Edmonton Oilers
Cap Space: $51,371
2019 Draft Picks: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 3rd (NYI), 4th, 6th, 7th
Potential UFA’s: Alex Chiasson, Chris Wideman, Kevin Gravel, Jason Garrison, Cam Talbot, Mikko Koskinen
Verdict: Buyer
Player to watch: Jesse Puljujarvi
The Oilers are in an interesting spot. They are not far out of the playoffs, and are riding on the coattails of one of the greatest talents hockey has ever seen in Connor McDavid. Most of the team’s big time players are locked up for at least three seasons, and the team doesn’t have a ton in the way of cap space. If either of their goalies, both pending free agents, really get hot, this team has a real shot at getting back into the playoffs, most likely as a wild card.
That being said, the team doesn’t have much in the way of cap space to move around. If they can work the money around, its’ possible the Oilers chase after one of the big goalies on the market, such as Howard or Bobrovsky. A piece they can dangle in front of teams may be Jesse Puljujarvi, a former 4th overall pick with buckets of potential, despite not quite living up to it just yet. He’s a pending RFA, and just 20 years old, so there’s no reason the team can’t use him in a trade to land some help in keeping the puck out of the net. They just have to make the money work, somehow.