Keys to the offseason for the Edmonton Oilers
Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski of ESPN: Looking at the keys to the offseason for the Edmonton Oilers.
Projected 2022-23 cap space: $7,814,538
2022 draft picks: 1st, 5th, 6th, 7th
The way the Oilers finished the regular season and their playoff run likely clinches a three-year extension for interim coach Jay Woodcroft.
The Oilers have 11 UFAs and RFA to make decisions on.
Evander Kane is their top UFA. He played well with Connor McDavid but how many years and how much will it take to re-sign him?
Pending RFAs include Kailer Yamamoto, Ryan McLeod and Jesse Puljujarvi. Pending UFAs include Kris Russell, Brett Kulak and Mikko Koskinen.
Goaltender Mike Smith is 40-years-old and has one year left on his contract.
Could the Maple Leafs and Blackhawks work out a Petr Mrazek trade?
Jonas Siegel and Scott Powers of The Athletic: The Chicago Blackhawks and Toronto Maple Leafs should be talking about goaltender Petr Mrazek. It’s a trade that would make sense for both the Blackhawks and the Maple Leafs.
The Maple Leafs don’t need to be spending $3.8 million for two more years on Mrazek. He was injured and ineffective for most of last season. The savings could be used for Jack Campbell or his replacement.
The Blackhawks need a goaltender for next season and draft picks/prospects for future years. They have some salary cap space to use to their advantage to collect more assets. The Blackhawks finished last season with Kevin Lankinen and Collin Delia in net – both are pending UFAs.
The Maple Leafs aren’t going to give up a first-round pick to shed themselves of Mrazek, They already moved a future 3rd (2023) or 2nd (2025) to the Coyotes for them to take Nick Ritchie. The Leafs did get Ilya Lyubushkin back in the deal. It may cost the Leafs a second-round pick to lose Mrazek’s contract, but they don’t have one until 2024. They may need to throw in a prospect like Nick Abruzzese or a roster player like Justin Holl.