The Edmonton Oilers entered this offseason looking to retool their roster in hopes of finding the missing pieces to finally get over the proverbial hump.
In a way, the Oilers’ offseason has been a question of addition by subtraction. For instance, the departures of Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner opened up cap space for other pieces. Dispatching Evander Kane to Vancouver was another savvy cap-clearing move.
However, much of that cap space went toward Evan Bouchard’s new contract. That’s fine as Bouchard is a fundamental piece of the team’s core.
Questions still linger about the Oilers’ inability to add major pieces. Free agents like Mitch Marner and Nikolaj Ehlers were never rumored to have the Oilers on their radars. Marner was adamant about wanting to go to Vegas. Ehlers seemed pre-destined to head to Carolina.
So, that situation left the Oilers with slim pickings in a thin free agent market. The club made a solid move in bringing in Andrew Mangiapane. While he’ll be a fine addition to the team, there’s no telling if Mangiapane alone will be enough to push the Oilers over the top.
Even then, Oilers fans must resist the temptation to point the finger at the team’s management and accuse it of incompetence. The fact is that the Oilers embarked on a significant roster retool in a very thin market.
Think about what the Florida Panthers did, or better yet, didn’t do.
If the free-agent market were deep, the Panthers could have allowed Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett, and Aaron Ekblad to walk. The Panthers would have looked for more cost-effective alternatives. But there just weren’t any.
That’s why the Panthers went out of their way to re-sign all of their major free agents.
Oilers goaltending situation remains a major question mark
One of the major narratives this offseason has been the Oilers goaltending situation. I have been among those calling for a change. While a change is needed, the most pressing situation isn’t this season. It’s next year.
Both Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard are heading into the final year of their contracts. That means the Oilers don’t have an NHL-level goalie signed for 2026-27.
Is that reason enough to panic?
Not now. But as the trade deadline looms closer, it could be. If the Skinner-Pickard tandem rolls over the league and the Oilers win the Stanley Cup, turning over the team’s goaltending tandem wouldn’t be as big a deal.
If the Oilers fail to win the Cup, that situation will be magnified. The worst thing the Oilers can do is panic and overpay for Skinner. The goaltending market, such as it is, isn’t necessarily deep. So, there’s plenty of room for the Oilers to panic, especially if the team feels it can’t land a top-tier goalie.
There’s still plenty of time to work something out this summer. But the clock is ticking. The Oilers must figure something out sooner rather than later.