The Edmonton Oilers have just days until the NHL Expansion Draft, and there is a lot of NHL news on the horizon for this week.
Let’s take a minute to look at all of the happenings, rumors and other headlines surrounding the Oilers this week.
Jerseys
First off, the Oilers will release their Adidas jerseys Tuesday. The new sweaters feature the Adidas logo in place of the Reebok logo on the back collar. In addition, the Oilers have decided to stick with the orange jerseys, but plan to darken the royal blue on this past year’s third jersey to a navy blue.
Edmonton Oilers
There have been sneak previews of the jersey, which features navy blue shoulders and navy blue twill. Besides that, and the change to an Adidas sweater, the Oilers jersey should not be too different from their orange sweaters this past season.
NHL Expansion Draft/Awards
The Vegas Golden Knights will unveil their expansion draft selections Wednesday, followed by the NHL Awards. Edmonton released their protection lists Sunday, which features the likes of Benoit Pouliot, Iiro Pakarinen, Jujhar Khaira and other names. The Oilers used the 7-3-1 plan to protect many of their big-name players, and they are not expected to lose anyone significant.
As for the NHL Awards, the Oilers will be represented well. Connor McDavid won the Art Ross Trophy and is nominated for the Hart and Ted Lindsay. Head coach Todd McLellan is nominated for the Jack Adams, and Peter Chiarelli is up for NHL General Manager of the Year.
Kris Russell
As per TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, the Vegas Golden Knights had a brief, not “serious” discussion with Kris Russell. Russell is a pending UFA and one of many free agents Vegas has reached out to. There are no reports as to how his contract discussions with Edmonton are going, except that he and the team started speaking earlier this month.
Next: Edmonton Oilers Unveil Protection List, Exposed Names
Post-Expansion and Free Agency
After the draft, teams will be free to return to trades, meaning Peter Chiarelli may address one of the many reported offers on the table for Jordan Eberle. Free agency kicks off July 1, and expect the Oilers to make some signings to strengthen the weak areas on the wing and blueline.