The two big pieces of business that remain for Edmonton are new contracts for Evan Bouchard and Ryan McLeod. On Wednesday, McLeod filed for arbitration which is neither good nor bad news. Often times we see a player file for arbitration and never reach the point of a third party arbiter handing out a contract; in fact that's exactly what happened with Yamamoto and Puljujarvi.
The numbers seem to suggest that McLeod is going to get something in the 1.4-1.8 million dollar range with Bouchard likely getting between 3.5-4 million. Regardless of how it ends up playing out the Edmonton Oilers are going to be close to or right up against the cap.
Most of the roster is set but there is still an opportunity to look at signing one or two more players to compete for a roster spot. Let's take a look at some UFA options still out there.
Filip Zadina We know as of this morning that the Red Wings and Zadina are mutually agreeing to terminate their contract. It's an interesting situation that we very rarely see in the NHL. Zadina is forgoing the salary he would have still received if (when) he was bought out and instead taking his chances on the open market.
Zadina was drafted 6th overall by Ken Holland and Tyler Wright, both of whom are now with the Edmonton Oilers. Originally expected to be a 3rd overall pick, Zadina fell to the Red Wings at #6 and through his young career we are seeing why teams passed on him. The offense has not been there and the analytics have also not been kind to him on the defensive side of the game.
Maybe he just needs a change of atmosphere and maybe the guy who drafted him in the first place is the one to offer it to him. A one year league minimum deal for Zadina would give him another chance to prove himself, potentially alongside the best players in the NHL. A left shot RW, Zadina could be plugged in anywhere in the Oilers forward core. The best case scenario is he ends up fitting with McDavid or Draisaitl...the far more likely option is he fills a need as a utility player in the bottom six.
Jonathan Toews
As of today it is looking like 25 year old Lane Pederson is the Oilers de facto fourth line centre. While players like Derek Ryan and even Dylan Holloway can also play at centre, it still feels like the Oilers need one more veteran centreman for the bottom six.
At 35 years old Toews is not the player he once was but last season still managed to put up 31 points in 53 games, averaging just over 17 minutes a game. It's worth noting that 9 of his 15 goals were on the PP, something he would not touch in Edmonton, at least on the top unit. If Toews still has something left in the tank, playing 10-13 minute a game as a fourth line centre would help shelter him and reduce the extra wear and tear on his body.
Of course with Toews you are also talking about the intangibles. This is a guy who has seen it all, from Olympic gold medals to Stanley Cups. There is value in those things and having a calming presence for younger players like McLeod and Holloway while teaching them what it takes to bring their game to the next level. For Toews it all comes down to whether or not he wants to play another year and have one last kick at the can. Returning to Canada for his final season would be a great story.
Ethan Bear
The Oilers right side remains an area of weakness. Right now you have Bouchard, Ceci, and Desharnais as true right shot players and that is it. Broberg can play either side but is a left shot and no prospect really looks ready to make that jump either.
Enter a player the Oilers are familiar in with Ethan Bear. The now 26 year old was drafted by Edmonton back in 2015 and was a nice surprise when he came up to the NHL. While his calling card in the WHL was his booming shot, Bear in the NHL was a skilled passer and was excellent at making a quick first pass out of the zone.
The issues with Bear were twofold, first of all he ended up playing too many minutes due to the lack of talent on the Oilers blueline and the second was Dave Tippett and his handling of the player.
Now in 2023, the 26 year old Bear is a far more mature player and the Oilers have the depth to insulate him and not expect him to produce in a top 4 role. Bear could be a great 7/8 on this team who could step up in case of injury or if a player like Broberg still isn't ready to make the full time jump to the NHL.
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Ultimately we likely wouldn't see any of these names sign with Edmonton until after the McLeod and Bouchard situations get sorted out and we may be weeks away from that. And any or all of these players could be snatched up by another organization in the meantime.
The core is set in Edmonton but Holland hasn't done enough yet this off-season to bring in enough surrounding depth that will help the team through the regular season and prep them for hopefully a deep playoff run.
Thanks for reading.