Edmonton Oilers Free Agency: Who is Staying and Who is Leaving?

It's June 26th, and we are now officially in off-season mode in the NHL after the Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 on June 24th. Connor McDavid was the Conn Smythe trophy winner but it was later revealed he and Leon Draisaitl were battling some serious injuries in the post-season, so you know they will be as motivated as ever to make a come back in 2024-25 and chase their first Stanley Cup. In today's video I will be discussing the #oilers free agent situation, who is likely to leave the team, who is likely to be re-signed, and I also discuss the cap space they have and potential buyout options. #nhl
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[@AHockey1993]

Somehow forgot to add Ryan McLeod in the depth chart. He's slated to make $2.1 Million this season, likely in a 3rd line role. My bad!

[@michaelkeller5927]

Getting rid of a 4th liner who makes 2.1 mil means maybe we can keep that whole 3rd line

[@seen48]

I’m not a. McLeod fan and would welcome a trade for that 2.1 million salary. Would,d rather keep Foegele. In Henrique’s presser he said money is not his goal, but would,d have to talk to his family. I think he would come back for 3.5 million. Janmark and Brown absolutely agree with you and the money suggested. Third line solidified and just need wingers for Ryan. I like Carrick for 1 million and his grit on the fourth line and without trading McLeod he’s on the fourth line. We need grit and Carrick has that. I agree with the 1st answer 2nd lines. Lavoie needs to be our call up guy for the season. Campbell for sure buyout. Maybe we can trade him and retain 30%? Still too much? What about Niemelainen? Is he developing at all? I had hopes for him and his size and grit. We NEED to get tougher on the back end. Ceci as much as he’s steady needs to be moved for a tougher player. If Vinny is back and Broberg the. Ah e we save that way Vinny moves up with. Nurse and Kulak pairs up with. Broberg? Trade Kulak for a grittier guy also? Sorry for the super long post but my view on these playoffs is we have the team, damn close. It we need to be tougher. Guys like Ceci, McLeod, Foegele, don’t go in the corners and hit. It tough at all Ryan and Janmark try and hit but that’s not their game but they still try. Carrick. Rings it, a healthy Kane brings it, Holloway for sure and even Mc David , Leon to a point and Hyman and Nuge are strong on their skates but don’t move people like Florida moved people. What they take from this loss is get. Jogger, get stronger and get meaner! #LFGO

[@Dawg476]

Game 7 was the second most viewed NHL game in last 20 years. Outdrew every NBA Finals and World Series game in last 5 years. 16.3 Million viewers

[@AHockey1993]

That’s actually wild wow!

[@SS-iv7wv]

That's because here in the US a lot of people turned off the NBA and NFL for all their kneeling and other bs. I won't ever watch them again after their unpatriotic actions. I'll take Canadian football any day over these clowns.

[@tiktaalikiscute1358]

@@SS-iv7wv bros mad over kneeling

[@brandonkrebs7420]

Henrique’s press conference was very interesting. He seemed to heavily suggest that money is not going to be a big decider in his next deal. Hopefully this means Edmonton is able to keep him on a team friendly deal.

[@Exp.No.Zenar-57]

I definitely want Holloway, Pickard, and Broberg back, as well as all of our third line.

[@michaelkeller5927]

Keeping Pick over Rodrique though? I think it's time to give Rodrique a chance and you can't keep 3 goalies

[@vinokai]

Rodrigue needs to be given a chance too. He’s a younger goalie, and it’s really hard for the Oilers to get any younger goalies, they gotta put him in, he’s got space to really grow.

[@Exp.No.Zenar-57]

Yeah I guess we probably should use Rodrique.

[@KptKrunch9481]

Holloway restricted, we'll re-sign him no worries there, same as Broberg. They are not UFAs

[@stefaniverson2739]

You guys need to understand that Nurse is an almost immovable object in a trade. For every reason you want him gone are the same reasons you can’t trade him lol. It’s so easy to just simply say trade Nurse and you get that cap space. Not happening.

[@FelixWheatfield]

Brownmark has to stay after this SCF. There's no way either of them are ending up on a different team this upcoming year. As for Perry, I'm calling he becomes an analyst for one of the major networks.

[@ripapa6355]

Brown, Foegele, Henrique, Janmark and Pickard. That's who they should keep.

[@teegee289]

Hey buddy I'm just about to shave the beard too!! what a wild ride the playoffs were. Enriched my spring season. I'm so relieved the season is over. I can finally sleep!!! Let's get it next year baby!!!!

[@chrisdaddy4637]

Another great video. Keep up the good work buddy! See you next season

[@henrivr7730]

Thanks for the discussion, Austin. It's always enriching to hear your knowledge on everything Oilers related. Cheers from Saskatoon!

[@wad316]

Nurse typically looks bad when he has to babysit Ceci. Wonder when guys like Gleason, Bourgault, Lavoie and Kemp can play? Also would like Kostin back.

[@jdsu2000]

Mcdavid can have the Cup or Nurse, not both. So, what is McDavid choice? It is a very easy choice.

