Who stays? Who goes? Starting with Leon Draisaitl, the Oilers have plenty to address

EDMONTON — The wounds of losing Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final by a single goal are still fresh for the Edmonton Oilers, but the NHL calendar dictates that it’s time to move on.

The buyout window opens Thursday, and free agency begins Monday. The Oilers have one notable option for the former category and 10 players who travelled with the team during the playoffs who are eligible to hit the open market.

Oh, and then there’s the Leon Draisaitl situation and the fact that GM Ken Holland’s contract expires on Sunday.

“There’s a lot going on with our team (and) management,” veteran winger Zach Hyman said.

Some change comes after every season, but there could be a lot of it for the Oilers this summer. PuckPedia has the Oilers with just over $10 million in cap space but with just seven forwards and five blueliners signed.

With somewhere between a roster tweak and overhaul pending for the Oilers, here’s how things are looking for current members of the team.

The locks

Connor McDavid

The Conn Smythe Trophy winner has two more seasons left on a contract that has a full no-movement clause. He’s not going anywhere this summer.

Zach Hyman

Hyman followed up his third-place finish for goals in the regular season by leading all snipers in the playoffs. He has four more years on his contract, which still looks like a bargain at $5.5 million against the cap.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

Unheralded compared to his more renowned teammates, Nugent-Hopkins does it all for the Oilers. Like McDavid and Hyman, he has a full NMC with five years remaining on his deal.

Mattias Ekholm

Ekholm is the first to say he isn’t getting any younger, but he’s still contributing in a major way even though he turned 34 last month. He has two years left on his contract, which counts for $6 million against Edmonton’s cap. He’s been worth every penny.

Darnell Nurse

There were a few good moments in the playoffs for Nurse before he got injured in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final. But there’s no use sugarcoating it: He had a rough postseason run. A $9.25 million cap hit is attached to Nurse, and that means he’s attached to the Oilers — especially since there’s a full NMC for now and the deal doesn’t expire until 2030.

Stuart Skinner

It’s tough to find a legitimate starting goalie for a $2.6 million cap hit these days. Skinner has two more seasons to go before he can hit the open market.

Evan Bouchard

Bouchard, 24, might be the most untradeable player on the whole roster. He has one more season at $3.9 million before he’s a restricted free agent with arbitration rights. The Oilers can’t lock him up fast enough even with their cap issues. However, there shouldn’t be much incentive for Bouchard to do that. He might as well keep excelling and driving his price up.

Philip Broberg, Edmonton’s 2019 first-round pick, impressed when put into the lineup in the playoffs. (Elsa / Getty Images)

Re-signing the RFAs

Philip Broberg

People in the organization kept insisting the time Broberg spent in the minors was necessary and valuable, that it made him a better and more confident player. It seemed that way in the last few weeks. Inserted into the lineup for Game 4 of the Western Conference final, Broberg provided a jolt to the Oilers defence. His emergence forced Vincent Desharnais and then Cody Ceci to sit out. Broberg doesn’t have much of a track record to command a lot of money. That’s fine. The smart play is to sign a one-year deal and build his NHL resume as a waivers-eligible player.

Dylan Holloway

Much of what applies to Broberg does to Holloway, too. There’s a top-six job with his name on it for next season. A short-term deal makes sense for the player and team.

Probably back

Derek Ryan

The Oilers need cheap players and Ryan, who played capably in 19 of 25 playoff games, has one more season on his deal with a $900,000 cap hit.

Evander Kane

It’s so difficult to fairly judge Kane, who’s dealt with so many injuries over the last two seasons. The most recent of which was a sports hernia that he played with through the postseason until finally being pulled from the lineup after Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final. A full no-movement clause until February almost certainly means the status quo for the Kane and the Oilers.

Ryan McLeod

McLeod didn’t have a particularly strong playoff run, which resulted in him being scratched for a game in the Western Conference final. He rebound by providing some offence in the Cup Final. His versatility, speed and defensive prowess make him likely to return. Reasonable cost certainty — one more year at $2.1 million — is probably the tipping point.

The uber decision

Leon Draisaitl

Entering the last season of his contract, Draisaitl is eligible to sign an extension on Monday. This, naturally, was a major talking point of exit interviews on Wednesday. “It’s going to take time to figure out what I want and what the Oilers want,” Draisaitl said. This seems to be more of a Draisaitl decision than an Oilers decision. The Oilers have indicated they plan to offer him that extension this summer. It’s up to Draisaitl to figure out if the money is to his liking and if he wants to stay in Edmonton. Colleague Chris Johnston reported the Oilers are more inclined to trade Draisaitl this summer than keep him if he opts not to re-sign.

