In terms of free agency, the Oilers have a difficult summer ahead.

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Ryan Hall
June 3, 2023 (11:55 PM)

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Many NHL teams this summer have reached a crossroads in terms of who they want to keep for next year and who they're willing to let go for nothing. Yes, I am talking about free agency. The Oilers are one of the NHL teams are facing a steep challenge to sign a 23-man roster while trying to remain compliant with the salary cap.

According to capfriendly.com, the Oilers have 17 players under contract for their parent organization and only have $5.97 million in cap space. This means they have to figure out a way to add six players to a roster along with prices for players going up and the salary cap not going up. It's going to make general manager Ken Holland's job very difficult.

The Oilers have three restricted free agents having arbitration rights Evan Bouchard, Klim Kostin and Ryan MacLeod. These players were key for their playoff run and the organization will need to decide on who they would rather keep and who they would rather let go.

If they can't make a deal with either Bouchard or Kostin they may have to move them either at the draft or let the players sit well until a deal is hammered out in arbitration.

It appears that the bulk of the players needing to be signed or in their bottom 6 include Nick Bjugstad, Derek Ryan and Mattias Janmark. Other teams allow other unrestricted free agents to walk. The Oilers will likely let these players go and find new men to replace the bottom six depth.

Evan Bouchard is one restricted free agent that needs to be locked up long-term as he had a great season last year and was effective in the playoffs. Kostin has been a fan favourite since his arrival and has been an excellent depth forward for the Oilers and will continue to develop and improve as the years go on.

The Oilers also have the options for trading players and restructuring their organization to fit their needs better. It will be a fascinating summer for the Oilers.