Edmonton Oilers: Breaking down their top free agents of 2020

EDMONTON, AB - OCTOBER 5: Darnell Nurse #25, Ethan Bear #74, Joakim Nygard #10 and Gaetan Haas #91 of the Edmonton Oilers celebrate a goal as Ben Hutton #15 of the Los Angeles Kings reacts on October 5, 2019, at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)
EDMONTON, AB - OCTOBER 5: Darnell Nurse #25, Ethan Bear #74, Joakim Nygard #10 and Gaetan Haas #91 of the Edmonton Oilers celebrate a goal as Ben Hutton #15 of the Los Angeles Kings reacts on October 5, 2019, at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)
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Mike Smith, Edmonton Oilers (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Mike Smith, Edmonton Oilers (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

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.

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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.

Ethan Bear, Edmonton Oilers (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Ethan Bear, Edmonton Oilers (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

Restricted Free Agents

Ethan Bear

Rookie defenceman Ethan Bear surprised everyone when he, like Russell, made the team out of camp. Though he was considered a promising prospect, the thought was he would at least start this season in the AHL.

Bear never gave the club a chance to send him down, as he was fantastic throughout camp, and has maintained that high level of play all season long. Although he won’t get any Calder Trophy recognition, he has had a phenomenal rookie season, averaging nearly 22 minutes of ice time per game. His numbers have been solid as well, with five goals and 21 points through 71 games.

It is tough to predict exactly what Bears next contract will be. Was this a one-year wonder, or the start of a fantastic career? Regardless, Bear will without a doubt be retained and back on the Oilers blueline next season, and likely for many more seasons to come.

Matt Benning

Matt Benning has become somewhat of a polarizing on the Oilers back end. According to some fans, he has no business being in the NHL at all, while others find him to be an extremely underrated third pairing defenceman.

The now 25-year-old has played in 248 career regular season NHL games, all coming with the Oilers. In those 248 games, he has posted 15 goals and 46 assists, including one goal and seven assists in 43 games this season.

Considering his age along with the fact he has played in nearly 250 career games, it isn’t likely he is going to improve from what he is now, at least not much. However, I believe he is an adequate third pairing defenceman.

The Oilers searched for a capable NHL blueline for years and finally have a respectable one. Benning is a part of that, and I believe the right decision is to bring him back on a cheap contract for next season.

Andreas Athanasiou

The most hyped up trade Holland made at the deadline was bringing in speedy forward Andreas Athanasiou from the Detroit Red Wings. The former thirty goal scorer was seen as a player who could match McDavid’s speed and therefore give the Oilers captain a winger he so desperately needed.

Athanasiou definitely came in with some warning signs as well, as the 25-year-old sported a league worst minus 45 at the time of the trade. However, many believed that playing with a better team would help turn that around. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t make a very good first impression on Oilers fans.

Through his first nine games with the club, he has posted just a goal and an assist. His time on McDavid’s line was extremely short lived, as Tippett instead had him playing mainly on the third line with Riley Sheahan and Josh Archibald.

Athanasiou’s high end skill certainly makes him intriguing to bring back for next season despite the very rough season. The only concern would be the money it requires to re-sign him. If he is willing to take a deal at his current salary of $3 million per year or less, then Holland should absolutely bring him back and see what he can do over a full season with the team.

Oilers headed in the right direction

Though the Oilers roster still has flaws, it has certainly improved under Holland. If he can continue to find good depth players like he was able to for this season, they should remain a very good team for years to come with Draisaitl and McDavid steering the ship.

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