The next big decision(s)

Brett Kulak and Cody Ceci

The Oilers need to move out money and the two veteran defencemen are the prime candidates. Kulak has two years left with a $2.75 million AAV, whereas Ceci is about to enter the last season of his deal with a $3.25 million cap hit. Kulak typically played lower in the lineup and seldom killed penalties but showed his adaptability by playing the right side at the end of the Dallas series. Ceci is the righty, where there are more question marks on the roster, but was held out of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final for performance reasons. It’s more likely than not that one of them won’t be an Oiler when training camp opens in September.

UFAs to think about

Calvin Pickard

Pickard was a wonderful story this season, emerging from the minor leagues in November to appearing in 23 games with a .909 save percentage. He even started two playoff games, winning one. Pickard coming back depends on how confident the Oilers are him replicating his performance while possibly taking on a larger workload to give Skinner more rest. He might have some options in free agency, too.

Vincent Desharnais

There were contract talks between the Oilers and Desharnais’ camp late in the season until they were cut off before the playoffs began. Desharnais had some good moments early in the playoffs but was held out of the lineup for nine of the last 10 games in favour of Broberg. The Oilers need help on right defence and Desharnais could still be an option, especially since he won’t command a big cap hit. “It’s a business and we’ll see what happens,” he said. “Hopefully we can make it work.”

Adam Henrique

It seems unlikely Henrique, 34, can expect the same $5.83 million AAV on his next contract. He certainly isn’t going to get that in Edmonton. He understands he’ll have to take less to play on a contender. “I don’t think money is the number one thing for me in my career where I’m at,” he said. Henrique wasn’t a flashy acquisition at the trade deadline but ended up being an effective contributor both on the wing and at centre — especially in the Stanley Cup Final between Mattias Janmark and Connor Brown. He sure made it sound Wednesday like there could be a fit.

Mattias Janmark

What a difference between regular season Janmark and postseason Janmark. The left winger was a beast on the penalty kill, where he scored two of his four playoff goals — equalling his total from 71 games this season. The 31-year-old has been on one-year contracts since completing his entry-level deal in 2017. He’s taken a pay cut on his last four contracts as well — to the point where he played for $1 million this season. Could this be a chance for him to get some more money and stability? “I wasn’t expecting to have a lot of offers the way the year went. I probably salvaged a little bit of that in the playoffs,” Janmark said. “It’s always tough to leave a team and players that you feel like you can win with. That’ll have to go into consideration. I don’t think I’ll be able to turn down too much money. I don’t think there will be too much out there. I want to win. We’ll see what’s out there. This will always be one of two or three options.”

Connor Brown

The way Brown finished the playoffs made it hard to believe he struggled so mightily in the first half of the season or that he was held out of the lineup for the entire Los Angeles series. Brown and Janmark formed a formidable PK duo and two-thirds of that effective trio at five-on-five with Henrique. He became an unofficial spokesperson for the team. He just feels like an Oiler. “My heart’s here,” Brown said. “It’s a really special place to play.” He’ll have to sign for some kind of discount if he wants to come back. Though Brown had a league-minimum cap hit this season, he made $3.225 million in bonuses — which have been tagged onto the Oilers’ 2024-25 cap.

Sam Gagner

The indication is Gagner wants to continue his career. He’s beloved in Edmonton. But after being a black ace for the entire playoffs, re-signing here would be as the 13th forward. Going elsewhere gives Gagner, who turns 35 in August, a more realistic chance to play.

Jack Campbell’s tumultuous tenure in the Oilers organization appears likely to end. (Derek Cain / Getty Images)

As good as gone

Warren Foegele

Foegele’s career season combined with there being no contract talks signals that he’s priced himself out of Edmonton as the market opens Monday. That he had more downs than ups in the playoffs and was scratched for three games in the Western Conference final just makes it easier for the organization to say goodbye. The same won’t be the case for Foegele, who’s spent the last three seasons with the Oilers. “It’s a great group of guys. It’s a great place to play,” he said. “I’ve created some really good friends here, and I’ve really enjoyed my time here. It would be hard (to leave).”

(Photo: Dave Sandford / NHLI via Getty Images)