Oil On Whyte
Fansided

Edmonton Oilers: 7 Affordable Free Agents That Would Help The Team

By Pelle

BROOKLYN, NY - NOVEMBER 05: New York Islanders Right Wing Jason Chimera (25) during player warm-ups prior to the start of a regular season NHL game between the Edmonton Oilers and the New York Islanders on November 05, 2016, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. (Photo by David Hahn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
BROOKLYN, NY - NOVEMBER 05: New York Islanders Right Wing Jason Chimera (25) during player warm-ups prior to the start of a regular season NHL game between the Edmonton Oilers and the New York Islanders on November 05, 2016, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. (Photo by David Hahn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
Edmonton Oilers
DETROIT, MI – FEBRUARY 06: Austin Czarnik #27 of the Boston Bruins skates in warm-ups prior to an NHL game against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on February 6, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. The Bruins defeated the Wings 3-2. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images) /

The Wingers

Jason Chimera (LW/RW) – 39 years old

Last season, the ex-Oiler made $2.25M splitting the season between the Islanders and the Ducks. In total, he scored three goals and ten assists.

I think I’ve talked about him before but he’d be Matt Hendricks but fast. A player that could help out on the PK and be a useful bottom-6 forward who uses his forechecking ability and his size to root out pucks.

It’s possible that the game has passed him by though. His stats declined massively from the previous season where he had 20 goals and 13 assists.

Possible cost: 700k-900k on a one year deal.

Austin Czarnik (RW) – 25 years old

This is a player that has been on Edmonton’s radar for the entire year. He’s not a big player mind you as he stands under 5’10” but he’s very quick and at the AHL level has shown the ability to a very productive player. His salary last year was 675k.

Last season Czarnik scored 69pts in 64 games for the Providence Bruins, and in 10 appearances for Boston, he managed four assists.

What I like about him is that he’s right-handed and he’s ready to be a full-time NHL player. Someone who could float throughout the lineup and offer that jolt of energy to whatever line he’s on.

Possible cost: $1.5M – 2M over two seasons

Daniel Carr (LW) – 26 years old

Montreal is going to regret letting this guy go. The times that I saw Carr playing, I thought he was very effective. Not quite as small as Czarnik, the Sherwood Park native is just under average height at 6’0″ and 185lbs. His salary was a paltry $725k for the last two seasons.

Carr spent time in both the AHL and the NHL last year where he was near a point-per-game player for Laval (20gp-19pts) and near half-a-point-per-game in the NHL (38gp-16pts).

What draws me to Daniel Carr is his work ethic. He knows he’s the kind of player that can’t rest on the skill he has alone and works his butt off to create chances for himself or his linemates and I feel like the Oilers could use more of these kinds of players.

Possible cost: $1.75 – 2.5M over two years

Home/Free Agency