[@henrivr7730]

Yes, I agree. Nurse will free up a lot of depth purchasing power for the team. Nurse has done his service for Edmonton and now needs to make way for new talent.

[@KAST403]

#97 get rid of him guy can't even show up for 1 game

[@OilersFlash]

Vinny and Broberg on 3rd pair is good value. Move the 7.5Mil of Ceci & Kulak, focus on 2RD

[@cellytv8063]

Seeing the kings move pld without retaining cap makes me feel like moving nurse is more realistic than we think. I just don’t know if they wanna move him since he’s so well liked

[@nogitsune4542]

They should keep janmark, henrique and brown. Sign broberg, trade ceci,nurse, kane and maybe kulak to improve defense and wing depth and were good

[@rexradar9297]

So want to keep the third line. MJ@1.25, AH@3, CB@2 for 6.25. Mabey 7.5 total is more realistic to 5 it done. Maybe doable if they are willing to give some value back. Team has the hammer in Holloway and Broberg. 1.25 for 2 yr each. Total is 10. Buyout of Soupy is sad but team needs some flexibility to fill out 4th line. Possible Ceci replacements include Matt Roy, Alex Carrier, Josh Brown or Brett Pesce.

[@wvknn2709]

Kane, perry, nurse & ceci is my wishlist of moving on from. A bonus would be cambell too but doubt he's getting moved in his current situation.

[@colbystruble2893]

At least keep Brown, Janmark, Henrique, and i am a Vinny fan it would be nice to keep him to

[@slickmechanical]

If both Janmark and Brown aren't back ill be upset

[@Bob-fd2ie]

My buddy trained raph in Halifax and he’s an interesting French cat I guess. Might not mesh with this super close group. But I’m sure if he’s ready and good it will work out

[@michaelkeller5927]

I keep hearing that Nurse needs a stay at home defenceman as a partner. I also hear a lot he needs a puck moving partner. Who would you target? What do the analytics say?

[@AHockey1993]

Nurse optimally would work well with a puck mover. He likes to jump into the rush, so someone who can get the puck out quickly and allow him to use his best asset (skating) would be a bonus. He played his best hockey when Ethan Bear was his partner, and despite Bear’s shortcomings in Edmonton he was a very good puck mover

[@michaelkeller5927]

​@@AHockey1993 would Barrie coming back on a value contract be a good idea? Or is he washed up

[@tired_Draisaitl]

Henrique is leaving 😭 I'm so sad bc the BrownHenMark line is pure gold 😭

[@JesMcdld-nb6pg]

I think they'll keep kane if he can have surgery like Conner they are both great players healthy if they can keep Brown and Henriqe and janmark And Vinny even Mcloud with Ryan should be good shape I new Draisaitl was hurt broken rib and finger he showed it the pain in his face missing his one timers and Conner hurt maybe surgery kane started out playoffs great g got the Gordy Howe hat trick against LA kings but just like Driaiaitl who maybe should have sat with those injury s he hurt them with lots of bad passes you could see it from game 6 and then 7 but they will be a cup contender this new season

[@Apoch86]

I got ride of my scarf too.. my face is cold now XD

[@johncrossley-hall9366]

Lol, just bought new razors today. Beard comes of tonight

[@3ormore660]

I would sign. Broberg/Hollywood/Janitor/Brown/Hyman/Pickard/Skinner/RNH and awe if Kane geta 100% healthy and wants to stay short term. Henrique also. The other obvious big name if they can swing it $$ pending. Ide unload a couple contracts and eat the fkn $ not naming names. Oh ya keep Bouchard too.

[@AudiKingDemon]

Where’s McLeod

[@AHockey1993]

I can't believe I forgot to add him to the depth chart lmao I had him in my original edit and must have taken him out without realizing 😂😂 my bad

[@jdsu2000]

I can understand Nurse doesn’t want to leave possibly winning the cup next year. But his play is a 5-6 D on the team at 9.25M. I don’t the Oilers want him back here. It has to be both ways to keep Nurse on the team.

[@coreyr8870]

Everyone cries about nurse but if your manager could negotiate a good contract for you would you take it. Be mad at the Oilers negotiation not nurse. It's so old

[@upcyclegarage7685]

move nurse to the wing move kane get draft picks or rookies for him. package canpbell with kane

[@chrisdaddy4637]

It’s hard to think but after next year Leon might be gone and the team could look a lot different. Maybe they will have room to improve on goaltending

[@AHockey1993]

Draisaitl will re-sign I have zero doubt about that

[@chrisdaddy4637]

@@AHockey1993 you never know! Maybe there’s already a trade in the works to get Mitch Marner!

[@AHockey1993]

@@chrisdaddy4637 don’t do this to me lol!

[@coreyr8870]

Good. Best of luck to him

[@SirVTropic]

Beard is gone 😢

[@Broncos18]

Everyone saying how useless Drai is. How about Nugent Hopkins. He is way to soft and kills the powerplay when he is on it. Dude is a bust as a 1st overall pick and nobody wants to admit it.

[@wad316]

Yeah he's probably top 10 or 12 1st round at best. The only time he reached 100 points was 2023 then he ghosted the playoffs. Nuge being underwhelming isn't a focus because of Puljujarvi being worse. For all the criticism the team gets re draft picks, not everyone has been bangers.

