Three Oilers veteran forwards may depart team as free agents this offseason

The Edmonton Oilers currently have an extremely deep forward group full of veteran talent, but that could change next season if Connor Brown, Jeff Skinner, and Corey Perry depart the team as free agents.

The NHL's salary cap will be rising significantly before next season which helps the Oilers pay to retain veterans, but Brown and Skinner may still leave, and Corey Perry is looking at retirement.

Oilers analyst names Connor Brown, Jeff Skinner, Corey Perry as likely veterans to depart roster this offseason

In a new piece for the Athletic, Oilers analyst Allan Mitchell named Brown, Skinner, and Perry as the Oilers most likely players to leave this offseason.

The players who may be too expensive this summer include Brown, Klingberg The toughest call is probably Perry, who is older and slow but makes so many smart plays in the offensive zone

Jeff Skinner was an early disappointment who has been coming on in recent weeks. His return for another season looks like a long shot

- Allan Mitchell

Brown and Skinner are both currently on one year contracts, and could depart the Oilers for opposite reasons. Brown's quality play has earned the 31 year old a raise on his $1M salary the Oilers may not be able to afford, while Jeff Skinner would likely look for a fresh start after a tough year in Edmonton.

At 39 years old Corey Perry is still showing he can be an effective player with 20 points in 54 games, but the Oilers will be in for a tough decision to sign him for his age 40 season.

Perry will get slower, and could lead the Oilers to explore other options. Hopefully with a cup win, Perry could retire this offseason.

Oilers players departing in free agency show urgency to win this season

The Oilers would have to significantly move their lineup around if they lose all three of these players. Perhaps the most likely to stick around would be the fan favourite Connor Brown, if the Oilers can still find a way to give him a small raise.

This playoffs, the Oilers need to take advantage of their incredibly deep veteran forward group and make a solid push for the Cup - they won't always be able to keep a talented group like this around forever.