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Seattle Expansion Draft a Factor in Oilers Summer

By Ben Steinley

GOTHENBURG, SWE - OCTOBER 6: Adam Larsson #6, Oscar Klefbom #77, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins #93, Ty Rattie #8 and Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers stand at attention during the singing of the national anthems prior to a game against the New Jersey Devils at Scandinavium on October 6, 2018 in Gothenburg, Sweden. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images)
GOTHENBURG, SWE - OCTOBER 6: Adam Larsson #6, Oscar Klefbom #77, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins #93, Ty Rattie #8 and Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers stand at attention during the singing of the national anthems prior to a game against the New Jersey Devils at Scandinavium on October 6, 2018 in Gothenburg, Sweden. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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The Edmonton Oilers have a few holes to fill this off season and with little in the form of assets to trade, they will need to look to the FA market.  With the expansion draft set for 2021, there are things GM Ken Holland will need to consider when signing players this summer.

Seattle has to take one player from the Oilers during the expansion draft and the Oilers can only protect seven forwards, three defensemen and one goalie.  Which currently doesn’t add a ton of problems since most of their contracts expire during or before that summer.  Lucic and Koskinen are currently the only players under contract with NMCs that the Oilers will have to protect in the expansion.  Which has to be of consideration for Holland as he tries to ink a new goalie.

Holland and the Oilers are rumored to be after Carolina Hurricanes goalie Petr Mrazek.  Mrazek is just getting off a season where he posted 2.39 GAA and a .914 SVS% while leading the Hurricanes to the Eastern Conference Finals.  He was drafted to Detroit by Ken Holland in 2010 and played 6 seasons for him.  It is obvious that this would be a huge signing for the Oilers but they are not the only team in the market for the 27 year old netminder.

Signing Mrazek would make him the favorite for the starting role in net this season.  Oilers also have stocked their shelves with goaltending prospects like Oliver Rodrigue, Stuart Skinner and Shane Starrett.  The latter may even be ready to play some NHL games as early as this year but the expansion draft may delay his development.

This means there is a strong chance we will see the Oilers eventually buyout Mikko Koskinen’s contract.  It is a viable option this year but I think we will see them try to trade him before this years trade deadline before buying him out.

The Oilers currently have only six forwards with contracts that go into the 2021 season.  They can protect seven forwards and there is a good chance that the Oilers won’t offer much for Seattle to take up front.

The Oilers Defense is another matter all together.  The Oilers currently have only three defenders with contracts that extend into the 2021-2022 season; Oscar Klefbom, Evan Bouchard and Dmitri Samorukov.  Over the next two years it is safe to assume that the Oilers will add to their blue line.  During the expansion draft the Oilers can only protect three defencemen and they will most likely have to leave a key piece exposed.

There are several players that could still be on the Oiler roster when Seattle drafts.

  • Oscar Klefbom is under contract and one that looks to be a bargain cap hit for two years after the expansion.  However this depends on whether he is healthy.  He has only played one full season in his career but if he stays healthy there is no question that he would be one of the players protected.
  • Evan Bouchard is another player the Oilers will most likely be protecting.  It is highly unlikely the 19 year old will play less than 6 games this year or less than 25 in either of the next two years.  If he did he would remain a rookie and not need protection but the Oilers will most likely need their young star as early as this season.
  • Darnell Nurse is arguably the Oilers best defender right now.  The 24 year old will be an RFA next summer and unless he is traded, he will get a large raise and an extension that will require the Oilers to protect him.

There are prospects like Ethan Bear, Caleb Jones, Dmitri Samorukov and several others that do run the risk of being exposed during the draft.  The Oilers will either delay their transition to the NHL or leave some of them as options for Seattle.

The other current roster players will most likely be gone by then.  Adam Larsson is the only one that might be resigned but he has expressed interest in player in Europe after his contract is over.

With the Oilers already having three players they need to protect, this means that any player they add this summer will either be exposed or force one of take a spot from one of the three listed above.  There are scenarios where the Oilers trade one or more of the above defensemen or sign a player with the expectation that he might be taken in the draft.

The Oilers will have to give some thought to who they pick up and hopefully don’t need to offer NMC/NTCs when negotiating new contracts.  There is a very good chance that the Oilers will lose a strong goaltender or defender to Seattle unless they get creative.

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