The Edmonton Oilers will have some tough decisions to make this offseason when it comes to their free agents.
The Edmonton Oilers will have some interesting decisions to make this offseason in regards to which pending free agents they want to re-sign, and which they will let hit the free agent market. General manager Ken Holland did a fantastic job in his first season with the team finding great depth players who were a good supporting cast to the team’s top players Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid.
Prior to this season, the Oilers had struggled to find depth pieces that could hold down the fort while McDavid and Draisaitl were not on the ice. As a result, they had struggled immensely and have only made the playoffs once in the McDavid era. It should be noted however that prior to this season being suspended, they were sitting second in the Pacific division and appeared to have a chance to go on a bit of a playoff run.
In order to have the same success next season, Holland will have to be able to again find good depth pieces that can chip in with secondary scoring and give up minimal chances against when McDavid and Draisaitl are not on the ice. He has some tough decisions to make on his own players prior to free agency given that he has seven unrestricted free agents as of now, and three restricted. Listed below are the decisions he should make on these players.
Unrestricted Free Agents
Mike Smith
Mike Smith was likely Hollands most criticized free agent signing last summer. The now 38-year-old was coming off a career worst season with the Flames, posting a 2.72 goals against average (GAA) and a .898 save percentage (SV%). Those numbers, along with his age, had many thinking there was little to no chance of a bounce back and that he had simply hit a decline in play.
Holland disagreed with that notion however, believing that the long time NHL veteran still had more to give. It didn’t start great for Smith, as he was getting heavily outplayed by Mikko Koskinen and went through a horrible stretch in December that had many calling for him to be traded or sent to the minors.
Since that rough stretch however, Smith has been brilliant. Prior to the NHL pause, he had become the Oilers number one goalie and was giving them a chance to win every single night. His numbers overall don’t look spectacular, as he owns a 2.95 GAA and a .902 SV%. Those numbers don’t tell the whole tale however. He has been better than almost anyone expected, and if he would take another deal similar to this past summers one-year, $2 million contract, then it makes perfect sense to bring him back for next season.
Riley Sheahan
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Riley Sheahan was a late summer signing for the Oilers last offseason, agreeing to a one-year, $900,000 deal on September 5th. This signing wasn’t one that overly excited fans of the team, but at the same time it was such a low paying contract that fans didn’t seem to have an opinion one way or the other about it.
He certainly didn’t come in expected to put up points, as the seven-year NHL veteran has only hit the 30-point mark two times in his career. Sure enough, he has put up just eight goals and seven assists through 68 games this season.
However, he has been far more effective than many would have imagined, forming an excellent penalty kill duo up front with Josh Archibald. As a result of their great work on the kill, the Oilers were sitting first in penalty kill percentage prior to the league pause.
This contract turned out to be a big time bargain for Holland and the Oilers. Not only has Sheahan been fantastic on the penalty kill, but he has been extremely effective as a shutdown centerman regardless of whether he has played on the third or fourth line. The Oilers should absolutely try and agree on an extension with him, as he has been a very valuable member of the team this season.
Tyler Ennis
One of Holland’s three moves at this year’s trade deadline was bringing in forward Tyler Ennis from the Ottawa Senators. This move impressed many around the hockey world as Ennis was having a solid season with the Senators, posting 14 goals and 33 points in 61 games prior to the trade. That, along with the fact all the Oilers gave up was a fifth-round pick, had everyone considering it to be a very good deal.
Making the transition to the Oilers, Ennis did not disappoint. The 30-year-old made it very clear in his nine games with the club how hard of a worker he was, being relentless on the forecheck. He had also chipped in offensively as well, with two goals and two assists in nine games.
Unfortunately for Ennis, the NHL pause resulted in him not getting a lot of time to showcase himself to the Oilers management for a possible contract extension. However, in his extremely brief stint as an Oiler he played very well, and would be a very good player for the Oilers to re-sign for next season as he is able to bring secondary scoring, something they have struggled with over the years.
Mike Green
The first of Holland’s three moves at the deadline was acquiring longtime defenceman Mike Green from the Detroit Red Wings. This move surprised many as the Oilers didn’t appear to be in the market for a defenceman, but with an injury to Oscar Klefbom Holland decided he needed to add a puck moving defenceman to the lineup.
This trade also brought great leadership to an inexperienced Oilers group as Green had played in 878 regular season games and an additional 76 playoff games. He wasn’t able to make any type of impact with his new club, as he got injured in just his second game.
At the time of the injury it was announced he would miss 3-4 weeks, meaning he would be good to go if and when the NHL season returns. However, at his age, along with some of the back end prospects the Oilers have it doesn’t make sense to give Green an extension.
Patrick Russell
Patrick Russell was the biggest surprise out of camp as no one had the 27-year-old rookie pegged to make the team out of camp. Russell, who had his NHL debut last year playing six games with the Oilers, was seen as a depth piece and was expected to provide be a leader in what would have been his fourth season with the Condors. Instead, he impressed Tippett in camp with his work ethic and was able to earn a spot on the team.
Russell’s time in the lineup has been sporadic as he has sat plenty of games as a healthy scratch this season. When he has played, everyone knows what they will get from him, which is extremely hard work every single shift. As of now, he is still looking for his first NHL goal, and has just five assists in 45 games this season. There is almost no chance he is back with the Oilers next season, but fans and teammates alike certainly were impressed with his work ethic.
Gaetan Haas
It appears now that Gaetan Haas is close to re-signing with the team and it should be made official in the next couple of days.
Markus Granlund
Though Holland had a lot of good depth adds last offseason, Markus Granlund was not one of them. The 27-year-old Finnish forward was expected to provide some secondary scoring, having put up 12 goals the season prior with the Canucks, and a career high 19 not long before that.
It certainly didn’t work out the way either Granlund or the team had hoped, as he struggled through the first half of the season with just three goals and one assist going into the Christmas break. Right after returning from the break, he was assigned to the Condors, his first time being sent down to the AHL in four seasons.
He did receive one more brief call up, but was again sent down shortly afterward. This will not only be Granlund’s last season with the Oilers, but possibly of his NHL career.
Brandon Manning
The Oilers traded for Brandon Manning was one of Peter Chiarelli’s many disastrous transactions. To start the year, he was healthy scratched a lot more than he played, appearing in just nine games while recording one assist. Like Granlund, he was assigned to the Condors right after Christmas. Again like Granlund, it is very likely he has played his last game in the NHL.