Edmonton Oilers: Five Upcoming Free Agents The Team Should Target
The Edmonton Oilers are going to need to elevate their team if they are going to take the next step and go on a playoff run.
Making sure the team brings back some fan favorites is important, but so is adding some new talent from other teams. The Edmonton Oilers were not a deep enough lineup this year, and they need to make sure they do not fall into a similar place again moving forward.
Every season with Connor McDavid needs to be all in, and that includes the free agency period. So today, let’s look at a handful of free agents that would be a nice addition to this team.
1. Phillip Danault
Number one on the list is Montreal Canadiens centermen Phillip Danault. Danault has been with the Canadiens since the 2016-17 season. With the team, he has put up 54 goals and 140 assists over the course of six seasons. The 28-year-old is a beast in the faceoff dot and would be a great addition to this team.
Danault is due for a little bit of a pay raise from his 3.08 million dollar deal. Considering this team needs some depth down the middle and throughout the bottom six in general, Danault would be a great addition to the team.
2. Brandon Saad
Brandon Saad is having himself a year with the Colorado Avalanche. The two-time Stanley Cup Champion put up 24 points during the regular season and has a slew of goals throughout the first two rounds of the playoffs thus far.
Saad has the experience, something Edmonton does not have a lot of, and he is someone that plays two ways and is as strong away from the puck as he is with it. It came down to signing a player like RNH or Saad I think this would honestly be a tougher decision than I am willing to admit.
Saad can score goals and be a great defensive star. He is the full package that can kill penalties and play critical minutes on the man advantage.
3. Mattias Janmark
Janmark is another player having a great playoff run with his team, the Vegas Golden Knights. Janmark scored a hattrick in game seven to help push his team over the Minnesota Wild and he shows just how important a little depth scoring can be at the right moment.
Should the Oilers consider adding Janmark they need to make sure they do not overpay for him considering he is just a third-line forward. Yes, he is someone the team needs, but giving him more than three million would be a mistake.
4. Brock McGinn
Brock McGinn’s stock is only going up. Through six playoff games, he has three goals and an assist with the Carolina Hurricanes. At just 27 years old, the left-winger has a lot of great. hockey ahead of him.
McGinn would be a solid option to add to the team’s forward group. They should be able to sign him on a relatively cheap deal at around just three million or so, as he is currently making 2.1 with the Hurricanes.
With the Oilers, he could get a quality chance in the top six and in the top nine most nights and should be able to be a successful piece in the puzzle that is this team.
5. David Kampf
Ok, maybe there are a couple of too many former Blackhawks on this list, but I do think all of these guys can help the Oilers moving forward. Kampf is no different. The longtime fourth-line center for the Blackhawks would give Edmonton a great centerman who can win the team possession almost every time he is on the ice.
He should be a relatively cheap signing for the team and he would factor into the team’s bottom-six as a winger or a center depending on who else is brought into the fold. Everyone on this list is a forward, but Kampf is the only real defensive forward on the list.
If you cannot tell, the forward position is something this team needs to emphasize. Personally, I think the off-season would be a huge success if the Oilers bring in any one of these guys, what do you hope the team does during the next couple of months?