The Edmonton Oilers had a fairly quiet Day 1 of free agency and an even quieter Day 2 if you were expecting big names to be signed. But this doesn’t mean it was an unsuccessful weekend by any means. Heading into July 1, they had a limited amount of cap space to still re-sign two key restricted free agents (RFA) and make the necessary depth additions. Almost everything we will see the Oilers do in adding players for the remainder of the offseason has come already. So let’s get into the players they signed and what to expect before grading the start of free agency as a whole.
Oilers Got Their Guy
After all of the constant reports, the Oilers got their guy on the first day of free agency. Connor Brown was signed to a very surprising deal that massively benefits the team this season and might not hurt them as bad as some anticipate next season. General manager Ken Holland was able to lock the winger up on a very unique contract so the Oilers could get their top-six right winger and also stay under the salary cap. Brown’s one-year contract carries an average annual value (AAV) of $775,000 with $3.25 million in performance bonuses.
As revealed by Ryan Rishaug, Brown will earn the entire performance bonus by playing 10 games. PuckPedia shared an interesting piece of information about the contract as well, as the Oilers might not have to have the entire $3.25 million count toward the cap next season. For example, if they are $500,000 below the salary cap at the end of the season, the team will only be charged $2.75 million against the cap next season for overage charges.
Holland made a very good signing by not only bringing in the player the Oilers needed but also working the cap to their advantage. Assuming there’s no freak injury to Brown, he should easily hit 10 games. Plus he gets to come to Edmonton and likely play on a line with former Erie Otters teammate Connor McDavid and pad his stats for the 2024 offseason where he will once again be a free agent.
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Brown has been a solid middle-six winger who is average for a second liner, but very strong for a third liner at five-on-five. He’s also a great penalty killer and is one of the best at takeaways in the league, ranking 17th over the span of the past four seasons in takeaways per 60 minutes. Take into account that he has scored 47 goals and 117 points in 195 games in his last four seasons without playing with elite talent like he will in Edmonton, and the ceiling and expectations are high.
Holland Added Depth
Holland added depth that will mainly play in the American Hockey League (AHL) but can also fill in at the NHL level if there are injuries. There were four depth signings made by the Oilers as they brought in Lane Pederson, Drake Caggiula, Noel Hoefenmayer, and Ben Gleason. They are all signed to deals that won’t hurt the Oilers by having them play in the AHL and will be charged the minimum against the salary cap if they are recalled.
Pederson and Caggiula can be seen as 13th/14th forwards with the hope that the Oilers still make one final addition at the NHL level. Both have NHL experience and the expectation is that either of them will be able to help out if recalled. Caggiula has played 282 games in the NHL and got his career started in Edmonton where he had his best seasons. Pederson isn’t as well acquainted with the NHL but proved to be effective in the exact role last season with the Vancouver Canucks and Columbus Blue Jackets that the Oilers hope to have him in this season.
Hoefenmayer is someone who will be overlooked as a signing since he hasn’t suited up for an NHL game yet, but he’s a player that people will soon get to know and enjoy watching. He is offensively gifted and has shown it consistently throughout his junior and minor league career. Last season he scored 11 goals and 38 points in 65 games for the Toronto Marlies. Gleason didn’t do so bad himself either as he put up nine goals and 33 points in 68 games. He does have four games played in the NHL, but he’s more in the organization to be another reliable body in the AHL (from “Oilers sign depth defencemen Ben Gleason, Noel Hoefenmayer”, Edmonton Journal, July 1, 2023).
Who’s Left to Sign for Edmonton?
Two questions remain for the Oilers as we move deeper into free agency. Since the defence seems to be staying intact and the fringe NHL depth forwards have been added, what position do the Oilers still need to fill and who is still available to fill that spot in the lineup?
To push Pederson to the 13th/14th forward position or to the AHL, the Oilers still need to add a fourth-line center. I know what some of you might be thinking, they have one in Derek Ryan. Sure, he is good at winning draws when he’s put in that position, but he’s much more effective on the wing and just being the man to take some draws in certain areas of the ice. Ideally, the final fourth-line center addition would be able to win more than 50 percent of his draws and be a bit better defensively. There are a few names still out there of interest.
A few veteran options to keep an eye on are Jonathan Toews (if he continues playing), Paul Stastny, Tomas Nosek, and Derek Brassard. As for some of the players the Oilers missed out on, Teddy Blueger and Daniel Sprong are two that pop out to me. Blueger signed with the Canucks for more than the Oilers can afford for a fourth-line center, but in terms of strong bottom-six right wingers who can score at five-on-five, Sprong was there for the taking and the Detroit Red Wings capitalized by signing him to a one-year contract.
Grading Oilers’ Day 1 of Free Agency
After signing Brown for extremely cheap (this year) and adding most of the depth pieces Holland said he wanted to, the Oilers didn’t grab one final depth centerman. It remains to be seen if they could have got a better deal right away on someone who has already signed or will get a better deal on the player they have yet to sign. Overall, with limited moves the team could do and checking most of the boxes, I give the Oilers’ start of free agency a B+.
I’d like to hear your thoughts on how the day went and who you want to see the Oilers still grab. Leave them in the comments section below!
