The Edmonton Oilers are coming off of an unfortunate Game 7 loss to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final. It was a fantastic run that the team should be proud of, as they were almost able to win their first championship since 1990. As the season ended, the team shifted their focus onto what needs to be a busy offseason if they hope to make it back for another shot at a Stanley Cup, and that’s exactly what they have been doing since losing the biggest game of the season. With the draft having come and gone after trading into the first round and selecting Sam O’Reilly 32nd overall, the Oilers focused on free agency where many fans hoped they would be active and improve the roster.
On July 1, many teams decided to spend a lot of money in hopes of improving their team. The Nashville Predators may have had the best opening day of free agency as they were able to sign Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei to long-term contracts. However, the Oilers were quite active as well as they were able to ink both Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson to new contracts. Skinner signed a one-year deal worth $3 million while Arvidsson signed a two-year deal worth $4 million per season.
On top of adding two solid forwards to their lineup, the Oilers also re-signed Adam Henrique, Mattias Janmark, Troy Stecher, Connor Brown, and Corey Perry while adding Connor Carrick, Collin Delia, and Josh Brown out of free agency. Unfortunately, the team did lose Warren Foegele to the Los Angeles Kings, Vincent Desharnais to the Vancouver Canucks, and Sam Carrick to the New York Rangers. However, it seems as though the Oilers have come out as winners so far as many fans around the league have praised them for upgrading their top-nine forward group and adding depth to their defensive lineup.
Skinner & Arvidsson Are Perfect Adds for the Oilers
The Oilers struggled to find someone who could play consistently in their top-six last season who wasn’t one of the core four forwards. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins all consistently played well in their elevated roles, but the second line often changed due to the lack of consistency from whoever played there on a given night. Foegele was given opportunities there, as were Perry, Dylan Holloway, and Ryan McLeod on many occasions but nobody was able to solidify themselves as a top-six forward. With Skinner and Arvidsson coming in, it should lead to the Oilers not having to make any changes to their top nine for the majority of the season, as both are proven consistent players.
I assume the Oilers will pencil Arvidsson in alongside Skinner with Draisaitl on the second line to start the 2024-25 campaign and see if there is any chemistry between them. While those three should be able to provide offensive production, these new signings also helped the Oilers create depth in their bottom six that they haven’t seen for a long time. Brown and Janmark played extremely well defensively in the postseason while Henrique stood out as an elite two-way player. Now they can all continue to play lesser roles where they excelled and can help elevate their linemates while doing exactly what they get paid to do, which is provide strong two-way games on a nightly basis.
While these signings likely mean the end of Evander Kane’s time in Edmonton, they should also pave the way for prospect forward Raphael Lavoie to finally get a bigger opportunity with the Oilers this season. Lavoie could slot into the third line alongside Holloway and Henrique, while Janmark, Brown, and McLeod take the final three spots on the fourth line. Regardless of what the Oilers decide to do with their lineup this season, it’s fair to say they have built one of the strongest forward groups in the NHL.
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