Right Players For Right Price For Oilers

Happy Free Agency Tuesday, here are fits for the defending Western Conference champions if they can get them for the right price...

GOALIES

NO ONE

To be honest with you, there are no free agent goalies out there that are worth using our cap space towards. Not one name jumps off the table that's worth pursuing. Quite frankly, I am down to run it back with this tandem again. Have them go 50/50 (or ride the hot hand during the season) and if needed, trade for a goalie at the deadline.

The best case scenario here is if Stan Bowman is a true wizard and can pull off some magic this offseason is to trade for a 2026/2027 UFA goalie that can lead us back to the promiseland of the Stanley Cup Finals. A veteran goalie to guide Skinner or Pickard, like Thatcher Demko, Jacob Markstrom, Fredrick Andersen, even Jordan Binnington who's a UFA in '27.

What happened this finals with MULTIPLE goalie changes and unsure who was starting Game 6 is just unacceptable at that stage of the season. People are quick to forget though that this tandem got us to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals so why the urgency for a new goalie tandem right away?

DEFENCEMAN

NO ONE

Their defence is set: Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm, Darnell Nurse, Brett Kulak, Jake Walman, Troy Stecher and Ty Emberson. Barring a trade, Bowman won’t be tinkering with his defence before the Trade Deadline in March.

FORWARDS

Brock Boeser

I mean beside the fact we'd finally have a Brock on the team, can you imagine Boeser playing on a wing beside McDavid or Draisaitl for a season? It may be a pipe dream but a guy like this with all the drama he went through this past season with the Vancouver media and J.T Miller/Elias Pettersson saga, he may want to come across the AB/BC border and play for a Stanley Cup contending team. It would, however, would have to be for 70-80% of his worth for it to work for us and our cap situation.

$7 mil/year or less for 2-3 years

Andrew Mangiapane

This guy is an electric factory when it comes to third line wingers in the NHL. When he was on the Flames he scored and recorded points EVERY GAME against us it felt like and is a true competitor. Last season with the Washington Capitals, the 29-year-old scored 14 goals and 28 points, and he just concluded a 3-year, $17.4 million contract. That is a lot of money for a third line guy on a defending Western Conference champion team. If we can get that number down, maybe even in half, and convince him to lead the bottom six on a team-friendly deal, than let's pull the trigger.

$4.75 mil/year or less for 5-6 years. Top loaded deal where he earns less now and more near the end of the contract

Klim Kostin

WILL THE REAL “KLIM” SHADY PLEASE COME BACK!!

Oilers‘ legend Klim Kostin needs to come back and bring the good vibes with him. He knows how Edmonton is, and to be a part of a contending team I’m sure he’ll take a decent hometown deal to make it happen.

$1.75 mil/year or less for 2-3 years

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