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)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/511ad65fc8ecd88abfe25810e8bfff3fe56c206b1b30d580c34bb28e46b6563a.jpg)
Honorable Mentions and Conclusion
Honorable Mentions: Anthony Duclair, Scottie Upshall, Matthew Peca, Daniel Winnik, and Dylan DeMelo.
Now to complete this exercise we need to pick four of those players above without going over $3.5M this year. I’d take these four:
- Jason Chimera at 800k per year
- Ryan Sproul at 750k per year
- Daniel Carr at 875k per year
- Kyle Brodziak at 950k per year
I like adding the vets (Chimera/Brodziak) because I want my young kids to outplay them for a spot on the roster and I want them around the locker room because I feel that the younger players could glean certain things from them and their experiences as young players starting out in Edmonton many years ago.
I take the right-handed PP defenseman in Sproul as insurance in case Evan Bouchard isn’t ready to go this year and because the Oilers still need a PP threat from the blue line.
And I take Daniel Carr because I like his energy and attitude. I think he’s got something to prove to the Montreal Canadiens for quitting on him and he’ll perform extra dutifully.
THE FINAL ROSTER
Nuge-McDavid-Rattie
Lucic-Draisaitl-Puljujarvi
Khaira-Strome-Kassian
Carr-Brodziak-Caggiula
Scratch: Aberg, Chimera
Nurse-Larsson
Klefbom-Sekera
Russell-Benning
Scratch: Sproul
So as impossible as it might look right now, the Edmonton Oilers CAN fill out the rest of the roster with $3.5M in cap room. The blanks might only be filled in with foot soldiers instead of knights.
Next: Is Chiarelli the Big Winner of the Draft?
What do you think? Did I forget anything? Let me know in the comments below.