Oilers make multiple roster moves to optimize salary cap ahead of season

On Monday, the Edmonton Oilers announced a number of roster moves ahead of Wednesday’s season opener. Mattias Janmark has been placed on injured reserve, forwards Isaac Howard and David Tomášek have been loaned to the Bakersfield Condors, and forward James Hamblin has been recalled from their minor league affiliate.

For those looking forward to watching Howard and Tomášek start the year in an Oilers uniform, fear not: these appear to just be paper transactions to get cap compliant, and the two forwards will be back in Edmonton in due time. Luckily for us, the good people at PuckPedia broke down the moves as follows:

– Tomášek & Howard down, Janmark IR
– Call up $775K guy unlikely to be on team (like Hamblin)
– Have $834 cap space & submit opening roster
– Add Hyman to LTIR, able to exceed cap by $3.8M ($834 away from optimal)
– By Wed (Day 2 for cap purposes), call up Tomášek/Howard, send down extra $775K guy
– Have $1.8M Cap Space remaining in LTIR

Sounds simple enough, right?

These convoluted paper transactions are one of the many joys of the NHL salary cap, requiring movement of players to teams they won’t appear with just to stay cap compliant entering the year. Alas, it’s what has to happen to make the numbers work.

Nevertheless, Howard and Tomášek are still both gearing up for their rookie years with the Oilers. Considered one of Edmonton’s top prospects, Howard was acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning this past summer. The former Hobey Baker Award winner is viewed as a possible Calder candidate this year, and his debut will be highly anticipated. Tomášek joins the Oilers at 29 years old as a free agent signed from Europe, looking to prove his worth in North America.

Janmark will be out for Edmonton’s season opener this Wednesday, expected to miss one to two weeks due to an undisclosed injury. The 32-year-old Swede is entering his fourth season in Edmonton, with two goals and 16 assists last year.

Edmonton’s season kicks off on Wednesday, set to host the Calgary Flames for the Battle of Alberta. Puck drops at 8 pm.