Keep or Walk: Which impending free agents will be back with the Oilers?

Reeling from their second consecutive Stanley Cup Final loss to the Florida Panthers, some tough decisions need to be made by the Edmonton Oilers this off-season.

With the rumoured signing of Trent Frederic, the Oilers have six unrestricted free agents left to sign who could conceivably play on an NHL roster next season. The problem is that the Oilers have about $12 million in cap space remaining, with the need to sign Evan Bouchard. 

Let’s take a look at whether the Oilers should re-sign or walk away from their unrestricted free agents.

Corey Perry

According to The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta, the Edmonton Oilers have interest in both Corey Perry and Connor Brown. Perry has expressed a desire to remain with the Oilers in his age-40 season.

It’s hard to say walk away from Perry, considering the production he had in the regular season and postseason. The right winger finished with 19 goals and 30 points in 81 games, playing just under 12 minutes a game. In the postseason, Perry scored 10 goals and 14 points in 22 games, second in goals and only one behind Leon Draisaitl.

It’s not unrealistic to say that Perry may sign for a league-minimum deal. If he can produce half of what he did in 2024-25, he’s absolutely worth keeping around.

Connor Brown

Like Perry, it seems as if Connor Brown’s return has a good shot of happening. Everyone remembers his 54-game scoreless streak to start the 2023-24 season, but he was a great bottom-six player for the Oilers last season.

Brown finished with 13 goals and 30 points in 82 games, playing a key role on the penalty kill. In the postseason, Brown scored five goals and nine points in 20 games, starting off the postseason red hot.

A reunion is something the Oilers should be interested in, as Brown provides speed, a scoring touch, and penalty killing in a bottom-six role. However, his contract has to reflect his role – there can’t be a giant bonus this time around. He’s a keeper.

Jeff Skinner

Jeff Skinner spent 14 seasons without playing a single postseason game. This prompted him to sign a one-year deal worth $3 million with the Oilers, a perfect match on paper as he reached the 30-goal plateau in 2021-22 and 2022-23.

But hockey isn’t played on paper. He sat 10 games in the press box, and when on the ice, he was somewhat productive with 16 goals and 29 points, well shy of the 82 points he had in 2022-23. A significant reason for sitting in the press box was his defensive effort.

When the playoffs rolled around, he played Game 1 and picked up his first postseason point, then proceeded to sit until the Dallas Stars series, scoring his playoff first goal in Game 5.

Skinner is a good hockey player, but there doesn’t seem to be a fit between him and the Oilers. That said, hopefully he gets an opportunity on another playoff team, because he’s a very likable player.

Kasperi Kapanen

Kasperi Kapanen was selected 22nd overall in the 2014 draft and has all the tools to be a top-six player, but he just hasn’t figured it all out. He was claimed off waivers mid-season and got off to a great start before going cold toward the end of the season.

The right winger was inserted into the lineup in Game 4 of the second round and made an immediate impact, laying three big hits in his first shift. He scored the series-clinching goal in overtime, a habit of his throughout his career. Kapanen scored twice more in Games 4 and 5 in the Western Conference Finals and picked up three assists in the Stanley Cup Final.

When on, Kapanen is a productive bottom-six forward, but when he isn’t, he’s invisible. He wouldn’t be a bad depth forward on a league-minimum deal, but his strong postseason may earn him a larger deal than the Oilers would want to give out.

John Klingberg

John Klingberg was signed in the middle of the season and wasn’t great during the regular season. In the first three rounds, he was a blessing as he showed poise on breakouts. Overall, he finished with one goal and four points in 19 postseason games, the same total he had in 11 regular-season games.

If the postseason ended after three rounds, teams would be lining up to sign Klingberg. However, he struggled mightily in the Stanley Cup Final, eventually sitting out Games 4 and 5.

Adding a right-shot defenceman is an area of need for the Oilers this off-season, but if Klingberg wants more than $2 million, it may be best to walk.

Derek Ryan

This answer is simple: the Oilers should and will walk from Derek Ryan. He’s included because I have no idea the next time I’ll be able to write about Ryan.

The right-shot centre was undrafted after playing three seasons with the Spokane Chiefs, ending up playing for the University of Alberta. Ryan then played four seasons in Europe before joining the Carolina Hurricanes franchise in 2015-16 as a 29-year-old.

He had back-to-back 38-point seasons in 2017-18 and 2018-19, before eventually signing with the Oilers before the 2021-22 season. He scored 10 goals and 22 points in 75 games that season, followed by a 13-goal, 20-point season in 80 games in 2022-23.

As he got older, Ryan’s goal-scoring dipped heavily, and he played just 36 games in 2024-25. That doesn’t take away from the fact that his career path is a classic story of never giving up. He was an important player for the Oilers in his first two seasons as well.