Just over a calendar year into Drake Caggiula’s tenure with the Edmonton Oilers, it’s clear that the decision to sign him as a college free agent was a good one in that he’s already a full-time NHL player. It’s far less clear what kind of NHL player he is. Partially, that’s a result of circumstance….
The Edmonton Oilers’ addition of Jussi Jokinen on a bargain bin contract last week was a good one, because the Finnish wing brings an established level of ability to the club, something that the team badly needed at that position. Despite several summer depth charts projecting him on the fourth line, it’s virtually certain that…
For a brief period during Rebuild 2.0, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was widely seen as the most valuable member of the Edmonton Oilers, the team’s finest centre since Doug Weight. Now he’s been eclipsed by both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and is at risk of becoming a salary cap casualty like long-time running mate Jordan Eberle….
With negotiations between the Edmonton Oilers and Leon Draisaitl the team’s most important remaining task this summer, one potential outcome has received less attention than it probably should: a short-term compromise deal between the two camps, commonly known as a bridge contract. In some ways, it would be a shock if the Oilers and Draisaitl…
Less than a week into NHL free agency, and the vast majority of the big names and a large swath of the little names have been cleared off the board. That puts us officially in bargain-hunting territory, and Edmonton Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli has hinted that his team might be in the hunt for a…
Every so often, a particularly exuberant fan of the Edmonton Oilers will project Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl as the next Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. More rarely – but it happens – such a fan will suggest that McDavid and Draisaitl are of nearly equal value to Edmonton. These comparisons are ludicrous, because Crosby,…
Since the Edmonton Oilers last took to the ice, GM Peter Chiarelli and his staff have authored a significant trade, signed seven new players from NHL free agency, and made decisions to retain or release a score of the team’s own players. In the aftermath of a busy, if low-key July 1, what does that…
Edmonton Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli has already had a busy summer, re-signing players like Zack Kassian, Kris Russell and Eric Gryba. With those signings, and with the expansion draft in the rearview mirror, it’s a bit easier to get a feel for what the roster will look like heading into next season – and what…
Last week, the Edmonton Oilers lost defenceman Griffin Reinhart to the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft. Reaction on this site and elsewhere was largely muted, both because the selection was expected and because Reinhart wasn’t terribly important to the Oilers anyway. Nevertheless, it’s really worth taking a moment to look at the costliest…
It is buy-out time in the NHL. For a brief window between the middle and end of June, teams have the option to buyout unwanted contracts, in most cases giving the player two-thirds of his remaining salary over twice his remaining term. In most cases, such a decision clears significant money from the books, and…
It’s going to be a busy summer, and we’re in the deep breath before the dive phase of it. Before things go too crazy, I thought it might be fun to use a What Would You Do Wednesday to look at old Oilers entering the NHL free agent market this summer, to see if any…
2016-17 Edmonton Oilers: No. 33 G Cam Talbot The Oilers have made some controversial moves over the last few seasons, but there is at least one that 99 percent of the fanbase can agree on: the summer 2015 deal that saw Edmonton trade a collection of draft picks to the Rangers for goaltender Cam Talbot,…
