One pending free agent the Oilers can steal from their Pacific Division rivals
The Edmonton Oilers have the right core and the right coach, but if they can’t win the Stanley Cup this season, they still need to add talent from the outside.
While the Edmonton Oilers don’t have much cap space, they have a talented team, and general manager Ken Holland could use that talent as leverage to lure some pending unrestricted free agents to Edmonton. But even then, Holland likely wouldn’t have much to lure in another top-end talent thanks to the inevitable cap restraints.
It’s also worth remembering that Leon Draisaitl is eligible for an extension once the offseason rolls around, so it’s another variable Holland must factor into the equation. The same is also true for Ryan McCleod and Evan Bouchard, all of whom are part of this team’s well-rounded core. So when it comes to adding talent this summer, Holland will have a minute number of realistic options.
Oilers could lure necessary role players away from division rivals in 2024
If Holland wanted, he wouldn’t need to look too far beyond his own division to find solid players who could fill potential gaps in Edmonton’s lineup next season.
This doesn’t mean he won’t try to re-sign some of the nine unrestricted free agents who are due to hit the market, especially guys like Calvin Pickard, Warren Foegele, and those who won’t break the bank like Mattias Janmark. But there are also players like Adam Henrique, who may still demand at least a $2.5 million or higher price tag this summer, and others like Corey Perry, who could easily be finished following the season.
Such a situation would warrant Holland to go out and try to sign at least a couple of forwards. But you also shouldn’t be surprised if he tried to improve the blue line, with Troy Stecher also factoring in as a pending free agent and Cody Ceci as a potential trade piece.
That said, let’s check out seven players, one from each division rival, Holland could sign this summer. The following names may not impress you, but they are mainly cost-effective role players who will supplement this strong Oilers team.
William Lagesson, Defenseman/Anaheim Ducks
Unless he re-signs and gets an extension with the Anaheim Ducks, William Lagesson will be available, and he would actually be making a return trip to Edmonton like a lot of unrestricted free agents on this list. Lagesson, if you remember, spent time with the Oilers until they traded him to the Montreal Canadiens in a deal that included bringing in Brett Kulak.
He has never played a full season in the NHL, with his career-high in games coming this season with 37 contests as of April 4th, 2024. Although he will never factor in as a full-time NHLer, he’s spent enough time in the big league to be either a top call-up from the AHL or a seventh man for the blue line.
With 68 hits this season, he also plays with an edge, and he’s not afraid to block incoming pucks, having gotten in front of 55 in those 37 contests. While he won’t provide an incredible amount of value, something that would also make Lagesson worth considering is that he would know the situation and his role with the organization.
Players like Lagesson won’t sign expensive or long-term deals, and they are even players you can “set and forget.” But when you need them, you’re glad they can use their experience in the NHL to their advantage.
Oliver Kylington, Defenseman/Calgary Flames
Oliver Kylington is another blueliner who factors in as a seventh man or even on the bottom-pairing, though he has almost twice as many games of experience as Lagesson. Kylington saw time in 73 contests in 2021-22, and he showed promise, snagging 31 points, nine goals, 79 blocks, 40 hits, and 24 takeaways with 18:10 of average total ice time.
He took the 2022-23 season and the first half of 2023-24 off for personal reasons, but Kylington has since resumed play and found ways to block shots and break up plays with his stick. Before he took time off, Kylington was also logging a 53.9 in the Corsi For at 5-on-5, and he helped Calgary score 68 goals that season while they allowed just 42 when he was in the game, also at 5-on-5.
That hasn’t been the case this season, but we need to remember that upon returning, the Flames also didn’t have Nikita Zadorov in the lineup, and Elias Lindholm was on his way out. Since then, notable players like Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin have also left, leaving the Flames with considerably less talent in the second half of the year.
Regardless, Kylington is playing well, and he has shown he could be more than serviceable when logging third-pairing minutes. Like everyone else listed, he would be a role player in Edmonton, but nonetheless, a solid addition.
Trevor Lewis, Forward/Los Angeles Kings
Trevor Lewis is one of the older unrestricted free agents this season, so there is always a chance he could call it a career following the 2023-24 season, especially if the Los Angeles Kings shock the world and win the Stanley Cup. But if Lewis opts to stick around for another season and does not re-sign with the Kings, he’s one player Ken Holland must strongly consider.
He’s a two-time Cup winner, which would make him a valuable player for a team like the Oilers, who have enough talent to open a long-term window of contention for pro hockey’s most coveted award. If Edmonton takes it this year, adding a player who has seen the top of the NHL mountain would be a bonus, and if they didn’t win, then they would add someone who knows what it takes to reach the sport’s pinnacle.
