Oilers Need to Lock In RFAs Dach, Stastney & Michaels

As the Edmonton Oilers begin their offseason and get down to business, there’s one small area they should focus on getting secured soon rather than later. While it is a long summer and free agency doesn’t open for a couple months, they do have a few restricted free agents (RFAs) that they may want to look at retaining. Edmonton has three players who will claim that status on July 1, and I believe they are all players who should be a part of the team going into next season. They have proved to be valuable in some way.

RFAs for the Oilers include Colton Dach, Spencer Stastney, and Owen Michaels. Fans will pretty easily recognize the first two names, but obviously, many won’t know much about Michaels, as he signed with the team on April 2 after finishing his college hockey season in the NCAA. Here’s why Edmonton needs to extend these RFAs.

All Three RFAs Need New Deals

The way it works with RFAs is different from the unrestricted ones. The RFAs will be sent a qualifying offer before July 1 if their team wants to keep them under that status and retain them. They can then negotiate a new deal from there. The Oilers should obviously extend a qualifying offer to all three of these players, but should also consider multi-year deals for them as well.

Dach played just 13 games with the Oilers, which included five playoff games. He did, however, make an immediate impact that could be huge moving forward for the team. His dominant physical play and relentless forecheck that wears down defenders are something every team needs. He also makes the players around him better. I think he really elevated his most common linemates in Trent Frederic and Josh Samanski, both in their physicality and even in some cycle and offensive play.

A two or three-year deal would play well for someone like him, and of the three players here, he’s the one they should definitely focus on the most. He is only turning 23 years old next season and plays a terrific game overall.

Stastney is the next one to make a case for. He is arbitration-eligible this offseason in addition to being an RFA. While he may look for a raise, it likely won’t be out of the range Edmonton can afford, given he made less than $1 million on his previous contract. He appeared in 36 games for the Oilers after coming over in a mid-December trade. He’s a true stay-at-home defender that plays a sound game in his own end. He seemed to play extremely well on the bottom pairing as a shutdown guy most of the time.

Stastney is another guy who I would happily give a multi-year deal at the right price. He ranked eighth on the team in blocked shots and fifth in takeaways, among other stats. He has proven to be an asset on a blue line that has struggled at times, and like Dach, he is still relatively young.

The final guy is Michaels. As mentioned, the most we know about him is what we’ve seen at the NCAA level. What we have seen, though, is very good. The former captain of the Western Michigan Broncos was a Hobey Baker nominee and a finalist for the NCHC Defensive Forward of the Year in the 2025-26 season. He tallied 26 points in 39 games, leading his team to third in the conference and an appearance in the NCAA Frozen Four Tournament.

The kid can make plays at both ends of the ice. He has also developed a presence in the faceoff dot and is clearly a natural leader. The Oilers were able to land him late in the season and should look to extend him and see what he has going forward. He is offer sheet ineligible, which allows them to take their time, but I think they should retain him without hesitation and allow him to develop further in their system.

Management Doesn’t Need Another Offer Sheet Debacle

We’ve heard the story about a million times, but it’s true every time. Losing Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg to the St. Louis Blues via a pair of offer sheets was a tough blow back in the late summer of 2024. They didn’t get deals done for their two rising stars, and it ended up coming back to bite them. Since then, Broberg was rewarded with a six-year, $48 million contract back in January, while Holloway just recently signed a five-year, $38.75 million deal.

Both players are excelling as leaders in St. Louis and will be big parts of the team’s future plans. The Oilers missed out then, and they could again this offseason. While their RFAs this time aren’t really the same as last time, they are still valuable, and it always hurts to lose a good player or two when you had a chance to bring them back. Edmonton needs to make Dach, Stastney, and Michaels more of a priority and make them feel worthy for the long run.