The Oilers are headed into free agency with a long shopping list and, at least on paper, some room to work with. If they manage to move Darnell Nurse, they’d have about $15 million in cap space to chase a goaltender, two defencemen and three forwards. But the smarter play might be the least flashy one: wait.
That’s the trap every July 1. Teams get itchy, bid against themselves and hand out contracts that age badly fast.
This year’s market looks especially thin, which only raises the odds that clubs will talk themselves into paying too much for too little. For a team like Edmonton, that kind of rush can turn into a cap headache before the month is even over.
The Oilers already have one example of how patience can pay off.
As Allan Mitchell of The Athletic noted, Edmonton landed Jack Roslovic on October 8 after the market had already chewed through its shiny names. The Oilers had tried to sign him on day one of free agency, but Roslovic’s greed got the better of him and he said no. Edmonton waited, the rest of the market moved on, and the Oilers finally grabbed him in the middle of their first regular-season game.
Roslovic ended up scoring 21 goals at a bargain rate, making it one of the shrewdest moves of Stan Bowman’s time as Oilers GM, even if it came together almost by accident.
The point isn’t just that Edmonton got lucky once. It’s that this kind of patience can be a real strategy.
“The play for Bowman would be waiting for other teams to overspend on mid-level free agents,” Mitchell wrote. “At some point, the market will come back - it does every year - and Edmonton can take advantage.”
That idea fits especially well in goal. Mitchell’s view is that the Oilers should not rush into paying for a netminder while the market is still frothy.
He points out that free-agent goaltenders are everywhere this summer, and several teams have three quality waiver-eligible goalies who may be available in trades. His case is blunt: Bowman shouldn’t spend early when the range between the best and worst signings can be wide and unpredictable.
“This is especially true with goaltenders. This season, free-agent goaltenders are everywhere, and there are several teams with three quality waiver-eligible goalies who will be looking to deal.
Bowman shouldn’t spend a dime on a goaltender because the gap from worst to best isn’t large, and NHL teams have proven time and again they can’t predict who is about to have a strong season. The possible outcomes of high to low signings are massive and seemingly random.”
Mitchell even floated Connor Ingram as the kind of move that could make sense if Edmonton waits until July 10. “If the Oilers wait until July 10 and sign Connor Ingram, it’s possible he will be the top-performing goaltender acquired in free agency this summer.”
The broader case for holding off is pretty straightforward. Roslovic showed the payoff can come later.
And even if the Oilers aren’t viewed the same way they once were, they still have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl pulling weight as a selling point. There’s also the reality that Mike Babcock could make some players think twice, but Edmonton still has a pitch: this is a team that wants to win badly and needs help.
So the safest route may be the least dramatic one. Let other teams chase the first wave, let the prices climb, and then go hunting once the market settles down. There will still be players out there willing to take a shot on what the Oilers are building.
In Other News...
Sabres Just Made A Goalie Decision Fans Will Debate For Years
The Oilers quietly took a swing at one of their biggest organizational needs by landing Devon Levi, a young goaltender with real long-term upside, in a trade with Buffalo. Edmonton also picked up a seventh-rounder in 2028, while sending the Sabres a 2028 third-round choice, a price that signals the team sees Levi as more than a depth addition.
For Edmonton, the appeal is obvious: Levi is now lined up with Tristan Jarry as part of the clubs goaltending tandem for the 2026-27 season, giving the organization a new look in net and a possible answer down the road. Levis move out of Buffalo closes a chapter that never fully settled into a full-time starter role, and the next one in Edmonton comes with pressure, opportunity and plenty of eyes on how quickly he can turn promise into reliability. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers May Be Eyeing A Familiar Free Agency Gamble Again
The offseason chatter around Edmonton has turned toward a familiar type of add, the veteran power forward who can give the lineup a little more finishing touch without needing top-line minutes. Anders Lee, Jamie Benn and James Van Riemsdyk are all being floated as possible fits, and each brings a different mix of pedigree, size and recent scoring history that could appeal to a team looking to deepen its offense without making a splashy long-term commitment.
The appeal is easy to see, but so is the risk. All three are on the older side for free-agent bets, which is exactly why these kinds of discussions can feel like a gamble even when the fit makes sense on paper. Edmonton has not made any official move, and for now the idea remains just that, a possibility the Oilers may decide is worth revisiting if they want another layer of scoring support around their core. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Make Another Quiet Forward Move That Could Matter
The Oilers have added another depth forward to the mix, signing Eduards Tralmaks to a one-year deal as they continue to round out the roster with low-cost bets that could pay off later. It fits the pattern of a team that has already been busy this offseason, following the trade of Darnell Nurse and the signing of Ryan Shea while trying to keep the forward group stocked with options.
Tralmaks comes off a productive season with Grand Rapids, where he put up 26 goals and 42 points in 64 AHL games. For Edmonton, the appeal is obvious: a player who can score at the minor-league level, comes cheaply at $850,000, and gives the organization another name to track as camp approaches, even if the path to meaningful NHL minutes still has to be earned. [Read more 🡒]