Keeping up with the role players theme, Lewis epitomizes it, as he would log nothing more than fourth-line minutes, take faceoffs if needed, and land body checks. Most importantly, he’d be there for a leadership role, and he would utilize it very well. He’s never been a scorer in the 16 seasons that he’s seen at least a few NHL games, but the Oilers are already well-versed in the scoring category.
Justin Bailey, Forward/San Jose Sharks
The Sharks weren’t going to have an excellent selection of players who could give the Oilers a lot of help, so organizational depth is key here. Justin Bailey fits the mold well, as he’s spent the last several years of his career floating between the AHL and the NHL, including a 58-game stint with the Bakersfield Condors last season.
While Bailey never saw regular season action in an Oilers uniform, he put up some solid numbers with Bakersfield in 2022-23, scoring 19 goals and 32 points before signing with the Sharks this season. Through April 4th, he’s spent 54 games in San Jose, logging 14 points and five goals, and he’s been a physical presence on the lower lines.
Someone like Bailey provides value as insurance in the AHL or as a 13th or 14th forward who could rotate into games occasionally, mainly when Edmonton needs someone capable of playing a physical game. The hard-hitting mentality wasn’t there in his previous stops, but Bailey is totaling over one hit per game - 73 in those 54 contests.
Like Trevor Lewis, Bailey is nothing more than a fourth-liner, but he’s familiar with the organization, and that adds even more value despite his lack of ice time in Edmonton.
Justin Schultz, Defenseman/Seattle Kraken
Defensemen who log bottom-pairing minutes could be in huge demand for the Oilers this summer, and Justin Schultz is another cost-effective yet potentially serviceable blueliner with experience and a couple of Stanley Cups to his name. Like a couple of players listed, Schultz is yet another one who has spent time with the Oilers in the past.
He made the All-Rookie Team in 2012-13 during his first full season in the league with Edmonton, but his most memorable years may have come when he was a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he won back-to-back Cups alongside Sidney Crosby and company.
Now one of the older players in the league, Schultz could potentially play the last few years of his career with an Oilers team that has perennial Stanley Cup potential. He’s still regularly getting in front of pucks with 60 blocks on the season as his time with the Seattle Kraken winds down. Schultz is still logging power play minutes, he can still score a handful of goals, and at 5-on-5, his Corsi For is still hovering over 50 percent.
Schultz may not need to be a full-time player with Edmonton, as he too can rotate in as a seventh blueliner. But he’s still effective enough to log regular minutes in the defensive rotation.
Dakota Joshua, Forward/Vancouver Canucks
So far, we have primarily mentioned sensible, cost-effective names as good fits for the Oilers. While Dakota Joshua will get a pay increase following what has been more than just a solid campaign, he may still be affordable for the Oilers to try and sign in the offseason.
The only issue is that it would be a stretch for the Canucks not to re-sign someone who has given the organization a complete game, regardless of the situation. Joshua has just 28 points, but his 15 goals imply he’s a good depth scorer in British Columbia, and he also routinely sets the tone with the 220-plus body checks he’s landed for two seasons running.
Joshua’s 52.0 Corsi For at 5-on-5 shows us he will make plays in the offensive zone, and he will also help finish those plays, with 31 on-ice goals for. Over 55 percent of his starts occur in the defensive zone, so to have a respectable Corsi For when he’s often behind the eight-ball offensively is a testament to the way he maximizes his chances.
Being able to log middle-six minutes and with Warren Foegele slated to hit unrestricted free agency, Dakota Joshua could make for an excellent successor to the Oilers own breakout forward.
Michael Amadio, Forward/Vegas Golden Knights
Yep, we are talking about a lot of former Cup winners here, but that’s expected with a Vegas Golden Knights team that won it all last season. While Dakota Joshua would be the preferred choice here, Amadio is an excellent consolation, with 26 points and 13 goals in 68 games, and he’s another one who plays sound defense.
Amadio isn’t as physical as Joshua, but he’s still good at creating nightmare scenarios for opponents defensively - 30 takeaways through most of the 2023-24 season - and he’s logging a solid 91.7 on-ice save percentage at 5-on-5. Offensively, Amadio has helped the Knights find the net 38 times in the same situation despite a less-than-ideal 48.7 Corsi For percentage.
While Edmonton has a great power play, Amadio could factor in as insurance should a player on one of the two units miss time with an injury if Ken Holland managed to sign him in the offseason. Or, if a player like Amadio proved to be a good fit on the man advantage, then it wouldn’t hurt to put him there and let him continue to improve the unit.
Like everyone else on this list, Amadio is no game-changer, but he is a solid player who will put up serviceable numbers.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference as of April 5th)