The Oilers’ cap space has become a hot topic online, but the idea that Edmonton can simply sit on its current room and turn it into a massive deadline war chest doesn’t really hold up.
Right now, the club has $4.7 million in cap space. The theory floating around is that if the Oilers carry that space through the season, they could be sitting on roughly $21 million by the trade deadline.
On paper, that sounds like a neat little advantage. In practice, it’s a much messier picture.
The biggest issue is simple: what exactly are they buying with it?
Even if Edmonton somehow reached the deadline with more than $20 million to spend, the team doesn’t have the assets to bring in $21 million worth of meaningful players. Sure, they could absorb ugly contracts, like Jonathan Huberdeau’s in Calgary, but that kind of move doesn’t make much sense here. And with the new playoff salary cap rules that kicked in last season, there’s another problem - even if the Oilers loaded up on that much salary, they still wouldn’t be able to fit those players into their game-day cap picture in the playoffs.
That makes the whole exercise feel pretty hollow.
A more realistic target would be closer to $8 million in accrued space. That kind of number could actually matter, giving Edmonton a shot at a premier rental such as Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat while still leaving enough room to make the playoff cap math work.
There’s also a little more flexibility in the roster than the current number suggests. The Oilers have eight defencemen on the roster, and moving Spencer Stastney on waivers would open up another $1.2 million in space.
That’s why the conversation shouldn’t be about hoarding every possible dollar just because it’s there. Edmonton doesn’t need to force a move for the sake of it, but there’s nothing wrong with adding a forward if the fit makes sense.
Vladimir Tarasenko is the kind of name that jumps out. Michael Bunting is another possibility.
Tarasenko, in particular, brings the kind of offensive punch that would make him an interesting target. If the Oilers want more five-on-five scoring, that’s the lane to look at, especially since power-play opportunities in Edmonton are limited.
Tarasenko scored 16 goals at five-on-five last season, and over the last three years he’s averaged 14 five-on-five goals per season. That would have placed him sixth on the Oilers last year. He’s also been a reliable body, playing more than 75 games in four of the last five seasons.
Even if Edmonton has to pay a bit more to keep the term at one year, that still sounds like a worthwhile swing.
If the Oilers added a player at $3.5 million and moved Stastney down, they’d still have about $2.4 million in space, which would grow to just under $10 million by the deadline if everything broke right. They could also send down Mattias Janmark and free up another $1.2 million if needed.
So no, the Oilers probably shouldn’t be chasing the fantasy of turning $4.7 million into a $21 million deadline jackpot. But they should absolutely stay open to adding another forward now, because doing so wouldn’t shut the door on bigger moves later.
In Other News...
Oilers May Be Forced To Trust Unexpected Prospects This Season
The Oilers have not exactly made a habit of getting meaningful rookie help from their recent young players, with Ryan McLeod and Matt Savoie standing out as the rare exceptions. Thats part of what makes this coming season interesting in Edmonton, where the path to NHL ice could open for prospects who were not necessarily penciled in as immediate contributors when camp opened.
Positional need and injuries can change a depth chart fast, and that is where some of the organizations less established young players enter the picture. One right-shot defenseman is in the mix because the Oilers are not exactly overflowing with options on that side, while a right-handed center with size and skill could also get a look if the lineup needs a different kind of forward. Neither has proven much at the NHL level yet, but the circumstances around them may end up forcing Edmonton to trust upside sooner than planned. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Suddenly Have A Real Shot At The Winger Fans Want
The trade market around the NHL has started to feel a lot less theoretical, with big names moving and more asking for changes of scenery. For the Oilers, that matters because they have both the cap space and the kind of future assets that can get a serious conversation started if they decide to chase help on the wing. Edmonton has draft capital to work with over the next few years, along with young pieces such as Matt Savoie and Isaac Howard, which gives the front office more flexibility than it has had in past summers.
What makes this especially interesting is the fit. The Oilers have been searching for a winger who can strengthen the top six without forcing them into a cap crunch, and the current market is finally offering a path that looks realistic. With a restricted free agent situation and team control in the mix, Edmonton can at least explore whether the price is manageable, even if the eventual asking cost still has to line up with what the Oilers are willing to move. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Suddenly Face A Tarasenko Decision Fans Will Debate
Vladimir Tarasenko is still sitting in free agency, and that alone has turned him into one of the more interesting names left on the board for teams still looking to add scoring. After a respectable recent season, his market appears to have cooled enough that a player once carrying a much larger cap hit is now being discussed in a far more modest range, which naturally puts clubs like Edmonton into the conversation.
For the Oilers, the appeal is obvious enough: a veteran winger who could slide into a useful spot in the lineup and give the offense another layer without demanding the kind of commitment that would reshape the roster. The question is whether Edmonton wants to make room for a player with some perceived baggage and whether the fit is worth the debate that would follow, especially if the contract comes in at the kind of bargain level that makes the decision even harder to ignore. [Read more 🡒]