4 Free Agents the Edmonton Oilers Should Still Sign

Robby Fabbri has solid offensive abilities and could be signed on the cheap. The 29-year-old’s career has been derailed by some tough injuries, but he still has the ability to produce solid secondary numbers. He’s just one season removed from an 18-goal, 32-point campaign in 68 games with the Detroit Red Wings. He also brings versatility, as he can play both down the middle and on the wing. AFP Analytics projects him to sign for less than $1 million, meaning the Oilers would only need to free up roughly $700,000 to make it work.

Viktor Olofsson

Viktor Olofsson is the most intriguing winger still available on the market. The 29-year-old never turned into the big-time goalscorer he was expected to be early in his NHL career, but is still capable of putting up 20-plus when given the right opportunity.

His best season came in 2022-23 when he scored a career-high 28 goals with the Buffalo Sabres. He may not be capable of those same totals with the Oilers, but he could be a very cheap option to play some minutes on the second line with Leon Draisaitl while also seeing time on the second-unit power play. Although Olofsson was originally projected to get approximately $3 million per year, that price has likely come down significantly given how long he’s been on the market.

Jack Roslovic

Another skilled forward the Oilers could add for a reasonable amount is Jack Roslovic. The 28-year-old was expecting a nice payday following a 22-goal season with the Carolina Hurricanes, but after two weeks into free agency, he remains unsigned, so it doesn’t seem likely he’ll get his current asking price.

He is not a play driver, but he has proven to be a nice complementary piece when placed alongside skilled players. He would likely play on the wing in Edmonton, but he also has experience playing centre. He could be another option to play alongside Draisaitl. Roslovic was expected to get $4 million per season, but, like Olofsson, he is likely set to sign for far less at this point in time, especially if he hopes to latch onto a contender such as the Oilers.

Ilya Samsonov

If Ilya Samsonov was willing to sign for close to the league minimum, would it make sense for the Oilers to bring him in? Sure, he isn’t as good a goalie as Stuart Skinner – he certainly hasn’t been over the past two seasons with both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights – but there is reason to believe he could be a better tandem option than Calvin Pickard.

Despite Samsonov’s struggles the past two seasons, he has already shown he’s capable of great things in the NHL. In 2022-23 with the Maple Leafs, he had a 2.33 goals-against average (GAA) and a .919 save percentage (SV%) in 42 appearances. For the right price, Oilers management should consider him. He’s projected to sign a deal that would give him a cap hit of roughly $1.9 million.

Oilers May Improve Further at Deadline

While these free agents would all be great fits in Edmonton, the Oilers would need to move on from another player or two to make the money work, as they currently have less than $300,000 in cap space. If they can’t do that or aren’t willing to subtract from the current roster, they may instead wait for the 2026 Trade Deadline to address any lingering issues. That said, the roster doesn’t seem quite strong enough to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the third straight year, and management is certainly aware of that.