The Edmonton Oilers have signed forward Mattias Janmark to a one-year contract paying $1 million per season.
Throughout his seven-year NHL career, Janmark has seemingly carved out his niche in the sport as a bottom-six who just does everything well enough to justify his ice time. Despite being 6-foot-1, he’s not a particularly physical player, and in terms of scoring, he’s only eclipsed 30 points once in his career. However, when you need a player to come in and play a smart, defensive game, he’s your man.
In 66 games played for the Oilers during the 2022-23 season, Janmark posted 10 goals and 25 points, which was a solid total considering he took on less than 15 minutes of ice time each night. However, whenever the Oilers needed to kill a penalty, they sent out Janmark to do so, and by the end of the season, he was the forward that played the second-most short-handed minutes for Edmonton. He also scored three short-handed goals, which tied him for 10th most in the league.
So, as long as the Oilers are expecting more of the same from Janmark, then this is a fantastic value re-signing for the cap-strapped franchise. At the very least, he makes the team harder to play in the postseason, which is all you can ask for at a $1 million cap hit.
What Janmark Brings to the Oilers
As a team that has aspirations to compete for the 2024 Stanley Cup, it made a lot of sense for the Oilers to retain Janmark. Sure, he won’t set any offensive records, but when it comes to the postseason, you need smart, tough, defensive players to throw over the boards in order to keep up with your opponent’s relentless attack.
Related: 2023 NHL Free Agency Tracker
Janmark can be this player. He will slot into their bottom six again, easily take on two minutes of ice time each night on the penalty kill, and do his best to keep the puck out of his net on defensive zone draws. In the worst-case scenario, he can even be a candidate for a healthy scratch that can come off the bench when injury eventually strikes.
Is this a sexy pickup? No. But you know exactly what you are getting when you sign Janmark, especially at a reasonable $1-million per season cap hit. He will be well worth that for the Oilers as they look to get over the hump and push toward the Stanley Cup.
