NHL Rumours: Latest Forward Chatter Surrounding Edmonton Oilers

The last one talks about how Connor Brown will test free agency according to Sportsnet’s Mark Spector. Brown had been with the Oilers for the last two seasons.

Analysis: Let’s take a look at the first rumour. Boeser is seemingly not in the plans for the Canucks and is likely to move on. The former 40-goal scorer had 25 goals this season with Vancouver. It seems that he’ll be heading to a new spot, but a Pacific Division rival could be in the mix to sign him.

Edmonton has over $12.3 million in cap space and could devote a good portion of that to Boeser. There are some concerns in trying to get Evan Bouchard a new contract, but Oilers General Manager wants to shore up the team’s scoring.

Having Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on the roster is great. However, there needs to be alternate sources of point-production. The Minnesota native is a right-handed shot and could be on the wing for either McDavid or Draisaitl.

Edmonton will likely have to get creative in making the money work. We could see the Oilers try to move out one of their larger deals in order to get Bouchard and/or possibly Boeser under contract.

The Connor Brown Situation

Signing Boeser could mean that Brown is on his way out. We’ve seen Brown reclaim some of the form that he had earlier in his career. Spector said that Brown will test the free agent market to gauge his value.

Brown is a running buddy of McDavid, but has carved out a spot in the Oilers’ lineup. He registered five goals and nine points during the most-recent run to the Stanley Cup Final.

Both sides have mutual interest in extending their partnership. However, one can’t blame Brown for wanting to get a bit of a raise. The Toronto native has been a reliable part of the forward group after recording 13 goals and 30 points last season.

Edmonton wants to bring home its first Cup since 1990. However, there’s only a finite amount of money under the salary cap. Brown has bet on himself with a pair of one-year deals, but now he wants to cash in and it may not be in Edmonton.