Khaira to a two-year extension.

The deal is a one-way contract at $650-700K. At just 22 years old, Khaira has proven his ability to make it to the NHL level. Though he only made it as far as the fourth line this past season, Khaira adding offensive push and size to the bottom-six. Having him return to the Oilers is a good sign, but the timing is odd.

Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton is in the process of finalizing their expansion list. On Saturday, each NHL club will submit their final protection lists, and there will be a roster freeze up until the expansion draft. So, with Khaira being signed now, what does this mean?

First off, it could simply mean that Edmonton has faith that Khaira will make the NHL cut next season and that they want to keep him in the system. This may mean that the Oilers plan to protect Khaira and wanted to secure him to a deal and then plan to expose someone like Mark Letestu. While losing Letestu would hurt, perhaps the Oilers plan to replace him in free agency or a potential trade.

Another possibility is that Edmonton already has something worked out with Vegas and that the Golden Knights plan to take him instead of another piece that they are leaving exposed. With that being said, they could be securing Khaira to a deal so that Vegas can have him without risking losing him.

The least likely option is that the Oilers have a deal in place that would involve Khaira heading out, and they wanted him to have a contract before shipping him out. This would indicate a deal on the horizon. However, again, this doesn’t seem too likely.

Next: Eberle Gone Before Saturday?

One thing is certain: the signing should be a good one for Edmonton; it’s a cheap, quality signing for the team.