[@jdsu2000]

Get ride of Nurse. A -9 worst in the playoff, playing a 5-6 D minutes. He provides no defense, don’t move the puck, no physicality, not a leader on the ice, with a 9.25M salary which is 2nd highest on the team, playing like a 1.5M defenseman. He makes all his partners worst. His salary can pay Janmark, Brown, Henrique, the whole 3rd line next year. He is the problem of the team. Jackson must send him packing asap to get cap space for these UFAs.

[@AHockey1993]

I think it's more realistic to find Nurse a suitable d-partner to try and get the most out of his play... not many teams are going to want or even can acquire a d-man making 9.25m/yr against the salary cap. Plus Nurse has a NMC, meaning he would have to waive it to be traded. I don't disagree with many of your points, but realistically he likely remains on the team for now

[@jdsu2000]

@@AHockey1993 Nurse makes all his partners worst. Just name a few D that you think would make Nurse better, and at what cost. At 9.25M he should carry the 1st pairing, nothing less. I think Broberg has surpassed him, and Kulak and Ceci have much better value on the team. He has no value to the Oilers team at 9.25M. LA can get rid of PLD’s 8.5M with 7 years left on the contract. I do believe Oilers can possibly do something similar to Nurse contract if Jackson pushing hard enough. It is not impossible if Jackson can do a good selling job that Nurse still can be an effective top 4 D on a lower tier team(s).

[@wadesidor7188]

Where’s McLeod???

[@AHockey1993]

I have a pinned comment addressing McLeod lol

[@harrycooper5231]

Anyone who wants their name on the Cup will leave for an American team ASAP.

[@Jaspberryram12]

Mcdavid got to go. Rangers would be good fit

[@Anakinskywalkerfan1]

Rico better stay with us

[@nishd7161]

Sadly, the insider rumour is that he will not.

[@Anakinskywalkerfan1]

@@nishd7161 I get it but never know

[@tired_Draisaitl]

he's leaving sadly 😭

[@nishd7161]

@@Anakinskywalkerfan1 Well in the press conference, he said money isn't his priority so maybe there's hope.

[@Anakinskywalkerfan1]

@@nishd7161 👍🏻

[@SS-iv7wv]

Drisaitl should be traded, he did nothing in the finals. What good are you if you can't produce in the finals when it matters? He's going to get 11 million and Micdavid will be 15 million almost for sure. You can't have that kind of money tied up on a guy that doesn't produce, trade him and get something like 2 solid 5 million dollar guys. Nurse for 9.25 is like highway robbery but you're stuck with him for a long time.

[@AHockey1993]

Draisaitl was playing with Broken Ribs and a Broken finger, coach Knoblauch also said there were games they weren’t sure he’d be able to play in because of injuries. He gave it his all and still did better than most of the players in the finals. He produces, and will win a Cup with Edmonton.

[@SS-iv7wv]

@@AHockey1993 didnt know that info.

[@coreyr8870]

Weak fingers and ribs, trade him

[@AHockey1993]

@@coreyr8870 lmao no

[@Zhombeee]

Drai was quiet in the finals, yes, but you're conveniently forgetting all he's contributed leading up to that point. 3rd in points in the playoffs overall and top 10 in the regular season. To say that he didn't produce is crazy.

[@Coolestnumber1]

Bettman 31 Canada ZERO. He has been preventing Canada from winning since 94. NOT a "conspiracy" . No one can convince me that in 31 years no Canadian team was "good enough to win" and more suspiciously no 2 Canadian teams were good enough to meet in the finals. The first thing he did was prevent Vancouver from winning in 94 (after he moved the NHL head office from Toronto to New York). He has been doing it ever since - allowing a team to periodically go to the finals and even game 7 but always prevents the Canadian team from winning. He does this with the "help" of the referees who are told to call extra penalties against Canada and less against the other team. In game 7 of this year within 3 minutes of the start a bogus call against the Oilers which gave Florida a goal. If the Oilers would have scored more there would have been more penalties called against them and fewer against Florida. People saying the Oilers were not "aggressive enough" are wrong because if they were the refs would have called even more penalties against them. A no win situation. He is all about helping the American teams thrive and will do everything to ensure the cup stays in America. He is salivating at the eventual move of McDavid, Draisaitl, Matthews and others to US teams because they will know they can never win a cup playing for a Canadian team. Now that he has promised the owner in Phoenix that they will have another team it should work out that at least one of those players I mentioned will end up signing there which would instantly help that Phoenix team. So corrupt. He hates the Canadian teams but loves their money and stretching out the series to game 7 brought him millions more. It is especially sad that the two most expensive season tickets are in Edmonton and Toronto but neither of which will ever win again. Edmonton is lucky that he took over in 94 instead of 84 because if he did the Oilers would never have won even 1 cup. "Captain America" - Gary Bettman.

[@MikeHawkPEN15]

My god ceci and kulak are painful to watch... kulak alone loves to give those turn overs at the top of the circles resulting in goals.. he makes skinners job alot harder than it needs to be.