Should The Oilers Move On From Devin Shore?

The Edmonton Oilers re-signed Devin Shore to a two year contract extension that started during the 2021-22 season. Following the conclusion of the 2022-23 season, the Oilers will have to make a decision with him, whether they decide to re-sign him or not. After being brought in as a depth piece that could play anywhere in the bottom six forward rotation, Shore has found himself in and out of the lineup this year, and only has three points in 29 games.

Now although you don’t really expect much offensive production from a guy you bring in solely to be a depth piece, at minimum you expect him to stay equal with his totals from the season prior, which Shore has not done. Last season, Shore hit his career high as an Oiler with five goals and six assists for 11 points through 49 games, and actually looked really strong on then fourth line. He was a physical presence, he blocked shots and some would even argue he was our best depth player for parts of last season.

Unfortunately, Shore has found himself as the 14th forward this season. His lack of offensive production doesn’t mean much with other guys surrounding him that can score like Klim Kostin, Mattias Janmark and Derek Ryan. But, his play away from the puck hasn’t been great at all. He hasn’t stepped up his physicality, he hasn’t been great in his own zone and he looks like he has simply lost his confidence, which is really unfortunate because I was a really big supporter of Devin Shore when the Oilers first scooped him up in the 2020-21 season.

I still think Devin Shore can earn a contract away from the Oilers. There will be plenty of teams looking for a guy that can play depth minutes on a cheap contract. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up taking a two-way deal because of how much he has stepped back, teams may be hesitant to give him a one-way. Teams like the Chicago Blackhawks, Arizona Coyotes or even Florida Panthers could be good fits for Shore, and he’d likely be able to work himself into their third line.