Three Edmonton Oilers That Won’t Be Back Next Season

Zack Kassian

Zach Kassian is another bottom 6 forward that doesn’t kill penalties. The difference between him and Warren Foegele is Kassian can moonlight in the top 6. He also brings a bit more physical energy lineup.

He may add an extra level of physical play, but his cap hit is much higher than the other players in the bottom six. This makes him the most likely of the bottom 6 players to be traded away.

His $3.2 million cap hit could be reapplied by a younger player who makes closer to league minimum. The difference in this should be enough to re-sign a player like Ryan McLeod. If I had to choose between Kassian and McLeod I am taking McLeod every time.

Only Time Will Tell

They said last offseason was the most important offseason for the Edmonton Oilers, but to me this one is just as important. This team needs to get better again, there can be no back step like there was after the 2017 playoff run.

There will be some big choices and some important players that will either need to be re-signed or replaced. There is room for growth internally for sure, but this team will need to add in some positions to improve this team.

This all will require cap space to be made available to maximize this roster. Trading away these three players would open up lots of cap space.