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Edmonton Oilers Rumor Mill

By Tanner Truswell

May 27, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Colorado Avalanche goaltender Darcy Kuemper (35) makes a save against the St. Louis Blues during the second period in game six of the second round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
May 27, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Colorado Avalanche goaltender Darcy Kuemper (35) makes a save against the St. Louis Blues during the second period in game six of the second round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /
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As the Edmonton Oilers exceptional playoff run this season comes to an abrupt end at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Finals, it’s time to look ahead to the offseason and keeping this team competitive. As of now there is mostly just rumours circulating around the league so here are all the players the Edmonton Oilers have been rumoured to be in on:

Carson Soucy

The 27 year-old Viking, Alberta Native played 64 games this year with the expansion Seattle Kraken, scoring 10 goals and adding 11 assists with a +7 rating. The 6’5″ left shot defensemen has been connected to the Oilers for most of the 2021-22 campaign but a trade never came to fruition. With the likely rumour of the Oilers losing Brett Kulak, Soucy provides a solid replacement on the teams left-side defence. Soucy is going into his 3rd year of a 3 year, $2.75 million contract he signed back in 2020.

Sam Gagner

A player who had his best seasons in an Edmonton Oilers Jersey, there is rumoured to be the possibility of another return to Oil country. The now 32 year-old posted a very respectable 31 points in 81 games with the Red Wings this season. With the Oilers looking to solidify their bottom 6 forward group, the right-shooting Gagner would be a big help in solidifying the 3rd and 4th lines. Gagner is currently a UFA coming off a 1 year, $850,000 deal with Detroit.

Dominik Simon

The 27 year-old Simon is another player the Oilers have been connected to in the hunt to solidify the bottom 6. The Prague Native notched 13 points in 72 games this season split between Pittsburgh and Anaheim, where he was sent in the package that brought Pittsburgh Rickard Rakell. The 5’11” left shot UFA can play all 3 forward positions and could bring some versatility to the bottom 6 of Edmonton.

Ville Husso

Another name that has been linked to the Edmonton Oilers throughout the season has been 27 year-old Ville Husso. Husso’s .916 save percentage in his 40 appearances this season has gained him some strong interest around the NHL, including catching the eye of Oilers GM Ken Holland.

With his 60.5% quality start percentage and 15 goals saved above average, the Helsinki native has earned the title as the most sought after free agent goalie this summer. After a slightly disappointing playoff performance I can still see the 6’3″ goaltender being a solid pickup in free agency.

Darcy Kuemper

Another star goaltender that has been connected to the Edmonton Oilers since his Arizona days, Darcy Kuemper, who’s .921 save percentage this season has propelled his Avalanche to the Stanley Cup Finals. The pending UFA goaltender has had a phenomenal season backstopping the powerhouse Avalanche, with a 25.1 goals saved above average and notching 5 shutouts. some concern has arose recently regarding the injury which took him out of the Western Conference Finals against the Oilers, however he is still one of the bigger names in the goaltending free agent market

Alex Nedeljkovic

The third and final goalie the Edmonton Oilers are strongly connected to is Alex Nedeljkovic. The 2022-21 Calder Trophy finalist finished this season with a .901 save percentage in 59 appearances for Detroit this season. With 4 Shutouts this season Nedeljkovic has proven he can have success at the NHL level and with 1 year left on his $3 million contract that he signed in 2021, I can see the Oilers making a push at the young and affordable goaltender.

Edmonton Oilers Jerseys

Although not a rumour that can impact the teams success, the Oilers are rumoured to be shuffling up their jersey lineup for next year. Back In March Oilers Reporter Tom Gazzola brought up that the Oilers would be changing up their look for the 2022-23 season, seeing the return of the historic Royal blue home and away jerseys the team last wore in 2017.

The dark blue alternate jersey which was worn throughout the playoffs is reportedly staying as an alternate jersey for next year to go alongside the royal blues. To top this all off, the NHL’s “Reverse Retro” program is likely making a return and it is rumoured the Oilers will be basing that jersey off their “Todd Macfarlane” alternate jersey which last appeared in 2007.

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