Oilers Should Avoid Free Agency in Search of Top-Six Forward

With free agency only a few weeks away, the Edmonton Oilers have important decisions to make. The 2026-27 season is arguably the most important in franchise history, and they can’t afford to whiff in free agency.

The Oilers need an impactful top-six winger, and they likely won’t find that on the open market. General manager Stan Bowman needs to play his cards right and make the right decisions. He shouldn’t sign players for the sake of making a move. He made that mistake when he acquired goaltender Tristan Jarry for Stuart Skinner, Brett Kulak, and a 2029 second-round pick. He made a move for the sake of change, and that backfired almost immediately.

Bowman can’t rely on free agency, especially when upgrading the forward group. If they want a legitimate top-six forward, they should go the trade route and spend assets, rather than free agency. There are better players available through the trade market, and Edmonton needs to make a big splash. They need to find value in contracts, which will be nearly impossible with this free-agent class. Therefore, the Oilers should avoid free agency in their search for a top-six forward.

Recent Free Agent Signings Haven’t Worked Out

The Oilers haven’t had much success with recent free agent signings, especially up front. They have tried to add impactful top-six wingers via free agency the past two seasons, but they haven’t panned out.

In July 2024, the Oilers signed Jeff Skinner to a one-year, $3 million deal after being bought out by the Buffalo Sabres. He was a pure goal scorer, so it was thought that he would be a staple on the second line, which wasn’t the case. While he scored 16 goals in Edmonton, he primarily played in the bottom six. He didn’t fit in with this group and wasn’t given a chance to succeed. As a result, he was constantly healthy scratched in the playoffs. Thankfully, it was only a one-year deal, so the Oilers were able to move on without consequences.

That same offseason, the Oilers also signed Viktor Arvidsson to a two-year deal with a $4 million cap hit. He scored 15 goals with Edmonton, but also didn’t have a good stint. Arvidsson and Skinner were supposed to be Leon Draisaitl’s linemates and mainstays in the top-six. Unfortunately, they were moved down the lineup. The Oilers traded Arvidsson to the Boston Bruins last offseason for a 2027 fifth-round pick. They were able to get out of that contract unscathed, which wasn’t the case for their next big free agent signing.

The Oilers signed Andrew Mangiapane to a two-year deal with a $3.6 million cap hit in July 2025. That signing was a mistake from the get-go, and the Oilers eventually traded him to the Chicago Blackhawks at the trade deadline. The Oilers traded Mangiapane and a first-round pick for Jason Dickinson and Colton Dach. Bowman had to attach a first-round pick to get out of Mangiapane’s contract, less than a year after inking that deal. That’s awful asset management, and they can’t afford to make that mistake again.

These three players are similar because they are middle-six, undersized forwards with cap hits between $3 million and $4 million. The Oilers need to avoid signing these players because it hasn’t worked out in the past. They should add cheap depth forwards through free agency, similar to Jack Roslovic, and more expensive, impactful players via trade.

Oilers Shouldn’t Overpay

This free agent class lacks star power and true game-breakers. The best available player is Alex Tuch, who had 33 goals and 66 points in 79 games with the Buffalo Sabres last season. He will likely get over $10 million on his new deal, and he wasn’t even a point-per-game player last season. That price is steep, which will be the case for most of the available forwards. The Oilers don’t need another bad contract on the books, so they need to be smart with how they approach free agency.

The Oilers are in no position to overpay for free agents because they don’t have the cap space. This free agent class is incredibly thin, and there aren’t many impactful forwards available. Therefore, the demand for these players will be high, driving up their price. A lot of players will get severely overpaid this offseason, and the Oilers can’t afford to be one of those teams.

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